Worldwide Ad Policies quick reference guide for display ads
At Amazon Ads, we believe maintaining a high customer experience bar for the ads we serve helps us drive better results for you, our advertisers. Accordingly, we’ve set customer-centric Ad Policies to help preserve and enhance that experience. All advertising content must be appropriate for a general audience and for the type of placement in which it will be shown.
You must also be honest about the products or services that you promote, and avoid content that may mislead or offend our customers. To learn more, visit the Amazon Ads Guidelines and Acceptance Policies.
Common Restricted or Prohibited Categories
| Does your ad contain? | If yes: |
|---|---|
| Alcohol (as a product) | Prohibited in US, India, UAE, and China; all other locations permitted within guidelines in CAP 7.1 |
| Charity/donation request | Permitted with copy and placement restrictions; refer to CAP 7.2 |
| Movie trailer | Permitted with placement restrictions based on rating; refer to CAP 7.4 |
| Pharmaceuticals, health, and beauty products | Refer to CAP 7.11 for full guidelines |
| Scary content | Permitted in some cases; cannot be excessive or gory, and may face placement restrictions |
| Violence or weapons (as content) | Permitted only in certain contextually relevant cases and placements; refer to CAP 7.13 |
| Controversial social or political content | Content is prohibited from advertising |
| Foul, vulgar, or obscene language | Content is prohibited from advertising |
| Hangover cures | Product is prohibited from advertising |
| Weapons (as product) | Product is prohibited from advertising |
| All other prohibited items | See CAP 6.0 |
| All other restricted items | See CAP 7.0 |
Checklists before finalizing an ad
Make sure the ad:
- Has a clear, action-oriented CTA in sentence case (for onsite)
- Contains necessary disclosures in the ad and/or landing page
- Meets the creative bar – crisp, clean images; not overly cluttered; appealing to look at
- Clearly identifies the brand and product being advertised
- Has pricing and savings claims that are the
same on the ad and landing page
Make sure the ad does not:
- Have text that is too small or otherwise illegible
- Contain overly bright or distracting colors
- Blend into the background – the ad’s background should either contrast with a white background or contain a 1-pixel non-white border
- Contain animations over 15 seconds long (for onsite)
- Exceed word count limits
Placement-Specific CTA Requirements
| Ad type | Billboard (970 x 250) | Mobile (all ads) |
| Policy | CTA cannot be button-shaped | CTA encouraged but not required |
| Onsite or offsite? | This rule only applies to onsite Billboard placements | Onsite and offsite |
**Please note: This guide is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of all ad policies. It is highlighting some key ad policies that frequently re-occur.