60% of my job is more than just media buying and account optimizations – about 30-35% of it is creative strategy and consulting. The internet’s been screaming that content is king since 2015 and it still correct. Content is the connector that drive the eyeballs to the website, especially from entertainment-heavy platforms like Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Building ad creative goes a bit beyond simply making the ads look organic. But the beauty of the running ads on social media platforms is the depth of data your FB ads manager collects that will show you how strong your ad is.

Beyond identifying key metrics such as CTR and CPC’s to gauge how well your audience receives your ad, your should also be thinking about your audience. Ultimately, if you connect well with them — their dreams, fears, objections and problems — your investment will go further. What you need to kno first is if your ads can drive your audience to act upon the call to action your ad.

This is where most ad agencies and media buyers fail – the unscrupulous ones, especially. They’ll try to sell you on one or a combination of these things: a proprietary technology or methodology that they swear will give you a competitive advantage or lie about understanding your business and produce strategies that are considered best practices but fail to fit with your brand’s unique positioning.

Video Creative Isn’t Everything

Strong creative is brought together by understanding of your customer base and their motivations PLUS the medium used to best deliver the message. The oversimplified formula you should keep in mind while building performance based creative is:

PERFORMANCE CREATIVE = (Audience Desires + Motivations to Purchase) + Ad Medium.

The ad medium is what format you choose to the deliver the message through. I know there is a slew of experts telling you that video is the best due to the nature of these platforms – which is true. However, the caveat is that great product or brand story telling is not confined to one format. It can live in many forms in this is exactly where you will be forced to tap into your creativity. The rest of this post walks you through great static ads that are winners!

The most important part of this equation are the first two within parenthesis, Audience desire and and purchase motivation. Research your customer well. Understanding their desires is the wind beneath your sails and will get these ads going further than you could ever imagine.

Reformation

Format: Static

Winning Quality: The copy. It’s nothing fancy, but it instantly taps into the fear of losing out on a juicy sale. If you’re the kind of customer that loves their products but can’t always shop due to prices being out of your range, an ad like this gets you adding what you can to cart just to get it on sale.

Clean Skin Club

Format: Static

Winning Quality: Imagine coming across this ad – you’re instantly pulled in by the bright read background, the surprised expression on the woman’s face and the assertion that your towel is aging you. You’re left asking “huh?” and tap in to see what they could possibly mean – and insight on what your skincare routine is possibly missing

Micas

Format: Static

Winning Quality: This ad doesn’t even feel like an ad at all – it’s reminiscent of a 2000-era mobile fashion game we’d play for hours finding the best fits for our avatars. Now we get to dress the avatar (ourselves IRL) by selecting either of the two options presented and their recommended shoes and jewelry for good measure.

Sauce Shop

Format: Static

Winning Quality: I give this ad 5 stars for being the literal embodiment of “show, don’t tell”, a marketing ism often-repeated by seldomly practiced. By showcasing 19 different items and having it cover 3/4 of the image surface, a potential customer will immediately capture the value depicted in this offer.

AI Apply

Format: Static

Winning Quality: Another clear example of “Show, don’t tell”, this ad does a fantastic job of giving users a view of a desired result. This ad for a job search tool does more than promise me everything under the sun, it gives you a peek of the goal being realized: a calendar full of scheduled job interviews.

Mala the Brand

Format: Static

Winning Quality: It’s a simple ad for a simple product… a candle. Not all products have to be revolutionary to stand out. Does your brand innovate in its sourcing, has a higher quality of ingredients/material, designed with enhanced features, or more affordable due to your unique pricing model? Be sure to use static ads to highlight key selling points in this way.

KURU Footwear

Format: Static

Winning Quality: Who said negative reviews were bad? In this ad, Kuru Footwear twists a negative 1/5 star comment and frames it as a positive indictment of their product’s quality. Its a “you got me there!” moment where the customers most hated aspect becomes the very reason you should buy them. Kuru Footwear shoes aren’t cheap because they’re produced with longevity and comfort in mind.

Magic Spoon

Format: Non-UGC video

Winning Quality: This non-UGC video is exactly what I’d describe as a static ad with movement. By seeing each bar rise with milk for each breakfast option, Magic Spoon tries to sell you on how well their cereal keeps you fuller for hours. In the next screen you see the reason why; Magic Spoon makes packed-full protein cereal with the fun flavors you love.

Halara Dress

Format: Non-UGC video
Winning Quality: Let’s say you were just on Google looking up green, casual maxi skirt and then you open Facebook to see this ad. It shows you all the features different from what you were initially looking for. All of a sudden high waist design, stretchy fabric and an invisible zipper in the video are now non-negotiables to you.

Make Ads That Speak to People

I hope you walk away from this post understanding that effective ad creative doesn’t have to be confined to video format or complex production. What matters most is understanding who your audience is, understanding their desires and pain points, then communicating your product or service as the best solution in a way that resonates. This can be done through clever copy, strategic visuals, or smart positioning of product features – successful ads are those that create that “aha!” moment for your potential customers.

Remember the formula: (Audience Desires + Motivations to Purchase) + Ad Medium. Start with understanding your customer deeply, choose the right format to deliver your message, and don’t be afraid to break away from the “video is everything” mindset. Sometimes, a well-crafted static ad can outperform an expensive video production – it all depends on how well you connect with your audience’s needs.