Hasbro‘s embrace of Prime Video’s new ad tier has proven fruitful, with both Peppa Pig and Play-Doh campaigns generating significant gains in sales, brand awareness, and customer acquisition, according to a case study published by Amazon.
The toy giant was an early adopter of Prime Video Ads, which began rolling out in early 2024. They targeted parents in the U.K. and U.S. with campaigns for Peppa Pig and Play-Doh, respectively. The campaigns cleverly linked viewership with search results and purchases on Amazon’s vast e-commerce platform.
Impressive results across the board
The results were impressive. The Peppa Pig campaign saw a 21% increase in branded searches and an 18% jump in sales. Play-Doh, meanwhile, experienced a 14% rise in ad recall and a 4% boost in brand favorability. Both campaigns successfully brought in a substantial number of new customers.
Why it matters for Amazon and advertisers
This success story is a valuable weapon in Amazon’s arsenal as it strives to convince brands to invest more heavily in Prime Video advertising. The introduction of commercials represents a key step in Amazon’s plan to establish a robust, “full-funnel” advertising platform. This platform would seamlessly connect brand-building efforts (like TV campaigns) with online sales, potentially reducing reliance on other advertising channels. Amazon’s treasure trove of first-party shopper data adds an extra layer of precision to these campaigns.
A look at the specific campaigns
The Peppa Pig campaign in the U.K. tested various creative approaches to find the most effective one for driving conversions. Leveraging Amazon’s data, the campaign targeted households with young children by appearing during brand-safe programming choices. It reached 7 million unique viewers, and over two-thirds (68%) of Peppa Pig purchases made during the six-week campaign came from new customers.
“For Hasbro, it was an easy activation and great way to increase our consumers’ exposure to multiple ad formats,” said Jennifer Burch, senior director of global media at Hasbro, in a statement attached to the case study. “Prime Video drove largely unduplicated reach and brought new consumers into the purchase journey allowing our lower-funnel efforts to be more efficient.”
Play-Doh replicates success in the U.S.
Buoyed by the Peppa Pig campaign’s positive results, Hasbro replicated the strategy in the U.S. for Play-Doh. “Given the initial U.K. results, we quickly expanded our test with Prime Video to the U.S.,” Burch says. “Our goal with Play-Doh was to test if adding Prime Video as an upper-funnel tactic on a broader plan would bring in new consumers into the purchase journey.” The Play-Doh campaign on Prime Video reached 7.2 million unique shoppers, most of whom hadn’t been exposed to the brand’s display ads running concurrently. A significant 79% of Play-Doh sales attributed to the Prime Video campaign were from new customers. Interestingly, those who saw a combination of video, display, and sponsored ads exhibited a 6.4% higher purchase rate than those who only saw sponsored placements.
Prime Video Ads show promise
Hasbro’s experience with Prime Video ads demonstrates the platform’s potential for brands seeking to expand their reach, build brand favorability, and ultimately drive sales. “With our clean rooms and other leading ad tech, we can help all advertisers connect awareness and brand objectives directly to sales outcomes and category growth,” said Alan Moss, vice president of global ad sales at Amazon Ads. As Amazon continues to refine its advertising offerings, Prime Video is poised to become a key player in the advertising landscape.
