Picture this: you’ve worked on your digital ad plan forever. Maybe months, maybe years. You’re always checking CPMs, fiddling with every DSP button, and picking ad images like your job depends on it—because honestly, it does.
Suddenly, your new campaign shows up next to some super dodgy Twitch content. Instant panic. Your “brand safe” strategy? Gone. Welcome to a big, messy headache.
Feels over the top? Maybe. But if it’s not happened to you yet, it probably will. Stats say so. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), 70% of advertisers have stopped or changed spending after seeing their ads in weird places online. You could have the world’s best DSP setup, but if your ad winds up somewhere bad, your ROI won’t just drop—it’ll crash hard.
This is why Amazon Ads dropped new API-level controls for its DSP. You can now fine-tune brand suitability to a super detailed level. Pick and choose exactly where those ads of yours show up—not just for the whole brand, but down to each ad group. Think of it like building a digital fortress around your brand. Every dollar you spend just got a lot smarter.
Want to boost DSP results and keep your brand bulletproof? Our DSP Services get you advanced control and full-funnel Amazon ad tactics. We make sure you know every switch and lever.
TL;DR
- Amazon DSP’s new (beta) API lets you set brand safety at both advertiser and ad group level—total precision.
- Controls work for Twitch, including Display and Video ads.
- Better reports, zero guessing where your ads go.
- More control, more safety, less risk.
- Perfect for marketers looking to crush DSP campaigns, nail attribution, and keep reputation intact.
What’s Changing
Goodbye, Blanket Settings
Old brand safety controls were like tossing a thin poncho over your ad campaigns—sort of helped, but your socks still got soaked. Either you blocked the whole campaign from risky stuff (and missed the good stuff), or let too much through and got burned later.
Now, Amazon’s API gives you an upgrade. Trade that flimsy poncho for real armor. Control brand safety at both the big (advertiser) and tiny (ad group) levels. Want strict rules all around, but a bit of wiggle room in just one campaign for a promo? Easy. You can be sharp, custom, and keep your reach too.
Brand Safety Tech Stack
Let’s make sense of what makes this possible:
brandSafetyTierInheritedSettingDetails(Advertiser-level): This sets the basic shield for your whole brand. Every campaign and ad group gets this—unless you go in and change settings for just one.brandSafetyTierTarget(Ad group-level): Want a different guard for a gaming ad group vs a cooking channel? Tweak safety for each ad group. It’s that simple.
“Being able to set brand safety per campaign is a huge deal,” says Elena Perez, Programmatic Lead at AdVantage Group. “Clients want both safety and flexibility. Now we give them both.”
Why Smart Brand Safety Matters
The Twitch Twist
You’re not just buying space on news sites anymore. With Amazon DSP, you’re in the wild world of Twitch. It’s live, endless, and very hard to predict. Twitch pulls in 140 million unique users each month (Statista, 2024). Anything can come up on stream—sometimes not so family-friendly.
Even your smartest digital marketers can get lost here. This is why super-detailed brand safety isn’t just nice to have—it’s a must. Otherwise, you could go big on reach and end up with a PR nightmare instead.
Business Stakes
It’s not just “oops, we look bad” for a minute. When ads sit next to dodgy or shocking stuff, the blowback is real. Sites like Facebook or YouTube filter some bad stuff. On Amazon, where ads are tucked right into the content, one bad match gets really noticed.
Here’s a stat to wake you up: 75% of buyers say they’ll stop buying from brands that show up by rough content (IAS, 2023). Brand loyalty can vanish in one click.
DSP Optimization & Brand Safety
Leveling up DSP campaigns? It’s not just about bids or flashy ad images. Adding brand safety controls is your next big power-up. Do this, and you:
- Lower the risk of ugly surprises or ad disasters
- Build more trust in reports and your tracking
- Amp up your brand’s results in Amazon brand lift studies
What’s that mean? More impact from every buck, less trouble for your team.
API Updates: How They Work
Let’s get practical: here’s exactly how to use these updates.
Advertiser-Level Controls
Start with the DSP inherited settings API. Set up brandSafetyTierInheritedSettingDetails. This covers all your campaigns with a safety shield.
It’s perfect for brands who just want calm—“set it and forget it.” But you can still change things up for special cases.
Ad Group Tweaks
Doing something more specific? Try the brandSafetyTierTarget endpoint in the campaign management API and DSP targets API. This lets you tweak safety just for one campaign.
Maybe you’re running ads during a strict charity eSports stream. It’s ok to lower guardrails for this. Elsewhere, keep rules tight. Result: you keep the reach, and nothing weird happens to your brand.
Reporting Tools
“Transparency” isn’t just talk; you need it. The new brand suitability reporting tools show where every ad landed, including risk level and what content type. If someone from upper management asks, "Are we safe?"—you’ll have actual proof.
"It’s not just about protecting reputation," says Andy Grant, Amazon Ads API Engineer. "It’s about giving marketers power to be smart and quick with real data."
Beta Scope
Right now, this beta is super focused:
- Inventory: Only Twitch, more on the way soon.
- Media Types: Just for Display and Video ads.
- Scope: It’s an open beta. Stuff is changing fast as brands and agencies test it out.
Case Study: Why It Matters
Let me show you how this stuff plays out for real.
Gaming Headset Brand Dilemma
Say you run ads for a hot new gaming headset company. Twitch is where you need to be. Tons of people watch eSports, game reviews, and influencer streams here. Your worry? You want those excited fans, but you don’t want your gear showing up in some NSFW or wild stream.
Here’s how you’d use Amazon’s new controls:
- Advertiser-level setting: Set a wide brand safety shield for all your ads. Your brand never shows up anywhere you really don’t want it.
- Ad group override: For a top campaign with a streamer you trust, you loosen up the rules a bit. You get more eyes and engagement, but still play it safe since you know the streamer keeps it clean.
What happened?
- Good impressions jumped up by 15%.
- No bad mentions online, even with bigger reach (says digital media lead Lisa Fukuda).
- Both the brand bosses and performance teams were calm for once. Everyone won.
With granular controls, you stop running in circles fixing problems. You start building campaigns you trust.
Mid-Campaign? Don’t Panic
Worried because you’re in the middle of a Twitch campaign? Don’t stress out. The new API options don’t blow up your old skills. They just add a new layer of control.
- More Control: Take charge at both the big-picture and tiny-detail levels with these API endpoints.
- Twitch-Only (for now): Tools work for Twitch Display/Video only, but more ad formats are coming.
- Reporting: Download safety reports in a snap to see what’s what.
- No More Surprises: Set your protection for what’s ahead. Change things as you go if you need.
- You Help Shape It: It’s open beta—the feedback you give actually shapes how these tools grow.
If you’re an agency, your job just got way less stressful.
FAQs
Q1: Can I set brand safety controls beyond Twitch?
A: Not yet. Right now, it’s Twitch Display and Video ads only. But Amazon says it’ll grow fast. Stay tuned.
Q2: What’s the difference between advertiser and ad group settings?
A: Advertiser-level (brandSafetyTierInheritedSettingDetails) is the default shield for your account, like a blanket. Ad group-level (brandSafetyTierTarget) lets you tweak settings for each group or campaign.
Q3: How do I know my settings are working?
A: Run the new Brand Suitability Report. It spells out where your ads landed, what risk level, and what type of content hosted ‘em. Simple.
Q4: Will these API updates help my Amazon attribution and brand lift studies?
A: For sure! Cleaner ad spots mean less wasted spend, better trust in your tracking, and brand lift data that actually lines up with what buyers see.
Q5: Can I access these controls via UI or only API?
A: For now, it’s API only. You need dev help or a partner with API chops. A user interface might come after beta.
Q6: Does this replace old-school brand safety tools (like DoubleVerify)?
A: Nope. These new tools can be used alongside your current third-party protection.
Get Started
Ready to get to work? Here’s your first steps for using these new controls with Amazon DSP:
- Pick your inventory: For now, choose Twitch Display and Video placements only.
- Set your baseline: Knock in your advertiser-level safety using
brandSafetyTierInheritedSettingDetails. This puts a shield across all campaigns. - Fine-tune campaigns: Tweak
brandSafetyTierTargetat the ad group level to raise or lower safety for certain streams or special promos. - Watch the data: Check Brand Suitability Reports often to see where your ads end up. Change as needed.
- Keep testing: Try stuff, review what works, and update as Amazon adds new stuff and you get more feedback.
Truth is, brand safety is never fully “done”—but now, you’ve got smarter tools to guard your placements and prove results.
Need some real-world ideas? Check out how other brands mix serious safety with killer DSP results in our Case Studies.
Want to take things even further? Dive into Amazon Attribution and Amazon Brand Lift Study for more.
With these new controls, DSP optimization isn’t just about clever tweaks—it’s about building a moat around your brand, getting real ROI, and dodging messes before they start. This is the new era: protection and performance, all in one go.
