The Anatomy of Ad Creative

An ad creative is delivered on a webpage, social media, app, or another platform to a targeted audience. These are typically known as display ads, which are used to drive business objectives, such as increasing website traffic or sales.

• Size
• Visual
• Color
• Ad Copy
• Call-To-Action

• Image of your product or service
• Ad copy: tagline & value proposition
• Logo and/or Brand Name
• Call-To-Action

Ad Creative Size

• Countless amount of ad networks available
• Various types of devices (desktop, mobile, tablet etc)

Create a variety of ad formats. According to Google, the top-performing ad sizes are:

• 300×250
• 728×90
• 160×600

Ad Creative Visuals

Let’s be honest: human beings are visual creatures.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” rings especially true when it comes to your ad imagery.
Pictures help people visualize the offered product or service.

Whether you’re using stock images or getting a photoshoot done for your ad, here are some pointers:

• Showcase your product, service, brand, and/or environment clearly
• Match your image to your ad copy AND landing page — they should all share the same look and feel while conveying your message
• Avoid gloomy imagery – we encourage using a brighter tone
• If people are featured in your ad imagery, try to feature models that match the demographic you are targeting
• If the focus is the view, we recommend using tiny to middle-sized figures to allow the focal point to be the atmosphere
• If the focus is the activity, use middle to large-sized figures to demonstrate the experience
• People are naturally attracted to images inside boxes. If you have an ad with a white background, consider outlining your ads with a 1px (minimum) line to frame it
• If you have a promotion, highlight it in the image with text and keep it concise. Eg. 20% off, 2 days only!
• Keep the text light in the image. Try to keep it under 20% of the space on the visual

Ad Creative Colors

• Grab people’s attention
• Define brand identity
• Associate your product or service with a specific emotion or feeling

Red

• Energetic and passionate
• Common uses: food products or brands, clearance sales

• Authoritative and trustworthy
• Common uses: businesses and financial institutions like banks

• Optimistic and youthful
• Common uses: window shopping signs

• Calm and mature
• Common uses: eco-friendly brands, wellness spas, and products

• Bold and assertive
• Common uses: Call-To-Actions like Buy or Subscribe

• Sensual and mysterious
• Common uses: luxury products, sexual wellness products

• Romantic and often associated with femininity
• Common uses: pastries, branding for feminine products or services like beauty, hygiene, etc

• Sleek and luxurious
• Common uses: high-end, luxury items such as cars, watches; used as a contrasting background to make the focal point stand out

A survey was conducted, and results show the general public’s favorite and least liked colors:

• Blue
• Green
• Purple
• Red

• Blue
• Green
• Purple
• Red

• It’s visually more interesting.
• It can get viewers to focus their attention on specific elements of your ad. This could be a particular keyword, icon, or Call-To-Action button.

Ad Creative Copy

• It provides context
• It complements your ad image
• It encourages and guides people on what to do (for example, click to your website)

• What you’re offering
• How do you benefit them
• What the next step is

• Ensure your copy complements your ad image and tells your story
• Your audience should clearly understand what it is you’re selling
• Write as if you’re directly speaking to your target audience
• If you have different audience segments, create separate ads and tailor your ad message for each audience demographic
• Keep it short and sweet: use easy-to-understand language
• Avoid using ALL CAPS
• Incorporate price, promotions, and exclusives to let people know about your great deals
• We highly recommend highlighting a deadline for any discounts or promotions to create a sense of urgency. Eg) 3 Days Left for BOGO!
• Incite the audience to take action with emotional triggers. Here’s a list of 170+ Power Words to Write Emotional Ads

Ad Creative Call-To-Action (CTA)

A Call-To-Action (CTA) tells your target audience what action to take and how to take it. It is typically a phrase framed in a hyperlinked button that directs the user to a landing page.

The two main purposes of a CTA is:

• To tell someone what they should do
• To give someone motivation to do it

Newsletter or Resource: Subscribe, Download
eCommerce: Buy, Shop
Lead Generation: Sign-Up, Fill Out the Form

Fundamental Tips for Creating a Strong CTA

• Use a contrasting color from the text to make your CTA button stand out.
• Keep CTA text between 2 to 5 words.
• Capitalize every word except for articles such as “a,” “and,” “for,” etc.
• Use words that indicate a timeframe like “now” or “today” to add a sense of urgency.
• Try adding an exclamation point to the end of the CTA for extra enthusiasm!
• Consider customizing CTAs for different devices (Desktop vs Mobile), for example, “Call Now” for mobile and “Find Out More” for Desktop.
• If you’re advertising to a cold audience, use a softer CTA such as “Learn More” instead of “Buy Now”.
• If you’re running a retargeting campaign, go with a stronger CTA like “Apply Now”!
• Softer approaches like using first-person speech might appeal to audiences. Compared to “Book a Consultation”, “Get My Offer” might be more personable and gives the audience the feeling that they have more control over the decision-making.

A Conclusion on Ad Creative

A healthy ad creative should incorporate all of these elements, but also showcase your brand in a visually appealing way. Then, you can say hello to a better Click-Through Rate!

There you have it! We hope it was insightful and that you might apply some of these tips to your future ad creatives!

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