Most brands are still operating in a keyword-first world. But Amazon has already
By Chris McCabe · April 24, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Most brands are still operating in a keyword-first world. But Amazon has already moved on.
I recently sat down with Brent Zahradnik of SellerPlex to discuss why so many brands are "treading water" while the sophisticated 0.1% are using AMC to build custom audiences and measure true customer lifetime value (CLV).
We’re watching a slow (and very uneven) shift toward audience-based advertising, driven by tools like Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) and DSP. The problem is… adoption is still incredibly low.
Brent put it simply: most teams are sitting at about a “2 out of 4” level with AMC. Running a few basic queries. Maybe testing something they saw on LinkedIn.
But not integrating it into daily workflows. Not using it to make real decisions.
And definitely not turning it into a competitive advantage.
Amazon is getting more complex, not less.
And the sellers who don’t evolve their approach (or don’t have the resources to) are going to feel it over the next 12–18 months.
We’re already seeing signs of that.
If you’re curious where you stand on this curve, it’s worth listening to the full discussion. (link in comments)