We’re continuing our Resonate 2019 spotlight interviews with event presenters. Today we’re talking with Bret Darby, Account Director for Seller Labs Managed Services and expert on all things Amazon Advertising.

You may have caught Bret co-hosting one of our March webinars. His contributions to “Reclaim Time and Increase Profits with Expert PPC Management on Your Side” and “Scale Your Amazon Business: Advertise Smarter Using Ignite” delivered game-changing insight for Amazon sellers and brand-owners looking to grow their Amazon Advertising presence and profitability.

Bret is an all-around Amazon Advertising guru who has literally taken thousands of PPC campaigns from costly time-sucks to brand-building peak-performers (seriously, it’s almost as if has a superpower for identifying and eliminating wasted ad spend).

Resonate 2019 will be Bret’s first time at the conference, and we are so thrilled to have him as a presenter and to call him a colleague. You can catch Bret and other members of the Seller Labs Managed Services team at Resonate on May 7-8. Grab your tickets today and use promo code BRET to save $200!

Q&A with Bret Darby, Seller Labs Managed Services Account Director and PPC Guru

Seller Labs: Hey, Bret, always a pleasure to chat with you. Let’s waste no time! What is one thing you wish Amazon sellers knew or were clearer on?

Bret: That Amazon is NOT the enemy . . . but it does operate on a very Darwinian model that promotes natural selection and survival of the fittest. That’s not personal, it’s just really good business. Too many sellers focus on the increasing costs to selling and they react as though these are attacks on their businesses. Amazon has always been focused on a few key missions of delivering products quickly, affordably, and with the customer first in mind. The way in which Amazon has grown and changed should not be surprising. Amazon’s marketplace model positively reinforces brands and sellers who share these goals and it thins the herd by culling those that do not support the mission. Forward-thinking businesses with productivity-oriented leaders shouldn’t have much issue pivoting when needed, but those who think they understand Amazon “well enough” and become complacent will quickly fall behind.

SL: You’ve worked with larger brands and companies in the past. What’s a successful Amazon Advertising action item you’ve used with larger accounts that you apply to current clients?

BD: Compartmentalization! Structuring and organizing campaigns so data can be analyzed very granularly but so that you can still paint optimizations with a broad brush. Don’t fall victim to the convenience trap and not spend the time to lay out a clean, clear, concise structure up front.

SL: Bret, you live and breathe Amazon PPC. What trends do you foresee in Amazon Advertising in 2019?

BD: Advertising automation becoming a necessity for successful sellers. There’s no way around it. But when I say automation, I mean in conjunction with a smart human decider, not as a replacement for a PPC sherpa. Automation is an amazing complement, a must for 2019, but you’ve got to have the human element guiding things. Either that or Crocs becoming acceptable business casual attire. You pick 🙂

SL: Okay, so other than investing in the return of Crocs, what is the one piece of advice you’d give to an Amazon brand just getting started with Amazon advertising?

BD: Identify your competitive advantage and leverage it in every aspect of your keywords when it comes to product listing and advertising.