Most brands treat branded campaigns like oxygen. Non-negotiable. Always on. Neve
By Adam Weiler · September 30, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Most brands treat branded campaigns like oxygen.
Non-negotiable. Always on. Never questioned.
But here's the thing nobody wants to say out loud:
If 67% of your conversions happen after that first sponsored product click anyway... are you paying to capture demand you already owned?
Branded spend has one real job: protect against competitors stealing your customers at the finish line.
That's it.
It's not a growth lever. It's a defensive tax.
The problem is most brands treat it like both — and never actually test whether it's doing anything incremental at all.
Here's how to find out:
1️⃣ Pause branded on your hero SKUs for 1-2 weeks (not during a sale period)
2️⃣ Watch purchase share on your branded terms inside Brand Analytics
3️⃣ Keep branded live on lower SKUs so you're not flying completely blind
If purchase share holds... you were paying for something that was already yours.
If it drops... now you know exactly what you're actually defending.
The insight from doing this across 400+ brands:
Branded protects the floor. Non-branded builds the ceiling.
Most Amazon accounts are spending to protect a floor that isn't going anywhere, while the ceiling stays exactly where it is.
Your TACoS looks clean. Your growth is borrowed.
Have you ever actually tested branded incrementality on your account, or is it just always-on by default?