Amazon Ads S.M.A.R.T Challenge: Connecting With The Next Generation Of Digital Marketers

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Amazon Ads, the digital marketing arm of the e-commerce organization Amazon, is one of the company’s fastest-growing parts. Founded in 2012, Amazon Ads works with organizations of all shapes and sizes to help them improve their brand awareness and increase customer loyalty, by offering advertising solutions with measurable outcomes.

Amazon Ads helps organizations engage with their audiences and capture their attention in places they love to be - whether streaming, listening, browsing or buying. Having established itself as a leading marketing agency, Amazon Ads was looking for ways to build a genuine connection with future consumers and marketers, i.e. B-School students. 

In this case study, we’ll take a look at how Amazon Ads partnered with Unstop to design a ‘smart’ way of connecting with future digital marketers, i.e. students from B-Schools, and increasing its brand recall. 

Finding The Right Medium To Connect 

Amazon Ads was looking for a way to connect with the next generation of digital marketers, which in this case were students from premiere MBA colleges. The aim was to engage with aspiring advertisers and marketers, understand their outlook, and communicate Amazon Ads’ vision for the next wave of digital marketing. 

At the same time, Amazon Ads wanted to carve an identity separate from its parent, the e-commerce giant Amazon. 

Amazon Ads holds a decade-long experience of engaging meaningfully with the target audience. Thus, they are well aware of how the medium of communication can make or break the game when it comes to connecting with the target audience. 

Unstop is a community of 5.6 million students and freshers who regularly engage with the platform to find new opportunities, mentors and challenges that push them to be better than yesterday. This was exactly what Amazon Ads was looking for. 

It’s A Match

Amazon Ads partnered with Unstop to launch, S.M.A.R.T (Strategize, Market, Advertise, Reign, Transcend) Challenge – a digital advertising challenge open to students from leading MBA colleges. 

The challenge was divided into multiple rounds, starting with an online quiz, followed by a case study and a grand finale. Originally launched in 2021, the challenge went on a second run in September 2022. In season two, an online treasure hunt was added to the challenge. 

In both seasons, the challenge started with a live session where participants met the Amazon Ads team, got tips on acing the competition, and gained incredible insights into the world of digital advertising. 

Unstop was able to successfully manage a month-long competition divided into multiple rounds. Here’s a detailed look at the competition structure each season: 

Live Session: Registered participants meet the Amazon Ads team.

Online Quiz: Participants solve a set of questions within 30 minutes. The quiz was based on digital marketing, advertising fundamentals, and a fundamental understanding of Amazon Ads products. This was an eliminatory round. 

Case Study: Shortlisted teams submit their solutions (in a Word document) to the problem statement. 

Grand Finale: Top 10 teams submit their solutions in the form of power-point presentations, and later present their solution to a panel of judges comprising leaders from Amazon Ads. 

As mentioned above, the second season included an additional online treasure hunt. It was a non-eliminatory round. 

The Impactful Outcome

The two seasons saw enthusiastic participation from students:

• Both seasons of the S.M.A.R.T challenge collectively received 20,000+ registrations. Each season had a prize pool of INR 4 lakh. 
• There was also an increase in the number of registrations from season 1 to season 2 - including an increase in female registrations, from 3527 in season 1 to 3657 in season 2. 
• Amazon Ads garnered the attention of students from premier B-Schools, like IIMs, IMT, FMS, ISB, MICA, MDI, and many more. 

Unstop advised Amazon Ads to add a treasure hunt in the second season - clues for the online treasure hunt were provided on Instagram, making it an interactive engagement on social media. Through this, the company was able to extend its social reach and brand awareness. 

Through a successful two-season-long campaign, Amazon Ads was able to find a way to listen to the voice of the future. If you too are looking for novel ways to connect with your target audience, reach out to coffee@unstop.com.