Great ad - but is it working?
In advertising, creativity is the magic ingredient. It’s the spark that turns an ad into something beautiful, something clever, something that makes you stop and pay attention. But for marketers, ads need to be more than just nice to look at. They need to capture attention, break through the noise, and drive real results.
That’s why it’s so important to understand if an ad is truly connecting with its audience. Over the years, we’ve tried all kinds of ways to measure that connection. Back in the 1920s, marketers would walk door-to-door with posters in hand, asking, “What do you think?” Fast forward 100 years, and now we’re using AI and machine learning to track people’s reactions in real time to try and understand whether our ads are doing what they should.
But here’s the bottom line: no matter the method, it all boils down to one simple question—how effective is my creative?
In this Effectiveness Week session, Dan Schrad, our Executive Creative Director and Jillian Hart, Associate Strategy Director tackle that question head-on. They dive deep into how you can tell whether your creative is working, and share practical tips for creating campaigns that connect.
Here’s a sneak peek of what they covered:
Set Clear Objectives
If you’re going to move the needle, you’ve got to start by knowing what success looks like. Setting clear goals is crucial. Whether you’re looking to boost brand awareness, increase sales, or drive engagement, having clear objectives from the start helps you determine whether your efforts align with your intended outcomes.
Put Yourself in Your Audience’s Shoes
Today, the relationship between brands and customers is closer than ever. Customers don’t just consume content; they can tell you exactly what they think about your creative in real-time. Through their clicks, likes, shares, and the time spent engaging with your work, they provide a window into what grabs their attention and what falls flat. But how can we make the most of this constant flow of feedback and use it to fine-tune our output?
Use the Right Tools
Today’s AI tools do more than just track engagement. They help us understand how long our creative resonates—when it’s truly connecting with the audience and when it might start to lose its spark. From there, AI can step in and manage creative fatigue in real-time, adjusting elements and refreshing content so our message stays fresh, engaging, and effective long after launch.
And that’s just the beginning. Watch the full session for even more insights, strategies, and best practices for evaluating and amplifying your creative impact.
Looking for more insights on creativity? We've got a great session lined up on creative impact as part of Media Week, which kicks off on March 10th. Browse the full agenda and sign up here.
