Tips for Creating Unique Advertising Campaigns

I woke up at 6am the last 14 days to write documentation. My goal was simple. Document every single creative thing we do at Odyssey. The most important document? The 10 creative commandments. Let’s break them down. 1. Understand specifically who the creative is for You need to understand who they are and where they are in the buying process. Who they are: - Demographics - Their problem or desired outcome - What they are influenced by Where they are in the buying process: - Completely Unaware - Problem Aware - Solution Aware - Product Aware - Most Aware 2. Find the single most compelling insight Find it from past performance, competitive research, or customer reviews. 3. Use a storytelling framework Always use a storytelling framework as the foundation: - QUEST - Enemy - PAS - Outcome - AIDA 4. Leverage consumer psychology and the 7 human desires The 7 human desires are some form of: - Convenience / comfort - Social approval - Longer life span - Romantic companionship - Higher status in society - Protection of loved ones - Freedom from fear or pain These are the reasons why people buy things. 5. Write in the audience’s language Don’t write like a brand. Write in the audience’s language. How? - Find the words and phrases the actual customer uses - Be as SPECIFIC as humanly possible - Use numbers 6. Use references to accelerate the creation process A hero reference accelerates the creation process: - Make it easier to write your script / storyboard - Makes the creation process easier for the creator - Makes the editing process easier for the editor Utilize Foreplay to easily find, organize, and share creative references. 7. Respect the attention of your audience “If there is ever a hint of boredom, I cut it.” - Mr. Beast. Your competition for attention is one swipe away. Your audience does not have time to waste. Don’t make boring ads. 8. Start with the most compelling thing Mr. Beast uses the Inverted Storytelling technique in every video. This means that he shows a peek of the end result right in the beginning. With an ad, you have 1 second to capture attention. Stop thinking chronologically. Then tell the story you want to tell. 9. Show undeniable proof of the outcome The viewer is skeptical. You need to show undeniable proof that your product solves the problem / delivers the dream outcome that you claim. 10. Show macro shots to allow viewer to shop the product Think about when you shop for t-shirts in a store. You probably touch and feel the shirts to get an understanding of the quality of the material and how comfortable it will be. You need to recreate that experience with your digital ads. --- Those are my 10 creative commandments. What do you think I missed?

Creative testing is your secret weapon on Meta. Here's my approach. (1) Crank Out Quality Ads - Produce as many ads as possible while maintaining high quality. Avoid creating low-quality ads just to increase volume. Have a hypothesis you want to test - whether it's a visual hook, trending audio, or a new creator - to gather learnings. (2) Track Every Ad - Use a standard naming convention to keep track of all your ads. This helps in analyzing performance over time. You don't want to look back in the last 90 days to try to see which hooks, scripts, creators, concepts, etc are your best building blocks. (3) Creative Diversity - Test various types of ads – static, video, UGC, 3D motion, AI-generated, and even "ugly" ads. The goal is to have a diverse set of creatives. They look different but also speak to different levels of awareness. Different offers, angles, headlines, scripts, etc. (4) Allocate Budget for Testing - Dedicate 10-25% of your marketing budget to creative testing. Increase this percentage if you're just starting out. Know that this will inflate your CPA but the winning creatives that come out will take your ad account to new levels. (5) Isolate Variables - Conduct 'ad set tests' to isolate variables. Ensure each test gets enough data, around 30 conversions in a week, to be more confident. If possible, you can test in lower cost GEOs, on Android, or Tiktok. (6) Monitor Spend - The ad that gets the most spend is a strong signal of its effectiveness. Keep an eye on where your budget is going. It's a good sign that this ad can scale if you port it over into your evergreen/BAU campaigns. (7) Always-On Testing - Testing should be a continuous process. Don’t stop after finding one winning ad. Keep the momentum going to discover new top performers. You need to build the muscle with constant reps. Creativity can be learned, I promise. It's fun too. (8) Volume Negates Luck - The more you test, the higher your chances of finding successful ads. This is just the reality now advertising on Meta and Tiktok. There is an exponential rise of video content on our screens. Trust me, it's going to get more difficult with AI-generated video. You need a reliable system to stand out and gain mind share. Solving this is the #1 opportunity for brands to grow efficiently heading into 2025. ___________________ P.S. - You can have both quality and quantity with Sovran

This 19-second video from Hoover Vacuums raked in 57.9M views, 3.1M likes, and 216K+ saves. Here are 3 insights you can pull from it and apply to your ad creative strategy for your brand: 1. Don’t just be eye-catching, be thumb-stopping. Nobody cares about your product. They care about what your product can do for them. Don’t just tell them, show them in a convincing way. This video leaves no doubt about the vacuum’s capability. 2. Trust people to come up with good ideas. I guarantee this creative concept wasn’t drafted in a 2-hour brainstorming session on a whiteboard. Somebody probably said, “You know what would be funny…” and that was it. They use a relatable character, not a polished actor, and the scene feels down to earth. This is what we mean at Kynship when we say “authentic” creative. 3. Basic concepts still rock. There’s no need to overcomplicate content or expect UGC to be over-produced. The video narrative is simple: have an urgent problem (soda explosion), suspense (how are they going to clean it up?), and a resolution (product doing its job to solve the issue). It gets to the point, it’s satisfying to watch, and it plays into a successful content style (ASMR). So if you’re looking for “winners” in your paid ads, remember: 1. Eye-catching AND thumb-stopping 2. Trust people’s creativity 3. KIS - keep it simple If you like content breakdowns like this, make sure to follow me Taylor Lagace because I dive into concepts like this every week.

One of the most difficult tasks for any marketer is coming up with ideas for new content, and ad creatives are no different. Here are 5 tips I follow to come up with new ad creative ideas in minutes: 1. Communicate with your audience - Your audience is your best resource for ideas. The questions they ask are the best tools you have to come up with new ideas for conversion-driven content. - Use resources like product reviews and social media comments to see what people are curious about, and base your creatives on answering their questions. 2. Keep up with the industry Your competitors have similar goals, products and audiences as you - meaning you can draw inspiration from their creatives. Ask yourself: - “How are people reacting to this creative?” - “What elements do they like about it?” - “How can I put a spin on it for my brand and products?” 3. Leverage AI tools - There are more and more AI tools that can help you iterate previous ad creatives and give you new ideas based on your customer’s pain points. - One AI tool that I recommend is Atria. Atria has the world's largest ad library that you can use to generate new ideas for your ad creatives. 4. Explore “bad” ideas - We have a natural tendency to come up with lots of ideas, but throw out everything except those that are “perfect”. Instead, learn to get comfortable with ideas that might seem "bad". Tinker with them, adapt them, and turn them into something more interesting. - It’s okay to test out every idea you have, even if it might be bad. The good and bad ideas can give you more data to leverage when finding the creative that works. 5. Identify unique selling propositions - For every 1 product, there are 1000 different reasons why a customer might use them. Put yourself in their shoes, and imagine all the different reasons why someone might use your product. - Keep going back to your product or service and find new features or benefits that you can highlight to different target audiences. The best marketers know how to create a system around inspiration. Instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, use these methods to take control of your imagination and creativity. You never know when one product review, one bad idea, or one AI tool may spark an ad creative idea that takes your brand to the next level. 

Did you know that Facebook/Meta has one of the world’s most powerful creative testing capabilities, but most media buyers don’t know how to use it? Understand these algorithms, and you will find top performing creatives quickly and easily. There’s three key things to understand about how Meta's creative testing algorithms work: RAPID PERMUTATIONS - Meta tests every possible combination of visual + text + headline + call-to-action button quickly and decisively. If you use dynamic creative, you could have 1000s of variants tested in the first day a campaign is live. ATTENTION WINS - Given the system picks winners from a few hundred impressions, there isn’t enough scale to look at conversions. Instead dwell time and click-through-rate are used to identify top performing combinations. BIG REWARDS - Some creative variants might only be 5% better, but might get 90% of the budget. This system picks winners fast and rewards them generously. Knowing how this system works gives you a huge upper hand. Here’s a few ways to take full advantage: 1️⃣ Dynamic Creative - Take full advantage of dynamic creative by feeding the system a wide range of creative versions. Utilize versions across every dimension (10x visuals, 5x post texts, 5x headlines, etc). 2️⃣ Analysis Splits - Use Ads Manager creative breakdowns to see which versions of visuals, headlines, and CTAs are getting more spend and more impression volume. This is done at the Ad Set level using the Breakdown > By Dynamic Creative Element setting. 3️⃣ Focus on Winners - There’s no need to shut off under performers (they’ll receive little to no budget, anyway). Instead, focus on your winners and try to understand WHY they are doing better. 4️⃣ Iterate - Make 2nd generation creative variations that incorporate your insights and relaunch in new campaigns. Swap out under-performers with new creatives. Augment the creative format of top performers to increase reach (make a series of videos from statics, for example). Why is Meta creative testing so powerful? Because it’s like a Darwinian natural-selection machine at your fingertips. Use it to quickly test, learn, and scale high performing ads. ----------------------------------------------------- Interested in this topic? This is a single chapter from the Master Class on Meta Optimization Algorithms I’m holding on May 1st. Check the comments to register for the event.

Have you ever seen a viral video on social media and thought, “...But what's the ROI?” I was chatting with Rajiv 'RajNATION' Nathan of Startup Hypeman, a friend who constantly is pressing the envelope on creative swings in B2B marketing. I asked him for more details. He noted some remarkable stats… ⚓️ His “Stan” parody video landed a $30k contract in the first week and is still generating leads 2 years later (cost him about $2500 in production) ⚓️ His “Gong + Vidyard” integration launch video post got more views than Gong’s Superbowl ad post ⚓️ The LTV of one person who bought from him because of his “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” parody video (used in cold outreach) was conservatively at $140k across two different companies (Shows the power of second order revenue!) The impact of truly creative work in a sea of sameness has never been greater, but if this isn’t a muscle you are used to flexing… Where do you start? Here is what I have seen work… 1) Design content with an eye to “shareability”. Shareable content often focuses on a problem vs. a company or feature. Shareable content often has a very unique angle to how it is presented. In Rajiv’s example this was a rap video, or you had ProfitWell by Paddle have their CEO stand on stage and repeat the same word (churn) for 30 minutes while slides played in the background. Or you have the recent marketer showdown done with AI-versions of marketers in a Mortal Kombat layout from Obaid Durrani at HockeyStack (YC S23). Each one of these got hundreds of shares because of how information was presented. 2) Build distribution upfront. Talk to partners and peers and podcast hosts  in your network and get buy-in before the launch. Create teasers and get opt-ins in advance. When you launch have a concerted plan to maximize how many eyes get on it (don’t “build it and they will come”) 3) Take something you already do, and give it a unique delivery mechanism. If you are already doing webinars, why not test custom intro music, or tell content through a story, or, if you have an ebook or whitepaper, don’t just create it, get 5 industry experts to give a “foreword”, then you promote those endorsements.

We’ve helped an 8-figure beauty brand cut CPA by 43% in 60 days. Here’s how we did it, and how you can too: 1) Research & Strategy Dig deep into reviews, survey data, forums and organic social. Get a clear picture of your ICP's fears, desires, objections and motivators. 2) Analyze the ad account and evaluate past winners. Spot trends and identify opportunities, to ensure you’re starting with some winning elements. Always want to analyse to ensure your next creative round is better than the previous. 3) Angle creation Build a quote bank to categorise all the findings and customer reviews. Understand their language and come up with a bunch of hypotheses and angles. 4) Scripting Write scripts in a customer-centric language using the quote bank. Find a balance between storytelling and Direct Response copy. 5) Creators and production Shortlist creators that fit your customer persona and brand. Ensure you have at least 1-2 creators good with B rolls and 2-3 great at talking to the camera. 6) Editing & Launch Edit the creators' raw clips into final ads. Include fonts, cuts and transitions. Organise and name all the assets properly. 7) Testing Set up your creative testing campaign and set the budget at 3-5x CPA. Keep it running for 5-7 minimum, unless CPC and CPA are way off. That’s it, hope this post was insightful. If it was, please drop a reaction and leave a comment. And let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Your ads might be good, but is your creative resonating? Standing out isn't about shouting louder; it's about being clear, relevant, and genuine. Here's how you can ensure your creative hits home: 1. Visual Impact 🎨 Every ad creative starts with: - Bold visuals that stop the scroll - Imagery that tells a story in seconds - Colors and designs aligned with brand identity 2. Emotional Connection 🖤 People buy with their hearts: - Use authentic stories to connect - Evoke emotion - Build trust, not just transactions 3. Simplify Messaging 📣 In the digital age: - Be concise, be clear - Avoid jargon (simple is always better) - Make your message easy to undersatnd 4. Test & Iterate 🔄 Never settle: - A/B test different versions - Use data, not just gut feeling - Continuously improve based on feedback 5. Align with platform & Audience 👥 Every channel is unique: - Tailor creative based on platform norms (YT doesn't work on TikTok) - Understand audience behaviors and preferences - Craft copy that speaks directly to them Good ads bring attention. Great creative keeps it. - Share this post if it resonated with you!

🎬 “If you’re standing still, you’re going backwards” Underscores the relentless push for innovation and differentiation. To thrive, producers must continuously scout for fresh ideas and unique visual styles. A strategy designed to keep media producers moving forward! 1. 🎬Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning and Curiosity Workshops and Training: Regularly organize workshops that cover emerging trends and technologies in the media industry. Embrace a wide range of subjects, from storytelling techniques to the latest in visual effects technology. Cross-Industry Inspiration: Encourage team members to draw inspiration from other industries (e.g., video games, architecture, fashion) to spark creativity and introduce new visual and narrative styles. 2. 🎬Embrace Technology and Innovation Invest in R&D: Allocate resources to research and development, focusing on cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and AI-driven content creation tools. Prototype Rapidly: Implement a rapid prototyping approach for new ideas. This allows for quick validation or rejection of concepts based on their feasibility and impact. 3. 🎬 Cultivate a Diverse Creative Team Diversity in Hiring: Aim for diversity in your team composition, including different backgrounds, disciplines, and perspectives. This diversity can lead to richer, more varied content. Collaborative Workspaces: Design work environments that encourage interaction and collaboration among team members with different specializations. 4. 🎬Engage with Your Audience Social Listening: Use social media and other online platforms to understand what your audience is excited about, their preferences, and the kinds of content they're sharing. Audience Participation: Where possible, involve your audience in the content creation process, through contests, social media polls, or user-generated content campaigns. 5. 🎬Keep an Eye on Emerging Trends and Genres Industry Events: Attend international film festivals, conferences, and trade shows to stay abreast of industry trends and network with other professionals. Market Research: Regularly conduct market research to identify shifts in consumer behavior, emerging genres, and new storytelling methods. 6. 🎬Experiment with Narrative and Visual Styles Storytelling Workshops: Organize regular sessions where team members can pitch new storytelling ideas, no matter how unconventional. Visual Style Exploration: Dedicate resources to experimenting with different visual styles, including animation, live-action blends, and experimental cinematography. 7. 🎬Partner and Collaborate Cross-Industry Partnerships: Look for partnership opportunities with technology companies, educational institutions, and other industries to explore new content creation methods. Creative Collaborations: Collaborate with artists, directors, and creatives outside your usual network to inject new ideas and perspectives into your projects.