A New Era in Ads with Microsoft SPB

The digital advertising landscape is constantly evolving. Brands in the e-commerce space are working hard to keep up with continuous innovations, seeking the most effective ways to reach their target consumers using the latest tools and features. Their focus is increasingly on maximizing return on investment while simplifying campaign creation and management.At the same time, e-commerce businesses face growing pressure: competition intensifies daily, consumer behavior shifts rapidly, and traditional targeting models are no longer sufficient in many cases.

Microsoft, as a key player in online advertising, is responding to these challenges by continuously developing a wide range of innovative solutions. One of the latest additions is a new ad feature called Sponsored Promotions by Brands (SPB), designed to help brands effectively engage with consumers across a variety of retail platforms. This new tool is currently in closed beta for selected partners, but Microsoft plans to roll it out fully later this year.

Sponsored Promotions by Brands is a brand-new ad format from Microsoft Advertising that allows brands to promote their products across multiple retail channels. As part of Microsoft’s broader retail media initiative, SPB enables brands to reach shoppers through ads displayed on platforms such as Microsoft Edge, Bing, and the websites of retail partners.

With this feature, Microsoft connects these platforms to create a unified advertising ecosystem for brands. Ads are automatically shown in locations with the highest likelihood of driving conversions — in moments when consumers are actively shopping or deciding what to add to their cart. SPB is already showing significant potential in areas like personalized targeting, campaign management simplicity, and ad spend optimization, offering a promising new avenue for brands navigating today’s fast-moving e-commerce landscape.

Source: Microsoft Advertising Blog

Microsoft’s new Sponsored Promotions by Brands (SPB) format is designed to deliver a range of invaluable advantages for advertisers—benefits that can directly influence the profitability and growth of any e-commerce business. SPB introduces a more efficient, precise, and simplified way to engage customers at the pivotal moment of purchase. So what are the key advantages SPB brings to advertisers?

With SPB, brands no longer need to build separate campaigns for each retail partner. Instead, they can create a single centralized campaign that automatically adapts and displays across different environments—from Bing to retail partner websites. This drastically reduces the need for manual adjustments and saves time and effort in campaign management.

Advertisers only pay when a promoted product is actually purchased. This cost-per-sale model minimizes wasted budget on ineffective clicks and increases transparency in ad spending. Brands can focus more on real conversions instead of spending money on interactions that don’t lead to sales.

SPB leverages first-party data directly from retail partners—data that’s more accurate and trustworthy than traditional third-party cookies. This allows advertisers to target their audience more effectively and reach the right customers with higher relevance.

SPB campaigns automatically adjust based on customer behavior, historical data, and product performance. Microsoft handles ongoing optimization, so advertisers don’t need to spend time on manual adjustments.

With SPB, brands can reach shoppers across multiple touchpoints in the buying journey. Whether customers are browsing Bing, checking out retail websites, or using Microsoft services, SPB ensures visibility in the moments that matter most. This naturally increases audience reach and boosts the chances of product conversions.

Source: Microsoft Advertising Blog

Sponsored Promotions by Brands (SPB) marks a significant leap forward in the realm of retail media, an area Microsoft is actively developing. Scheduled for full launch later this year, this innovative feature brings a range of valuable and practical benefits to online store owners. Beyond the simplicity of campaign setup and the cost-per-sale model, SPB enables brands to effectively reach consumers across multiple stages of the buying journey and various digital touchpoints—from Bing search to retailer websites.

In today’s highly competitive e-commerce landscape, innovative tools like BlueWinston, developed by our team, play a crucial role in boosting business profitability. Among them is our Labelizer, which helps advertisers increase ROAS by up to 30% through automated product labeling based on performance. If you haven’t had the chance to try our automation tools yet, now is the perfect time. By partnering with BlueWinston, you not only gain access to powerful features to strengthen your campaigns but also receive a Microsoft Ads voucher worth up to €300. For more details about this offer or support with campaign management, automation, or optimization, feel free to reach out to our certified PPC specialists—they’re here to help.