There’s an untapped opportunity sitting inside most marketing teams.
It’s not another channel. It’s not another audience segment. It’s not more automation, optimisation, or A/B tests.
It’s better creative.
The kind of creative that earns attention, not just rents it. That makes people feel something. That lingers. That gets talked about. Shared. Remembered.
But what does ‘better creative’ even mean when Meta is determined to optimise every ad into a carbon copy of the last? Where AI can write, design, and distribute ads at a speed and scale no human can match? And where every update to Meta’s ad platform feels like one more step towards a future where creativity is sacrificed on the altar of efficiency?
Meta’s march towards ad domination
Since 2018, Meta has been on a mission to become the ad platform. They’ve created a suite of AI-powered tools, like dynamic ads and Advantage+ campaigns, designed to squeeze maximum performance from every dollar spent. Sounds great, right? Except that it’s also making every ad near-identical.
In 2022, Meta introduced Advantage+ shopping campaigns, a feature that uses machine learning to deliver ‘personalised’ ads at scale. According to Meta, it increased return on ad spend by 32%. And while those numbers are impressive, they also highlight the creeping problem: everyone’s using the same tools to create the same ads.
Why does this matter?
Because Meta isn’t just influencing how ads are delivered. It’s influencing how they look, feel, and sound. And if every ad looks, feels, and sounds the same, what are we even doing here?
*cue existential crisis*
In 2023, System1’s Orlando Wood released a study showing that left-brain advertising (rational, data-driven, repetitive) is dominating digital platforms like Meta, while right-brain advertising (emotional, playful, memorable) is on the decline. Why? Because left-brain ads are easier to automate and optimise.
But they’re also easier to ignore.
Wood’s study found that right-brain advertising is 50% more likely to drive long-term brand growth. Yet, Meta’s current algorithmic model is geared towards left-brain tactics: the short, sharp, conversion-oriented ads that look, sound, and feel the same.
The power of good creative
According to Nielsen, creative is responsible for 50% of a campaign’s success. Half. It’s not your bid strategy. It’s not your audience segmentation. It’s not even your platform mix. It’s the creative idea. The thing people actually see.
In 2021, Airbnb made a bold move: they slashed their performance media budget by over 50% and funnelled that spend into brand-building creative. They swapped AI-generated ads for human stories — hosts and guests talking about real experiences, real connections. The result was a 95% return to pre-pandemic traffic levels and their most profitable Q4 ever in 2023.
But what does good creative look like?
Better creative isn’t about more polished ads or flashier visuals. It’s about being brave enough to say something different. It’s about injecting a human perspective into a space that’s increasingly driven by algorithms.
Here’s where to start:
1. Focus on the why, not the what
Emotion isn’t just about sappy storytelling. It’s about getting to the heart of why your brand exists. What problem are you solving? Why does it matter? Tie your message to a broader narrative that resonates with your audience’s values and aspirations.
2. Flip the script
If the market is saturated with the same types of messages, flip the script. Take a common narrative and subvert it. Approach a tired topic from a fresh angle. Inject some humour, irony, or unexpected vulnerability. Challenge what people expect to see.
3. Own your perspective
Your point of view is your most valuable asset. What do you stand for that no one else does? What’s the one thing your brand would say that others wouldn’t? Get comfortable with being polarising. If your message doesn’t make some people nod and others roll their eyes, you’re probably playing it too safe. Which leads me to my next point…
4. Speak to someone, not everyone
Trying to reach everyone means you’re talking to no one. Define exactly who you’re speaking to and produce your creative around that singular focus. Use language, visuals, and references that feel specific to them.
5. Make format your starting point
Before you decide on what type of content to create, ask what it’s supposed to do. Is it meant to grab attention or drive clicks? Is it a quick 15-second TikTok or a 3-minute YouTube spot? Build the creative around the objective, not the other way around.
Better creative isn’t about being louder. It’s about being braver. It’s about knowing your audience so well that you can surprise them with what they didn’t even know they wanted to see.
A final provocation: If your brand disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice? Or would your ads just be replaced by someone else’s — and no one would know the difference?
If that thought makes you uncomfortable, good. It should.
Because we all need to remember: creative is the work. It’s the smartest bet you’re (probably) not making.
And you can’t optimise your way out of irrelevance.
