Ads Creative

<!-- Updated: 2026-04-13 | v1.5 -->

Cross-Platform Creative Quality Audit

Process

1. Collect creative assets or performance data from active platforms 2. Read ads/references/platform-specs.md for creative specifications 3. Read ads/references/benchmarks.md for CTR/engagement benchmarks 4. Read ads/references/scoring-system.md for weighted scoring algorithm 5. Validate: confirm at least one platform has creative data (assets or performance metrics) before proceeding 6. Evaluate creative quality per platform 7. Assess cross-platform creative consistency 8. Validate: verify fatigue signals reference actual performance trends, not assumptions 9. Generate production priority recommendations

Per-Platform Assessment

Google Ads Creative

• RSA: ≥8 unique headlines, ≥3 descriptions per ad group
• RSA ad strength: "Good" or "Excellent"
• Pin usage: minimal and strategic (over-pinning kills RSA flexibility)
• Extensions: sitelinks (≥4), callouts (≥4), structured snippets, image
• PMax asset groups: text + image + video + optional product feed
• YouTube: video quality, hook, subtitles (see ads-youtube sub-skill)

Meta Ads Creative

• Format diversity: ≥3 formats active (image, video, carousel, collection)
• Creative volume: ≥5 creatives per ad set
• Fatigue detection: CTR declining >20% over 14 days = FAIL
• Video length: 15s max Stories/Reels, 30s max Feed
• UGC/testimonial content tested
• Advantage+ Creative enhancements enabled
• Headline under 40 chars, primary text under 125 chars

LinkedIn Creative

• Thought Leader Ads active, ≥30% budget for B2B
• Format diversity: ≥2 formats tested (single image, carousel, video, document)
• Video ads tested
• Creative refresh: every 4-6 weeks
• Professional tone appropriate for platform

TikTok Creative

• ≥6 creatives per ad group (Critical requirement)
• All video 9:16 vertical 1080x1920 (non-negotiable)
• Native-looking content (not corporate)
• Hook in first 1-2 seconds
• No creative active >7 days with declining CTR
• Spark Ads tested (~3% CTR vs ~2% standard)
• Sound-on optimization (never silent)
• Safe zone compliance: X:40-940, Y:150-1470
• Trending audio used

Microsoft Creative

• RSA: ≥8 headlines, ≥3 descriptions
• Multimedia Ads tested (unique rich format)
• Ad copy optimized for Bing demographics (older, higher income, professional)
• Action Extension utilized (unique to Microsoft)
• Filter Link Extension tested

Creative Fatigue Detection

Signals of Fatigue

Refresh Cadence by Platform

Format Diversity Matrix

Evaluate which formats are active per platform:

Apple Ads Format Support:

Andromeda Creative Similarity Score (Meta)

Meta's Andromeda engine (launched October 2025) clusters ads with >60% similarity and suppresses delivery of near-identical creatives (Confect; Meta Engineering). 100 minor variations (color swaps, small text changes) perform no better than 10 genuinely distinct creatives. Evaluate:

• Are creatives genuinely diverse in concept, angle, and format?
• Flag accounts relying on iterative variations rather than distinct concepts
• Recommend testing fundamentally different hooks, formats, and value propositions

Symphony Automation Awareness (TikTok, 2025)

TikTok's Symphony AI (2025) generates creative variations from product URLs. Assess:

• Whether account uses AI-generated vs original creatives
• Quality and performance comparison of Symphony vs manual creatives
• Impact on creative refresh strategy (Symphony can accelerate iteration)

Creative Health Scoring Weights

Format Diversity:      25%  ████████░░
Fatigue Signals:       25%  ████████░░
Platform Compliance:   20%  ██████░░░░
Refresh Cadence:       15%  █████░░░░░
Volume:                15%  █████░░░░░

Grade: A (90-100), B (75-89), C (60-74), D (40-59), F (<40).

Creative Check IDs

Universal Creative Best Practices

Cross-Platform Safe Zone

• 900x1000px usable area works across all vertical placements
• Keep critical elements centered and within safe margins
• Test on mobile devices (75%+ of ad impressions are mobile)

Ad Copy Principles

• Lead with benefit, not feature
• Include clear CTA (what should they do next?)
• Match ad message to landing page (message match)
• Use numbers and specifics over vague claims
• Test emotional vs rational appeals

Video Production Standards

• H.264 codec, AAC audio, MP4 container
• Minimum 720p (1080p preferred)
• Subtitles/captions always (accessibility + sound-off viewing)
• Brand mention within first 5s (awareness) or at CTA (performance)

Output

Creative Quality Report

Cross-Platform Creative Health

Google:     ████████░░  X/X checks passing
Meta:       ██████████  X/X checks passing
LinkedIn:   ███████░░░  X/X checks passing
TikTok:     █████░░░░░  X/X checks passing
Microsoft:  ████████░░  X/X checks passing

Deliverables

• CREATIVE-AUDIT-REPORT.md: Per-platform creative assessment
• Fatigue alerts (any creative past refresh cadence)
• Format diversity gaps per platform
• Production priority list (most impactful creative to produce next)
• Quick Wins (format conversions, CTA changes, Spark Ads setup)