Core Insights - Amazon's advertising business has shown remarkable growth, with Q2 2025 revenue reaching $15.7 billion, a year-over-year increase of approximately 22%, making it the fastest-growing segment within the company [1] - The Trade Desk (TTD) reported Q2 revenue of $694 million, a 19% increase, but faced a significant stock price drop of nearly 40% due to concerns over growth slowdown and competition, particularly from Amazon [1][2] - Analysts have linked TTD's stock decline to Amazon's strong advertising performance, suggesting that Amazon's rapid growth is encroaching on the market space for independent Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) [1][2] Amazon's DSP Strategy - Amazon has set an ambitious goal to surpass Google’s DV360 and TTD to become the world's leading DSP, indicating a strategic focus on expanding its DSP business [2] - The appointment of Kelly MacLean from Meta as VP of Amazon DSP highlights the importance of this segment within Amazon's advertising strategy [2] - The need to grow DSP is driven by the limitations of in-platform advertising, which is closely tied to e-commerce transactions and has a natural growth ceiling [3][4] Expansion Beyond E-commerce - DSP allows Amazon to leverage first-party data from its e-commerce platform and extend its advertising capabilities to external media, creating a more comprehensive advertising ecosystem [4][5] - The introduction of DSP has enabled non-e-commerce advertisers, such as automotive and financial services companies, to utilize Amazon's advertising platform, thus broadening its market reach [5][6] Market Dynamics and Challenges - The advertising landscape is shifting due to regulatory pressures on Google and the phasing out of third-party cookies, which has increased the value of first-party data [7][9] - The transition from an "open web" to a "walled garden" model has concentrated bargaining power among major platforms like Amazon, Google, and Meta, while putting pressure on independent ad tech companies [7][9] - Despite strong private market activity in ad tech, publicly traded ad tech companies have seen their stock prices decline significantly, indicating a challenging environment for independent DSPs [8][9] Future Developments - By 2024, Amazon's DSP will expand to include external advertising inventory, allowing advertisers to reach audiences on platforms like Prime Video [10] - The introduction of Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) will enable advertisers to analyze their data alongside Amazon's without transferring it out of AWS, enhancing advertising effectiveness [10][11] - Amazon's proactive approach in the advertising sector was evident at the Cannes Lions Festival, where it showcased its growing presence and ambition in the advertising market [12][13][14]