While competitors fight over expensive Amazon sponsored ads during Prime Day and other peak shopping events, the smartest brands are capturing high-intent or new-to-brand shoppers where competition is lighter and costs are lower: offsite channels like Google, Meta, and TikTok.
Keep reading if you're:
During peak shopping moments, everyone floods Amazon with sponsored product ads. This creates a massive opportunity gap in offsite channels where CPMs are lower, reach is wider, and high-intent shoppers are actively researching before they buy.
Ampd's analysis of recent Prime Day events reveals the power of this strategy:
Extended shopping windows create early opportunities
Tentpole events don't happen in isolation. Shoppers begin planning, researching, and building wishlists weeks before. Starting offsite campaigns just 14 days early can capture much of this pre-event surge when search interest grows but competition remains moderate.
Competition density creates opportunity gaps
When every brand pours budget into Amazon native ads, offsite channels become less saturated. This means better ad placements, lower costs, and access to audiences beyond Amazon's ecosystem during peak intent periods.
Attribution reveals true impact
Sophisticated measurement shows how offsite touchpoints influence on-platform purchases, creating a powerful flywheel effect that extends far beyond individual events.
Focus on foundation building and momentum creation. Allocate 30-45% of total spend for discovery and audience building. Key activities include developing event-specific creative assets, building retargeting audiences, and optimizing Amazon landing pages for incoming traffic.
Shift to momentum building with teaser campaigns and anticipation content. Increase spend to 25-30% of the total budget. Test product selection and sequential messaging while monitoring competitor activity.
Deploy maximum conversion focus with 15-20% of total spend. Update creative to reflect live event status, implement aggressive retargeting, and optimize budgets during peak hours (12-2 PM, 7-9 PM).
Capture extended value with 10-20% of remaining spend. Target late-decision shoppers, build loyalty loops with purchasers, and analyze performance data for future optimization.
One of Ampd's leading consumer packaged goods clients implemented our comprehensive tentpole strategy during a recent Prime Day event. By starting their offsite campaigns 3 weeks early with teaser content and scaling through our recommended budget allocation, they achieved:
The key was Ampd's agentic AI platform providing retail attribution data, allowing the brand to optimize budgets and creative in-flight while maintaining clear visibility into which offsite touchpoints were driving actual Amazon conversions.
The data is clear: while competitors fight over expensive on-platform real estate, smart brands capture high-intent shoppers at the beginning of their purchase journey through sophisticated offsite media strategies.
Success during tentpole events demands the right technology, strategy, and execution. The most successful brands connect every offsite touchpoint to actual retail outcomes, optimize in real-time, and scale with confidence.
Ready to dominate your next tentpole event?
Download our complete 12-page Offsite Media Playbook for Tentpole Events to get the detailed phase-by-phase implementation structure, strategic budget allocation frameworks, advanced tactics like sequential messaging and cross-channel retargeting, plus critical mistakes to avoid that can kill performance.
Download the complete playbook →
Book a meeting to see how Ampd can help your event strategy →