Many retailers use the Amazon.com brand name to gain credibility and trust for their products. However, the Amazon.com brand is legally protected. Under certain conditions, Amazon allows the use of its brand name to promote other products. For this to be possible, all the necessary data must be sent to Amazon in advance so that it can check whether the advertising guidelines are being adhered to.
Call-to-Actions (CTA)
Amazon’s brand guidelines specify certain CTAs (call-to-actions) that may be used. In general, some CTAs are permitted as long as they do not violate trademark rights or competition law. Customers must not be deceived by misleading call-to-actions such as “Buy now & subscribe”.
The following standards should be observed:
- Font & size: Amazon text links should always be set in either “Frutiger 57 Condensed” at 11.5 pt for smaller applications or “Frutiger 67 Condensed” at 14 pt for larger applications. Smaller applications include buttons, micro-bars and banners, while the larger font is used for leaderboards or special advertising spaces such as homepage pushdowns.
- Graphic design: There should be a space without pixels under each descender so that a clear underline is maintained.
- Colors: CTAs can be designed in any color as long as all elements within the CTA (arrows, text and underlines) are in the same primary color. The CTA should also be visually highlighted so that it remains clearly visible. The opacity of the underline and arrow elements should be set to 70% of the text color.
- .com usage: Although “Amazon” is preferred, the use of “Amazon.com” for CTA text links is also permitted. This applies to various country domains such as amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.de, amazon.fr, amazon.it, amazon.es and amazon.co.jp.
Amazon brand button
Amazon also protects its own brand buttons. For this reason, brand buttons may not be integrated into ads with call-to-actions in the Amazon layout. This serves to avoid confusion for customers so that they can clearly distinguish between Amazon pages and advertising.
Spelling and punctuation
When writing the brand name “Amazon”, make sure that the first letter is capitalized. It is not permitted to write the brand name entirely in upper or lower case.
Brand expressions
Terms that are directly related to Amazon’s functions may be used if Amazon approves this. This includes terms such as “Seller Central”, “Deal of the Day”, “1-Click” or “Kindle”. However, if such terms are not directly related to Amazon functions, but are used as a call-to-action, for example, they may only be used with the express permission of Amazon. This includes terms such as “Subscribe” or “Buy now & subscribe”.
Branding on Amazon vs. other websites
The design of advertisements should vary according to the Amazon brand guidelines. The decisive factor is whether the advertisement is placed on the Amazon website or on another platform. If an ad is placed directly on Amazon, no additional Amazon branding may be used, as the platform is automatically recognizable as an Amazon site. However, if a product is advertised on an external website, clear Amazon branding must be used to make it clear that the purchase process will continue on Amazon.
Amazon logo & images
If the Amazon logo is to be used, Amazon must grant permission in advance. If the logo is used as part of a co-branding campaign, the following guidelines must be observed:
- Size: The Amazon logo must not be smaller than 1 inch (approx. 2.54 cm) in print or 72 pixels on the screen.
- Free space: The free space around the logo is measured by the size of the letter “O” in “Amazon”. The horizontal clearance must be at least half an “O” width above and below the logo. The vertical clearance must be at least the full width of an “O” on each side of the logo.
- Prohibited adaptations: Any changes to the logo are prohibited. These include:
- Color changes
- Modifications without the characteristic “smile” element
- Adjustments to the background pattern or lettering above the logo
Additional guidelines
- Amazon logo family: The logos of the Amazon product family may only be used with the express permission of Amazon. To obtain such permission, a request with an example can be sent to the responsible Amazon account team.
- Amazon icons: Other Amazon symbols such as the shopping cart icon may only be used with express permission.
- Product images: All images used in advertisements must belong to the advertiser.
Conclusion
Compliance with the Amazon brand guidelines is crucial to avoid violations of trademark law and potential legal consequences. Anyone designing products or advertising using the Amazon brand should follow the defined standards closely. By adhering to these rules, you can increase the credibility of your advertising and ensure that it complies with the Amazon guidelines.