THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

ThinkAd Platform

Entered in Retail & E-Commerce

Objective

The idea for ThinkAd AI was born in 2020 when we launched our Amazon advertising agency and experienced firsthand the inefficiencies of manual campaign management. We saw brands struggle with unpredictable ad costs, wasted spend, and the overwhelming complexity of optimizing Amazon PPC campaigns. Human error and time-consuming processes made it difficult to scale effectively.

To solve these challenges, we developed ThinkAd AI—a SaaS platform built specifically for U.S.-based brands selling on Amazon. Our goal was to replace manual ad management with an AI-driven, automated system that optimizes bids, eliminates wasted spend, and ensures continuous campaign improvement.

 

Our objectives include:

  1. Eliminating Human Error – Reduce costly mistakes by automating bid adjustments, keyword harvesting, and campaign optimization.
  2. Maximizing Profitability – Use AI-driven insights to lower ACoS, improve ROAS, and drive sustainable revenue growth.
  3. Scaling with Efficiency – Enable brands to expand their ad reach effortlessly while maintaining control over their budget and performance.
  4. Providing a Competitive Edge – Equip U.S. brands with cutting-edge technology that allows them to compete effectively in the Amazon marketplace, standing strong against both established brands and aggressive new entrants.

ThinkAd AI was built out of necessity, refined through real-world experience, and designed to empower brands with intelligent automation that delivers measurable results.

Strategy

When we launched our Amazon advertising agency, we immediately encountered the critical challenges sellers faced. Existing software solutions, which we initially hoped would simplify ad management, often made things worse. The core issue was that many developers built tools based on predefined, chaotic assumptions rather than real-world advertising experience. These tools lacked transparency, making their decision-making process unpredictable and frequently leading to wasted ad spend.

Additionally, most ad tech solutions catered to large-scale sellers with massive budgets, neglecting the needs of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Managing large budgets is relatively easy, but scaling a small business with limited resources is a completely different challenge. This realization led us to develop our own unique solution—one designed to work for all sellers, regardless of budget size.

Instead of rushing into software development, we dedicated seven months to testing and refining our advertising strategies manually using Excel macros. Through this rigorous process, we identified the ideal formula for campaign optimization—a model that worked universally across different products and ad budgets. This formula became the foundation for our AI-powered platform.

Unlike other AI solutions that learn by experimenting with a brand’s ad spend (often leading to costly learning curves for clients), ThinkAd AI was built on proven human experience first. We perfected our optimization system before integrating AI, ensuring that our users wouldn’t suffer financial losses during the AI’s learning phase.

Overcoming Challenges

  1. Lack of Technical Background & No External Funding

    • We had zero experience in software development and Amazon’s API, which meant learning from scratch.
    • We refused to seek outside investment, funding the entire project ourselves through personal earnings.
  2. War & Development Delays

    • In 2022, the war in Ukraine forced us to pause development temporarily.
    • By 2024, we fully resumed the project, investing over $500,000 in development and team building.
    • In just the first half of 2024, we invested over $250,000 to create a strong, long-term team capable of maintaining the platform beyond its planned launch in Summer 2025.
  3. Educating Sellers & Combating Misinformation

    • Many aspiring Amazon sellers believe in the "one hour a day to millions" myth, leading to unrealistic expectations.
    • This misconception often results in misplaced blame on agencies for failed businesses.
    • To address this, we launched a structured training program to educate new entrepreneurs, ensuring they understand what it takes to succeed.
    • Over 200 students have completed our program, many of whom continue to express gratitude for the knowledge that set them on the right path.

ThinkAd AI is not just an automation tool—it’s a full-scale support system for Amazon sellers. We guide users from zero to success, offering both education and hands-free ad management.

What Makes ThinkAd AI Stand Out?
No prior advertising knowledge required – Users simply enter three key inputs and hit "Start."
Eliminates human error – Ensures campaigns are optimized without manual mistakes.
Boosts conversion rates and profitability – Designed specifically for SMBs in the U.S. market.
Hands-free scaling – Automatically expands high-performing campaigns and eliminates irrelevant or low-converting search terms.

Results

ThinkAd AI has successfully transformed Amazon advertising for small and medium-sized businesses, achieving measurable, impactful results that align with our core objectives.

Advertising Success & Profitability

Time & Cost Efficiency

Industry & Community Impact

A New Standard in Amazon Advertising
ThinkAd AI’s success isn’t just about automation—it’s about giving brands a real chance to compete and grow. We didn’t just create another PPC tool. We built a system that levels the playing field for businesses without massive budgets.

By eliminating complexity, improving ad performance, and empowering sellers, ThinkAd AI has redefined what’s possible for Amazon advertisers—proving that success is no longer reserved for the biggest players.

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Entrant Company / Organization Name

ThinkAd

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