Creative That Converts

We make hundreds of Facebook ads each month, and for the most part, they only live within Ads Manager and our hard drives. So we’re coming at you with a few of our favorites from this year. Take a look below to get some insights for your own campaigns!

Need help leveling up your ads and scaling your spend? Reach out.

Magic Spoon

This ad we made for Magic Spoon is a great example of how to use reviews in your ads, especially if you have a decent amount of reviews. Although this is a simple concept, the execution is complex.

Our goal for this ad isn’t for people to be able to read every review. As you watch it, you might be thinking “Oh it’s too fast, I can’t read them.” Our real goal is to sweep you away by the volume.

As the ad scrolls, your brain will catch standout words like obsessed, amazing, loved. This is the format to pick short reviews with sweeping statements. “the best”, “my fav”, “I love”, etc. etc. And then at the end, make sure you close the loop by showing how many total reviews there are. In Magic Spoons case, 17,000 😳

This ad looks like the Magic Spoon mobile site, but if you watch it again, it’s clear that it’s not the real site. What we did is recreate the experience in After Effects, but removed all of the extraneous UI from the site that would only detract from the message. It also allows us to control the scroll experience better. You COULD just pull up your product page, hit screen record on your phone and start scrolling to make this ad. But it wouldn’t be quite as effective or simplified.

👉 See how we helped Magic Spoon scale their ads with the 288+ ad creatives we designed for them here.

Maade

This ad we made for Maade shows how to use a hook for a big call out. We show a generic sports drink with large text: “These aren’t formulated for Moms”- calling directly out to our target market.

Calling out your competition by name is probably something you want to stay away from, but you can toe the line by using some kind of generic or non-label visual to get the same point across. And by using copy that speaks to your best customers, it stands out and gets the right people to keep watching past the first second or two.

Jamby’s

This is a great example of an 101 ad, they are important for brand awareness and can explain your product in one fell swoop.

What? + Review + Context (For _____) = a 15 second overview of your brand.

Answer the question “What does your product do?” – If you can call out the USP within your answer to this question, that’s bonus points! Then, place a review in the middle: site testimonial, press quote, UGC video testimonial, etc.

Finally, round it out with an opportunity to provide context. We do this with a “for who _______” vehicle. This not only allows a customer to get a better understanding of the all the ways the product can fit into their life, BUT it increases the chances of someone identifying with at least one of the situations. When you’re looking at a 101 piece, you want to try and make your product as attractive to as many people as you can, without losing sight of your target market. Enter -> “for who_____” strategy.

Material

This ad is a great example on how you can turn a few stills into a really compelling motion ad and bringing the stills to life.

Two visual strategies that we used within this ad are:
1. Product PNG swapping
2. Panning around the scene

Product PNG swapping that seamlessly blend into one another to form a GIF is an easy strategy to implement. Not only does it help create the illusion that it’s video footage, but more importantly, it helps to showcase product diversity. If you have one item that comes in lots of colors, don’t shy away from showing off those colors. You increase your chances of inspiring someone to click.

Panning will allow you to manipulate what the viewer focuses on, more so than just showing them the full frame. Product photography can get a little crowded with extraneous items that really don’t relate to, or support the main product. Rather than allow your product to get lost amongst the props, zoom in on what it is that you want them to see (your product), and graphically highlight it.

Playa

One of the quickest ways to raise your average order value is to bundle products so that customers don’t have to do it themselves. This is one of the simpler ads that we put together to encourage people to purchase more than one product. This ad came from the result of testing different ways to position the bundle. The idea of healthy hair & swapping the word bundle for ‘kit’ were two of our biggest takeaways that led to this iteration.

homesick

If you’ve received a lot of press, this is a great way to show off all of those publication logos and convey social proof.

Sometimes when making ads, we focus more so on letting each logo have its time in the spotlight. But sometimes, the gravity of the volume of logos and sheer amount of press is more powerful. And creating a collage of sorts is a subtle nod to the convention of ‘things organized neatly.’

The other takeaway is that the product image in the foreground is dynamic with the flame flickering. The subtle movement brings attention to the product and makes it hold attention a bit longer than a still would.

Alleyoop

This is a beautiful way to position yourself in an easy way to differentiate and stand out without using a “Us vs. Them” ad.

Spinning “Us vs. Them” into “Old way vs. New way” is a powerful way to suggest your product as the better option, without ruffling any feathers. Rather than positioning them against direct competitors, we’re positioning Alleyoop against the consumer’s current behavior. Show how your product is the answer to moving forward, the key to improving their current situation. Outline the pain points of the old way directly, or make the viewer feel the discomfort of the old way like we did here. Either way, don’t shy away from putting your product on a pedestal.

Anemos

This ad we made for Anemos shows a great way to leverage stills. We framed it almost like we’re panning around a catalog. Actually, you know what? If you had a physical catalog, that would be a pretty cool ad. Flipping through it while filming on your phone. Anyways, I digress.

With apparel, you usually don’t want to go too overboard with motion. A concept like this, that lets the clothing really shine while keeping things interesting with some movement, is the balance you want to aim for.

Awkward Essentials

If your product has a ton of pain points associated with it, this is a brilliant way to essentially hit your customer over the head with reasons to buy. We opened it up with a broad question that serves as the umbrella for all the problems that we then run through in the fill-in-the-blank. And then, round it out with a strong press quote to bring in that reputable third party opinion- That indeed, the dripstick IS the solution to all these problems.

One thing we like to think about is how we can create a “pressure cooker” of reasons to buy, because not every pain point is going to apply to every single potential customer. The more pain points you can provide, the more likely you’ll hit em’ with one or another that really hits home. And then it’s more likely that they’ll click!

👉 See how we helped Awkward Essentials hit 2x ROAS during their first month by clicking here.

Ballast

This ad we made for Ballast is a great example of how to use your ads to demonstrate how your product exists to solve a problem in your customer’s life. It is a simple ad concept but one of the most powerful.

It starts with a familiar scene- You’re at the beach, trying to get comfortable, but your crumpled-up towel isn’t doing the job. We show this problem visually and also call it out in the overlayed text.

Then we snap our fingers and introduce the solution: Ballast’s Beach Pillow. And we do all of that in the first 3 seconds. After that, we run through some key benefits, social proof with press logos, and end with a CTA.

All of the ingredients for a top-performing ad.

👉 See how our creative helped Ballast reach their best month in company history by checking out their case study.

Cabinet Health

This is ad we made for Cabinet Health follows the same format as a listicle but instead of the viewer having to click over and read your landing page, it’s all done within the ad itself. If you are looking to retarget, you can retarget the viewers of that ad. 

Causebox (now known as Alltrue)

This is a beautiful way to show both lifestyle shots, and product closeups at the same time. Sometimes your lifestyle shots may not be close-up enough, or provide enough detail for a potential customer to fully grasp how awesome your product is- This is a great workaround. And the counter directional scrolling of the two sides adds a super eye-catching element to it.

👉 Read how we helped Causebox scale 15x in ad spend while achieving 2.2x ROAS by checking out their case study.

DRNXMYTH

This ad we made DRNXMYTH is an interesting way to walk your customers through all of your press hits. The biggest motivation behind this piece for us was momentum and impact.

Press works in ads, you just need to find the right format for you. Sometimes a good old screenshot-esque, single-frame press ad is the best bet. Sometimes you have to add some more bells and whistles to get the point across.

Showing the press hits blocked out in multiple tiles on a single frame helps get the point across that these drinks are getting attention. And flying through them also helps add to the momentum of the ad, and the momentum of the social proof.

Fur

This top performing ad that we made for FUR demonstrates how your product can meet your customer’s needs. The fill-in-the-blank in the first 3 seconds is broad, yet personal, at the same time. It casts a wide net by calling out to different behaviors (since we can’t target by grooming preferences).

Once the fill in the blank flips to your preference, you realize ‘oh, this is for me.’

We then lead into the core product line, and the key benefit of each. We didn’t have time to go too in-depth on 3 different products, so we kept it to quick tags that would call out to particular needs:
– softens hair and prevents ingrowns
– softens prickly stubble
– stops bumps and razor burn

You might have a very different product, but give this format a try.

👉 See how we helped FUR increase their revenue 5x in just 6 months by checking out their case study.

Healthybaby

This ad we made for Healthybaby breaks the “4th wall” to speak to the audience directly by addressing how their product can alleviate a common pain point.

What we’re doing here is asking a question, and then interrupting the ad with a fake text alert answering that question. This approach adds a break in the action that makes you take a second look.

Three things you’ll need to do to execute this…

1.) Identify a list of issues your customers deal with, and why they’d turn to your products.

2.) Sift through your reviews and find specific ones that speak to those issues, and counter any objections.

3.) Once you’ve got your list, decide what the most pressing problem is, and lead with that one first. 

👉 Click here to see how we helped Healthybaby test which 28+ ad creatives were working and take feedback from the performance of previous ads to make the next batch even better. 

Heed

One of the quickest ways to address customer questions and misconceptions is by using a “myth busting” ad. This is an incredible strategy to identify what buying hesitations your customers are holding onto.

In this ad, we provided some broad product features + social proof. This not only grounds your claim but increases the trust. We talk about trust a lot, and that’s for good reason. A customer has to trust that you’re going to deliver on what you’re promising, or they aren’t going to buy what you’re selling. See what ‘myths’ exist about your product or category, and disprove them as eloquently and fast as you can.

HOLDEN

This ad we made for HOLDEN demonstrates a text message-type concept but has a unique twist in it that’s a little more like a chat support thread.

We’re highlighting the customizability of the rings by changing the ring based on the text messages. The ‘customer’ says they don’t want the ring too thin, so we go XL. They say they want diamonds, so we bling it out.

If you have a customizable product or one that comes in different colors/shapes/configurations, this is an engaging concept to show off the options.

👉 See how we helped HOLDEN increase their monthly revenue 6x by checking out their case study here.

HOLOS

In this ad we made for HOLOS, we’re solving the problem of how do you show how your product can fit into people’s lives, but also make it super clear what your product looks like?

Our creative team used this “split screen PNG overlay” strategy to demonstrate. All you need are a dozen or so great lifestyle shots and an image of your product on a transparent background.

JuneShine

This ad we made for JuneShine shows how to position your product against other generic competitors. It’s cute BUT also clear. Don’t fall so in love with a creative idea that you lose sight of the product and why someone should buy it.

We obviously emulated dating app UX, but instead of singles ready to mingle, we’re swiping on other forms of alcohol. In the pop-ups we’re calling out their unsavory characteristics (and matching the branding to JuneShine’s website). Then at the end, we show how JuneShine is the perfect match for you.

LoveSeen

This is a great example of how to execute a side-by-side ad that shows the product in use AND the product itself. 

You just need to split the screen and rotate throughout the different options. This allows you to show the depth of your product line, while also showing how it works for multiple people. We chose to use still images, but you can use video too if you have enough shots from the same shoot so that it feels cohesive.

The big takeaway today is that sometimes it’s valuable to show both the product and the product in use, within the same frame.

Mikra

This ad we made for Mikra is a good example of how to prove the benefit of your product and counter the common price objection. People have all kinds of reasons for not buying, but the universal reason is usually price. It is important to know the main hesitations and objections your potential customers have, then make sure you are really communicating your product’s value. 

NURX

This ad we made for NURX is based on just one still image and yet it feels dynamic, engaging and almost like there’s video footage being used. We started with the established shot and zoomed in.

This strategy is the perfect way to bring stills to life. It’s a very simple way to create more energy within product photos that otherwise might not be as engaging. It also allows you to deliver more copy, or a more complex narrative, and keep the viewer’s attention from beginning to CTA.

Otherland

We used this asset within retargeting campaigns to help further people down the funnel who had already interacted with their previous ads. But if you frame it as a more introductory asset, you CAN use founder videos within awareness campaigns.

Often, when it’s time to get on camera, it can feel a little awkward- but if you have a handful of questions to answer, the dialogue can flow a bit smoother.

• Why did you create the product?
• How will the viewer benefit from your product?
• What makes this product different (re: better) than the others?

Small design notes that are worth mentioning:

• The video didn’t feature the candles- but without showing the candles, it’s not totally clear what we’re talking about. Enter 👉 candle .png cutouts!
• Time is precious when it comes to any ad asset. Enter 👉 graphic overlay of her name and title. The video was also awkwardly sized, so rather than run with it full frame, we created a collage and leaned into the 90s theme even more.
• Subtitles always. Because it’s 2022, and if you aren’t making your ads accessible to everyone, you’re doing it wrong.

South Beach Skin Labs

This ad we made for South Beach Skin Labs is one of many, many different ways to do UGC vs. just putting captions on a 30-sec, single-person clip. We start with a 3×3 grid of different women holding up the product and the big headline, “These women fell in love with their skin. Discover how!” Which then leads to telling their individual results.

The big takeaways are:

1. You can use more than one UGC video in the frame at a time if you are looking to visually show the magnitude of how many people use your product – another way to present social proof.

    

2. This method is a great way to show a variety of customers without having to spend time giving each customer persona their own frame. Allowing people to recognize themselves within one of the current customers is much quicker.

    

3. If you have a ton of UGC and feel like the reviews aren’t exactly what you were looking for, this is a great way to still utilize the footage without letting the audio testimonial take center stage.

Splendid Spoon

This ad we made for Splendid Spoon shows how we can imitate the TikTok robot voice without running into problems with intellectual property. 

We were able to identify a copyright-free text-to-voice generator to use within this ad in order to tap into the TikTok feel. It’s clearly not the original sound, so it loses a little something, but it’s close. It’s ok to utilize trends, but you need to keep on your mind, “Am I allowed to be using this?”

The second takeaway is how we were able to shoot some quick, iPhone-style shots for this client, and narrate how Splendid Spoon can be part of your entire day. It’s another example of how you don’t need to let a big, expensive shoot be a roadblock to getting content for your ads.

👉 Check out the other 56+ creatives we made for Splendid Spoon by clicking here.

Stefan Kunz

This ad we made for Stefan Kunz reiterates how to use the rule of 3 to create a successful overview of your brand. The rule of 3 is that there can never be more than 3 pieces of information/strategies within any given ad- and this ad follows that.

This ad follows the following three-act structure:

Before and after + product features + review = a solid overview of your brand in less than 20 secs.

This ad opens up with a before and after concept but it takes it a step further and shows the process throughout by imitating Instagram’s interactive emoji slider.

Taking Cara Babies

This ad we made for Taking Cara Babies is a True or False concept. This is a great hook to start an ad with because even if the answer is obvious, it’s hard to not continue watching to see if you’re right. We reveal the answer at second 4, which gets them to stop scrolling. We then add in a value/education piece to keep them watching by sharing the recommended wake window lengths. If you’re in our target market, that will be helpful and interesting to you. And then, we have the call to action to check out the classes.

A simple formula: True/False + Content + CTA = 💰

TELETIES

This ad we made for TELETIES shows how to effectively drop a new product or collection.

Two main takeaways from this one:

1.) The iPhone UX with a branding twist: We used phone-esque functionality with the notifications, but branded them more like TELETIES instead of going full on iPhone style. It’s a fun way to present copy and a familiar action.

2.) The three-act structure: In this ad, we introduce it; show it off; and finally, explain why they need it with the review.

You don’t necessarily have to put a review within this equation but you MUST center your customer within your product. A collection ad that doesn’t provide any real juice of “why to buy” can only work within retargeting segments. They’re already familiar with what you’re offering and so you don’t have to necessarily include the “why.”

But if you want an ad that appeals to a broader audience, this is the ticket. Rather than use a review (or press quote) you can just add one more line that provides context of what makes the product worth purchasing. Consider the collection dropped. 🎤

👉 Click here to see how we helped TELETIES increase their online revenue by 3x since starting, scale 10x in ad spend, and hit 2.5x ROAS.

Woo More Play

This ad we made for Woo More Play taps into how to to bottle up sensory experiences and let it take the center stage of your ad.  Tap into the feelings that your product inspires and find an out-of-the-box way to show it.

Love Oil is a Facebook-appropriate way to say “lube” but there aren’t a lot of policy-friendly ways to show the ‘how it works’ or ‘what it does’ of this product. So we thought about how we could tap into the ‘why buy this’ over other lubes, and that led to some of the more unique aspects of WOO’s Love Oil – its sensory experience. Those are things we can show.

Touch – Smooth and silky
Taste – Sweet vanilla
Smell – Coconut

And there’s even science to back this strategy up! A previous study conducted by BYU and the University of Washington found that ads highlighting touch, taste, and smell lead to earlier purchases.

ZBiotics

This ad we made for ZBiotics is a great testimonial concept for a few reasons:

1.) We show lifestyle and product photos in the same frame. Product-only shots can be boring. And lifestyle-only shots can be a little unclear. Boom, problem solved.
2.) There’s movement in order to grab attention, but not too much where you can’t focus on the testimonial.

Zoop

This ad we made for Zoop is a comparison ad. We are consistently looking for ways to reinvent the ‘us vs. them’ concept, and this one is worth looking at.

Opening the ad with a “never _____” copy strategy is how we accomplish a comparison without focusing on the competitor. When you establish contrast between yourself and the others in the beginning, it’s not only catching someone’s attention by identifying what’s familiar (calling out the grooming wipes they are currently using), but then allows you the rest of the ad to exclusively tout how much better YOUR product is.

STILL CURIOUS?

We thought this was a fun way to show off some of the cool stuff our creative department is doing without giving away the full strategy secrets. So while I’ve drastically simplified the intention and strategy behind each asset above, I hope these were still entertaining (and maybe even a bit inspiring?) to play through.

If you would like to see more ad examples like the ones above, subscribe to our daily email list to receive ideas to inspire your creative every weekday: