Amazon wants to give Facebook and Google a run for their money in advertising - here are the 6 execs making it happen

Craycroft oversees Amazon's ad-tech business, including its publisher-services arm that aims to help publishers make money from ad placements on "PC, mobile, and connected devices." He is also responsible for Amazon's video-advertising business and incorporating video into how consumers shop online.

For example, after inking a deal with the NFL last year to stream 'Thursday Night Football' games, Craycroft and his team worked with brands like Pepsi and Hyundai to package commercials into the broadcasts. The deal has since been renewed and Amazon will stream the games for the next two years beginning this fall.

Like Google's huge self-serve search business, Amazon provides technology to let marketers buy and manage their own ad spend on the platform. Aubrey's team is zeroed in on that side of the business and Amazon's cost-per-click advertising tools.

One example of what Aubrey works on: Brands can select their own keywords to target ads toward — like a competitor or their own brand. When advertisers cherry-pick their own keywords in Amazon, they can use a feature called Bid+ that Amazon claims increases bids by up to 50%, making it more likely to appear at the top of search results.

She revealed that stat along with best practices for marketers during Search Marketing Expo East, a search marketing conference last year.

Amazon's retail and data-minded advertisers are focused on analytics and granular stats that show which products people are most likely to look at and buy based on their purchase history.

But there is another side of Amazon's ad business that's focused on content and creative. Gorman has worked with brands like Universal Studios to create innovative campaigns for "Minions" that turned boxes into ads and built the world's largest Amazon box for a recent marketing stunt plugging "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom."

We’ve got a T-rex. From Isla Nublar to Los Angeles, @PrattPrattPratt and @BryceDHoward helped @JurassicWorld @Jeep’s unveil @Amazon’s largest delivery ever. pic.twitter.com/VOOz7o2tPu

Sharma spearheads Amazon Ad Platform, the demand-side platform that aims to help advertisers buy ads programmatically on publisher websites outside of Amazon.com using the company's audience data.

Sharma is particularly interested in non-endemic advertisers that don't sell products on Amazon, such as airlines, automakers, and insurance companies. Instead of focusing on sales, Amazon wants to use tactics like remarketing to help lower the cost-per-lead for a TV provider, for example.

Mayward heads up Amazon's agency team and is responsible for building relationships with both large holding companies and smaller media shops. In particular, Mayward works on Amazon's managed service team dubbed Amazon Media Group (AMG), which tends to work with larger brands focused on metrics like branding and awareness.