Facebook unleashing their ‘Automated App Ads’ (AAA) was simply another reminder that we are headed more and more towards total UA automation. Ads in and out of Facebook are relying more and more on AI, removing levers one by one that app marketers need for control over their campaigns. It’s a safe assumption that this drift towards AI will not be slowing down, in fact it feels that we are not far away from single click ad campaigns – the surefire dream of every media channel – more tools to bring more users to bring more competition for placements … and ultimately more profits. 

As more competition creeps into a market that is being more and more dominated by AI, it’s safe to say that key to ad success must lie in creatives – the only real ad element which remains in the hands of the advertiser- AI engines rely on creative ‘food’ to generate viable campaigns.

So with this in mind, now is really the time to start investing in creative assets for the win- from images and videos to the style of text and any calls to action. Yet as you probably know, creating these elements should only be part of the mission; these elements need continuous monitoring and measuring throughout campaign lifecycles. A whole new ‘creative-first’ approach is needed, a new prism to view campaigns through, to ensure stellar performance which should feature the following:

Quality Data: To get the best possible insights from your creatives, you will need quality insights to push you past the competition. Concepts need to both scrutinized and analyzed across multiple channels for best possible insights. It is critical to note that automated campaigns will render far less granular data  – we at Liniad always advise using campaign analysis tools that host data enrichment options. 

Creative Testing: The standard app campaign has an onslaught of creative elements on the go. It is critical to start testing these elements in combinations to try and ascertain the winners. The more you identify the winners, the more ads you create and the more you can feed the engine for best results… and of course as this goes on, you will need a significant increase of assets to continuously introduce as creative fatigue surely sets in.

Identifying those winning creative ads and concepts quickly is the best shot at success. Automation engines such as AAA have some form of testing built in, but there is no way it can take the place of tools specifically designed for creative testing.  Indeed, even AI is not without its limitations. Datasets delivered by AI will always have constraints, whereas the data you can acquire independently can be vast – reaching out across campaigns, channels and even funnels – after all, a winning asset on one channel may be a huge fail on another. 

Consider a Creative Specialist: There is definitely something to be said for gunning it alone. It can prove rewarding when your campaigns and budgets are small, yet when trying to scale, the amount of data you’re dealing with can seem endless and overwhelming. Indeed the very nature of ad campaigns are not to stay small as growth happens fast, particularly as more and more creatives get thrown into the mix. Most methodologies for testing creatives independently will need a fresh look at workflows and a whole new way of looking at campaigns. It can take a whole load of patience (and cash) as you adjust internal and external teams. Bringing a specialist agency into the fold early on is a surefire way to stay ahead of the rest, after all in house teams and channel based AI can only take you so far. Creative assistance can help quickly establish winning creatives with the right methodologies and technology- generating the right content to constantly feed the engines. Here at Liniad, we have found that even a slight differentiation in a color shade can sink an entire campaign, so it makes perfect sense to work with experts like us and really start investing in creatives .