Proof beat a money-back guarantee, and the buyer on the fence won again

What we learned this week

From the accounts we run

1. 01

   Proof beat the guarantee

   On a UK luxury laundry brand, ads built on social proof came in about a fifth over the return target. Ads built on risk reversal, the money-back promise, took far more of the budget and returned about half the target. A guarantee tells people they can't lose. Proof tells them other people already won. The second one sold.

2. 02

   The buyer on the fence won, third week running

   Same account: the ad written for the buyer who hesitates on price returned more than one and a half times the target. The ads for fragrance lovers, the ritual makers and the scent obsessives all missed. Three weeks in a row now, on two different premium brands. Write to the doubter first.

3. 03

   Sell the discount to people who know the name

   On a UK discount beauty retailer, the ad aimed at a buyer who already knows and wants a specific prestige makeup brand cleared the target. The ad aimed at a general deal hunter, curious about a mystery box, fell well short. A discount means nothing until the reader recognises what is being discounted.

4. 04

   Sell the statement, not the drive

   For a London supercar hire company, the ads written for someone who wants to be seen arriving brought leads in about 30% under the target cost. The ads for the weekend driving enthusiast spent and brought nothing. And the fast montage with two-second cuts won again, at just over half the target cost per lead.

5. 05

   Every winner fades, so keep finding new moments

   On a kids' supplement brand, the bedtime ad that won two weeks ago has slipped to just under target. It is still the closest thing on the account to a winner, while general UGC video sits well under. The lesson is not that the moment stopped working. It is that one moment is never enough. Find the next one before the first one runs out.

Worked this week: UK

The UK ads that reached the most people

Untamed

Apologise to the people who paid more

Untamed's headline reads 'I'm sorry if you paid £7 for our 12 tin trial pack. It comes with free kibble now.' The apology makes the new offer feel like news, and the free tote, guide and delivery are lined up underneath. The copy opens with a fact about rival cat food. Nearly 970,000 people reached in 7 days.

967k people reached in 7 days / live 14 days / 213 ads live on the account

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yfood

Name an annoyance everyone shares

yfood opens on 'A Very British Problem: Messy Food on Public Transport' and a commuter pulling out a tub of butter next to a horrified passenger. The copy asks 'What's the worst thing you've ever seen someone eat on public transport?' The product is the answer to a joke everyone gets. 1.2M reached in 7 days, 9 days after launch.

1.2M people reached in 7 days / live 9 days / 229 ads live on the account

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Nutrition Geeks

Let the reviews write the benefits

Nutrition Geeks puts 'Wait... FREE??' on screen and leads the copy with a five-star customer quote. Then it says an analysis of 800+ reviews found the three most common phrases: better sleep, more energy, less stress. The customers choose the benefits, not the brand. 1.57M reached in 7 days.

1.6M people reached in 7 days / live 19 days / 873 ads live on the account

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Free Soul

Reply to a video they have already seen

Free Soul's creator opens with 'Have you seen that nurse that says...' and borrows a viral video the viewer may already have seen. Then she stacks five ingredients and lands the line 'don't buy them all separately'. One product replacing a cupboard of tubs. 834,000 reached in its first 9 days.

834k people reached in 7 days / live 9 days / 556 ads live on the account

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Worked this week: US

The US ads brands kept paying for

Heyisail

Show the job done, start to finish

A vacuum storage bag, a finger on the valve, a bulky pile pressed flat. The copy says it plainly: 'No pump needed, just roll and compress.' Live for 123 days and duplicated 8,607 times. When the product does something visible, the demo is the whole ad.

live 123 days / 175 ads live on the account

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American Wellness Savings Outlet

Put the cheap version next to yours

'Look At The Difference' over a man holding up a flag in front of the one flying on his house. The copy opens on the cheap alternative's failure: 'One storm is all it takes for a cheap flag to show its true quality.' Live for 122 days, duplicated 8,505 times.

live 122 days / 3,584 ads live on the account

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Trysoviren

A real person holding it up to camera

A woman in her kitchen stretches the garment out to show the fabric, and the copy is in her voice: 'it's my most-worn summer layering piece.' No studio, no model. Live for 107 days, duplicated 6,213 times.

live 107 days / 193 ads live on the account

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Lauren Bennett

Take away every hassle in one line

Hands opening a charging case of hearing aids, captioned 'These brand new bluetooth hearing aids just went on sale'. The copy names the frustration, 'Tired of struggling to hear conversations, TV, or phone calls?', then removes the barriers: no prescription, no audiologist visit. Live for 94 days, duplicated 5,871 times.

live 94 days / 416 ads live on the account

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