Humans are visual creatures. We retain over 80% of what we see, while only 20% of what we read. This makes creating awe-inspiring creatives a challenge for marketers. 

The best way to deliver your brand’s story is by focusing on two key components- Showing the right creative to the right audience. But how do you know which creative will garner the best results? 

Through ad creative testing!

Big brands like Pepsi, Nivea, Ford, etc., have failed big-time with their ads. But with the right creative testing approach, you can foster brand loyalty, improve brand awareness and contribute significantly to the growth of your brand. 

So, let’s dive in and learn all about how you can master the art of creative testing. 

What is Creative Testing?

Creative testing is used to evaluate and compare a set of different variations of advertisements to identify which one will perform the best.

A number of elements are evaluated, such as illustrations, characters, colors, logos, call-to-actions etc. This helps marketers make informed decisions and optimize their advertising content for a better return on investment. 

Why Does Creative Testing Matter?

Creative testing helps marketers gauge what is working and what is not working. It draws a clear picture enabling brands to tell their story without fearing the ad concept backfiring. 

Some other reasons why you should be conducting ad creative testing are:

• Produce more captivating and powerful creatives
• Recognise the assets that your target audience engages with and the assets that guide your target audience through the marketing funnel and encourage conversion
• Obtain actionable and valuable insights
• Aids you in making the most effective use of your budget

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What are the Benefits of Ad Creative Testing?

The main advantage of conducting creative testing is the actionable insights. It guides you to launch relevant and targeted ad campaigns which will add value to you as well as your target audience. 

Other benefits of ad creative testing are - 

• Ad optimization
• Reducing turn-around-time
• Saving cost
• Making advertisements that appeal to your audience
• Recognizing consumer behavior
• Gaining knowledge for upcoming campaigns

What Types of Creatives can you Test when Creative Testing?

1. Ad Creatives

You can test any type of creatives, be it videos, images, or other assets that you use as a part of your ad campaigns using creative testing.

Learn more: Pre Ad Test vs Post Ad Test

Apart from ad creative testing, you can also test other forms of creatives, like-

2. Social Media Posts

The internet is an unforgiving place. Everytime you upload a creative, you are vulnerable to facing backlash and your brand reputation is at stake. The best way to tackle this is by pre-testing your social media creatives. 

These creatives could encompass any type of content like videos, infographics, images, carousels, etc.

3. eCommerce Creatives

Newsletters, store designs, flyers, landing pages etc. can all be tested using creative testing. You can try out a variety of combinations and evaluate which works best for improving customer experience and increases brand awareness and conversions.

How do you Test Ad Creatives?

Ad Creative Testing Methods-

Creative testing can be conducted using the following popular testing methods- 

1. A/B Testing 

Also known a split testing, is a testing method where two variations of a creative element are tested to identify which one performs better. The respondents taking the test are split into two groups and each group is exposed to either of the two variations of the creative.

2. Multivariate Testing

Unlike A/B testing, multivariate testing enables you to test multiple elements and figure which combination works the best in the creative.

3. Monadic Testing

Every creative is shown to the target audience in isolation, without any other variations to it. 

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Ad Creative Testing Process-

1. Establish Specific Goals

To effectively gauge effectiveness in the creative testing process, establish clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs).

2. Identify Variables

Based on the objectives, choose the creative components to be tested, such as headlines, graphics, copy, colours, CTAs, etc.

3. Design Test Variations

To isolate the effects of each aspect, create many copies of the advertisement with different elements, making sure they only differ in one factor.

4. Conduct Test

Utilizing platforms with testing features or tools, conduct creative testing on the iterations of the advertisement to the target market.

5. Track and Analyze

Keep tabs on each variation's performance by tracking pertinent data like click-through rates, conversions, engagement, and ROI.

8 Best practices for Effective Ad Creative Testing

1.Create a Clear Hypothesis 

Create a clear hypothesis before the test to direct the creative variants and link them with the intended outcome.

2. Test One Variable at a Time

Only test one variable at a time while holding the other elements constant in order to correctly gauge the effect of each component.

3. Adequate Sample Size 

For accurate results, make sure the test has a statistically significant sample size.

4. Test Across Multiple Channels

Test advertising creatives on numerous platforms to learn how varied audiences react to various iterations.

5. Track Relevant Metrics

Create a thorough tracking system to monitor and evaluate important metrics related to the testing objectives.

6.  Learn from Mistakes

View mistakes as teaching moments. Even getting low scores in these tests offer insightful data that can direct subsequent revisions.

7. Continuous Testing and Optimization

As market trends, audience preferences, and competition shift, ad creative testing should be a continuous activity. To stay ahead you need to keep testing, analyzing, and optimizing constantly.

8. Use a Online Research Platform

By using online research platforms, you get to not only conduct creative testing, but collate all your research findings from past and present studies, all in one place. You also get access to online panels and get to integrate emotion AI technologies like Facial Coding, Eye Tracking and Voice AI to understand consumer behavior.

Conclusion

In order for digital advertising campaigns to be successful, ad creative testing is essential. Marketers may improve the effectiveness of their campaigns, increase audience engagement, and gain a competitive edge in today's changing marketing environment by utilizing data-driven insights. Brands can make educated judgements and confidently meet their marketing goals by using effective ad creative testing and ongoing optimisation.

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