After analyzing hundreds of creative campaigns this year, both through our client work at TripleLift and our recent research partnership with eMarketer, some clear patterns have emerged about what separates high-performing creative from the rest.
Small Tests, Big Insights
One of the biggest revelations this year has been that you don’t need massive campaigns to understand creative effectiveness. Sometimes it’s better to get something out there quickly and test small rather than spending months perfecting a creative concept that might not resonate.
Once you validate a strong idea or message through initial testing, scaling that concept across different formats and environments doesn’t require the same level of research or testing. We’ve seen this with our own “Creative SSP” messaging – once we established that positioning resonated, we could confidently adapt it across CTV, retail media, and other formats.
Format-Specific Creative Performs Better
Generic creative that tries to work everywhere typically performs poorly. According to TripleLift data, creative specifically designed for native environments generates 5x more engagement than standard display formats. Similarly, CTV creative that acknowledges the viewing environment significantly outperforms traditional TV spots repurposed for streaming.
Quality Trumps Quantity
While testing multiple creative variations is important, our data consistently shows that having fewer high-quality creative assets outperforms having many mediocre ones. In our recent eMarketer study, 82% of marketers agree that high-quality, well-crafted creative is essential to driving stronger KPI outcomes.
Context Matters More Than We Realized
Creative that aligns with the surrounding content environment performs dramatically better than creative that feels out of place. Our AI Detection technology has revealed how much contextual relevance impacts performance – ads that naturally blend into publisher environments while maintaining brand visibility generate significantly higher engagement rates.
Brand Storytelling Remains King
Despite all the focus on targeting and measurement, our research shows that clear brand storytelling (cited by 69.5% of marketers) and visually compelling design (69.5%) remain the most important attributes of great creative. Technology can help you reach the right people at the right time, but compelling creative is what drives action.
Dynamic Creative Shows Promise
AI-driven creative optimization is moving beyond basic personalization toward intelligent systems that can adapt messaging, visuals, and calls to action based on real-time context. According to data from Kroger’s 84.51° arm, AI-optimized audiences show 1.3x greater incremental ROAS, 3.4x visits uplift and 3.7x sales uplift across varied client campaigns.
Measurement Infrastructure Lags Behind
According to our eMarketer research released earlier this month, while 71.3% of marketers say creative evaluation has become more important, only 51.2% have reliable metrics or dashboards to track creative effectiveness. This measurement gap represents a significant opportunity for brands willing to invest in better creative analytics.
Key Takeaways for 2025
Start testing now, even if it’s small scale. Focus on quality over quantity. Design creative specifically for each format and environment. Invest in measurement infrastructure that connects creative quality to business outcomes. And remember, great creative combined with precise targeting and measurement creates a powerful competitive advantage that’s difficult for competitors to replicate.
