Beyond demographics: How AI-powered ad tech is improving audience connections

According to Amazon Ads Beyond the Generational Divide research, and as shared in our previous exploration of generational marketing, audiences are more unified by their values, communities, and behaviors than generation alone. What’s more, 80% of surveyed consumers believe their mindset defines them more than their age, while 74% say they have things in common with people from all age groups.¹

While these insights reveal that advertisers should be looking beyond traditional demographics when it comes to audience connections, the real challenge is translating this information into action. And that's where AI can be a powerful companion.

To discuss the evolution of AI-powered solutions in marketing, Ben Allison, Director of Applied Science, Amazon Ads, sat down with Katie Field, Head of Ad Tech, UK, Amazon Ads during a June 2025 interview with The Drum at the Amazon Ads UK ad tech agency event, "The New Advertising Era."

Ben Allison and Katie Field discuss the evolution of audience strategies

The AI solution: Transparency meets performance

With over 25 years of experience in AI and machine learning, Amazon combines industry-leading AI technology with unmatched shopping and streaming signals to help marketers drive both efficiency and impact.

“What we're trying to do is build tools and capabilities that allow advertisers to bring their own unique knowledge to Amazon DSP, to be complemented by our first-party insights, and the machine learning models and AI that we use,” Allison notes. “And it's really that story of how the two can work better together across all stages of the optimization and shopping journey.”

Amazon Ads offers AI-powered solutions that help advertisers reach relevant audiences based on behaviors, interests, and intent—not just their demographics. As Allison notes in the interview, Performance+ optimizes campaigns for conversions by combining advertiser signals with Amazon's shopping insights, while Brand+ builds long-term brand awareness by reaching audiences based on streaming behaviors and content engagement. And when advertisers want to cast a wider net, similar audiences automatically expands reach to customers who share shopping, streaming, or browsing patterns with their best audiences—all with a single click.

"Instead of focusing on which demographic group they fall into, we can understand all of our customers in a unique way based on what they are interested in and how they engage with our experiences," says Allison. "This offers an opportunity for unmatched engagement and much better value."

Tools like Brand+, Performance+, and similar audiences enable marketers to connect with customers on what truly matters—values, communities, and behaviors.

Building a complete AI suite for modern marketing

Beyond audience optimization, Amazon Ads is expanding AI capabilities across the entire advertising workflow—from campaign strategy to creative production. These innovations, announced at unBoxed 2025, demonstrate how AI can simplify complex processes while democratizing access to professional-grade tools for businesses of all sizes.

With AI-powered solutions amplifying human expertise rather than replacing it, marketers can focus on strategy and creativity, unlocking new, relevant, and impactful ways to engage. The world has moved beyond demographics—and now, so can advertising.

Sources

¹ Amazon Ads custom research with Strat7 Crowd.DNA. Beyond the Generational Divide: The new rules for consumer connection. Fielded December 2024 to January 2025. Data reflects AU, BR, CA, DE, ES, FR, IT, JP, MX, U.K., and U.S. aggregated. Base: All respondents (26,400), Gen Z (6,680), Millennials (6,680), Gen X (6,668), Baby Boomers (6,372).