Amazon Unveils 'Amazon Ads Agent' and DVA+ to Reframe Programmatic Media Strategy

Breaking Down Media Silos: Sponsored Ads Meets Programmatic

At unBoxed 2026, Amazon Ads officially rebranded its unified advertising ecosystem as Amazon Ads Agent. The major reveal was designed to eliminate the historic friction between performance marketing and programmatic ad buying. By consolidating Sponsored Ads, Display, Streaming Video, and Audio into a single access point, Amazon allows marketers to move seamlessly between manual setups, AI-driven automation, or a hybrid model.

Central to this launch is DVA+, a new solution that aggregates previously distinct execution channels—such as Sponsored Display, Sponsored TV, and open-web programmatic campaigns—into a single workflow. Driven by Amazon’s proprietary shopping, streaming, and browsing data, DVA+ enables advertisers to launch cross-channel strategies simply by setting an objective, picking products, uploading creative, and defining budgets.

Brand+ and Performance+: AI Targeting Tuned for High-Intent Growth

Inside the DVA+ engine are two specialized AI solutions tailored for distinct stages of the consumer funnel:

• Brand+: Leverages predictive AI models to locate mid-to-upper funnel audiences most likely to take valuable engagement actions, such as visiting a Brand Store or adding items to a cart.
• Performance+: Focuses on high-intent consumers actively considering a purchase, constantly optimizing bidding and placements toward immediate conversion outcomes.

For agency strategists and seasoned programmatic buyers, DVA+ retains granular options to manually adjust supply sources, deals, targeting parameters, frequency capping, and custom bidding rules across Amazon properties and the open web.

"Rapid advancements in AI are allowing us to deliver better advertising with improved performance across all channels and customer objectives. At the same time, we are making it as simple as possible for brands and agency partners of all sizes to create highly impactful campaigns."— Kelly MacLean, VP of Engineering, Science, & Product, Amazon Ads

The Conversational Shift: Prompt-Based Media Planning & Diagnostics

Building on its initial natural language tools, Amazon Ads Agent expands conversational capability directly into media planning and analytics. According to Amazon data, US advertisers using conversational natural language prompt targeting saw over 25% additional unique reach and a 10%+ decrease in CPMs on average.

New natural language capabilities include:

• Conversational Media Planning: Sizing prospective audiences, forecasting reach, and measuring incremental cross-channel impact via conversational prompts.
• Natural Language Audience Creation: Describing target demographics in plain text to receive automated keyword, product, category, and Amazon audience recommendations.
• Real-Time Analytics & Benchmarking: Asking the system direct questions to diagnose performance trends, compare campaign outcomes against industry peers, and generate instant charts.
• Smart Recommendations: AI-backed suggestions for Sponsored Products, providing direct, one-click implementations for budgets, bids, and targeting.

Agency Impact: Moving from Execution Mechanics to Growth Strategy

The arrival of agentic AI platforms represents a shift in agency workflows, freeing media buyers from tedious platform mechanics so they can focus on high-level strategy and creative performance.

"The conversational experience in Amazon Ads Agent is fundamentally changing how our teams work," noted Jason O’Toole, EVP and Head of Commerce & Retail Media at dentsu. "Rather than spending hours on manual campaign setup and optimization, we can now make human-informed optimizations directly. Our strategists spend less time on execution mechanics and more time on the insights and creative thinking that drive results for our clients."

DVA+ and the expanded conversational capabilities in Amazon Ads Agent are slated for a phased rollout to advertisers over the coming months.