The ad that won this week talked to the person who thinks you're too expensive

What we learned this week

From the accounts we run

1. 01

   Talk to the person who thinks you're too expensive

   On a UK luxury home brand, the ad written for the buyer who hesitates on price was the week's clear winner, at nearly double the target return. The ads written for fans who already love the category missed. Your best customer is often the one still on the fence.

2. 02

   Statics beat video on a premium product

   Same account, same week: our best static returned more than twice what our best video did. Video is not automatically the winner. If the product is beautiful, a still that lets people look at it can outsell 30 seconds of motion.

3. 03

   A moment beats a demographic

   On a kids' supplement brand, general UGC video missed badly. The ad built around one moment, a mum at bedtime with a child who will not settle, returned nearly three times as much. Write to a moment in someone's day, not an age bracket.

4. 04

   Fast cuts win for big-ticket buys

   For a London supercar hire company, a fast montage with two-second cuts brought leads in at well under half the target cost. For something people buy on emotion, pace sells the feeling better than a long hero shot.

5. 05

   If the product looks soft, the ad is dead

   One client sent ads back twice this week for the same reason: the product looked slightly blurred. Nobody buys what they can't see clearly. Sharp, bright, true to life product shots are the one thing we never trade away.

Worked this week: UK

The UK ads that reached the most people

Damson Madder

Treat the launch like a film premiere

Damson Madder didn't announce a new collection. They made a short film and called it 'a love letter to indie cinema'. It reached 2.8M people in 7 days. When your ad feels like culture, people watch it instead of scrolling past it.

2.8M people reached in 7 days / live 14 days / 377 ads live on the account

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Naturium

Real people, a simple routine

Naturium's 'Real People. Real Glow.' puts a group of friends on screen and sells a four-step routine, not one product. Social proof and a clear system in the same frame. 2.4M reached in 6 days.

2.4M people reached in 7 days / live 6 days / 166 ads live on the account

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Pooch & Mutt

One ad, many buyers

Pooch & Mutt names every kind of owner in one line: fussy dogs, wild dogs, older dogs. Anyone with a dog sees themselves in it. It has run for 34 days across 1,205 live ads, which tells you it is still making money.

1.6M people reached in 7 days / live 34 days / 1,205 ads live on the account

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SodaStream UK

Let the product do something satisfying

SodaStream's pour-and-fizz close-ups need no words. Satisfying product motion stops the thumb on its own. 2.4M reached in 8 days.

2.4M people reached in 7 days / live 8 days / 71 ads live on the account

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Worked this week: US

The US ads brands kept paying for

ADHD Parent Solutions

Answer the objection in the first line

EllaOla opens with the parent's doubt: 'We've tried vitamins for ADHD before and nothing changed.' Then it borrows authority: voted best by Healthline. It has run for 82 days, and EllaOla runs a second version from another page as a parent's story screenshot.

live 82 days / 66 ads live on the account

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Freebird

A listicle with a number in it

Freebird's '3 body parts guys need to shave smooth' is a curiosity headline, a product demo and an offer in one image. The brand has 917 ads live, so this format is clearly paying for itself.

live 14 days / 917 ads live on the account

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Heat Free Hair

Scarcity that is actually true

Heat Free Hair leads with 'sold out in minutes, finally back in stock'. Real demand is the strongest proof you have. 50 days live and still running.

live 50 days / 75 ads live on the account

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The Ayurveda Experience

A customer quote as the headline

The Ayurveda Experience puts a review front and centre: 'When I'm out with my granddaughter I am mistaken for mom.' The customer says the benefit so the brand doesn't have to.

live 19 days / 218 ads live on the account

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