8 Magnificent Creative Ad Testing Tips For 2025… and Beyond
Ever feel like you're throwing spaghetti at the wall with your ads, just hoping to see what sticks? You're not alone.
In the wild world of advertising, it's tough to know whether an ad will succeed or fail.
That’s where creative ad testing comes in – your secret weapon for creating ads that resonate with your audience and make a real business impact.
Keep reading to learn how you can deliver more effective ads using creative ad testing. We'll explore why ad testing matters, how it works, and give you eight of
the best tips for testing your ads.
TL;DR
Embracing a scientific approach to advertising, conducting ongoing tests, and leveraging data can lead to advertisements that make a business impact. With A/B
testing, split tests, and multivariate testing, marketers can predict ad performance and make data-driven decisions. Setting clear goals, allocating the right budget, and
testing both new and cloned campaigns are also key to ad testing. While initial test results may be lower than expected, creative ad testing ultimately helps optimize
campaigns, improve targeting, and boost ROI.
What is creative ad testing?
Picture this: You've crafted a new, creative ad you think is pure genius.
But how do you know it will actually resonate with your audience? That's what
advertising testing can help you find out.
Creative ad testing uses behavioral science methods to predict how well your ad will perform before you launch your advertising campaign. At System1, we
measure your ad's impact on long-term brand growth and short-term sales potential, and analyze strength of branding.
We do this by measuring the emotional response your ad evokes in consumers. This is key, because when your audience feels something, they are more likely to
have a positive association with your brand and in the end, make a purchase.
Instead of relying on gut feelings or office popularity contests, creative ad testing can help you measure the tangible impact of creativity.
Benefits of ad testing
Let's explore some of the key advantages of creative ad testing.
Speed and automation in testing
Creative ad testing allows businesses to quickly (and accurately) test their ad concepts, scripts, animatics, and finished films.
System1 has a database of over 100,000 advertisements, allowing businesses to automatically compare multiple ad variations against competitors’ ads. System1
accurately assesses the emotional power of your ad and delivers intuitive metrics and results in 24 hours.
This cutting-edge ad testing technology enables agile decision-making and faster, more effective campaign launches.
Gap analysis
Gap analysis in creative ad testing helps identify discrepancies between an ad's performance and its intended impact. By using marketing data sources and
extensive ad databases, marketers can compare ads against industry benchmarks and identify necessary improvements in their creative strategy.
Expert recommendations and strategies
The advertising experts at System1 provide businesses with valuable insights and proven strategies. These recommendations, drawn from advertising experience
and data-driven analysis, can significantly improve the effectiveness of an ad and increase ROI.
Understanding audience behaviour
Perhaps the biggest benefit of ad testing is the deep insight it provides into audience behavior.
This knowledge helps prevent ad fatigue, ensures message relevance, and ultimately leads to more effective, resonant campaigns. This leads to increased customer loyalty and ultimately more sales.
8 of the best creative ad testing tips
1. Setting up creative ad testing
Choose the right tools and methodologies
Choosing the right tools and methodologies is the foundation of accurate testing. Use ad testing platforms that effectively measure the commercial impact
of creativity.
A/B testing tools can help you test ads and ideas against each other and determine the most effective ones.
Set your goals
Before you start testing your ads, clearly define what you want to achieve.
Are you looking to improve brand awareness? Or maybe you want to see an increase in conversions?
Regardless of your objectives, be sure to set specific, measurable goals and establish KPIs that can help you track them. This approach ensures you're not
just creating ads that look good, but ones that help you achieve your business goals.
Test budget and investment
While emotional impact is crucial, it's equally important to consider the financial aspects of your campaign. Allocate a realistic budget for testing that allows for
thorough analysis without breaking the bank. And remember, the insights gained from testing can lead to more efficient ad spend in the long run.
Test audience selection
Carefully select your test audience to mirror your target market. Consider demographics, psychographics, and behavioral characteristics. A representative
sample will provide more accurate predictions of how your ad will perform in the real world.
2. Multivariate vs. A/B testing vs. split tests
If you have to choose between running multiple ads, then ad testing can help you find a winner. Three popular tests, multivariate, A/B, and split tests, can help you
find which ads are most effective. With A/B testing you pit two versions of an ad against each other to see which performs better.
Simple and effective.
Split tests take this a step further, dividing your audience into groups to test multiple variations.
But if you really want to get fancy, multivariate testing is your go-to. It allows you to test multiple elements simultaneously, giving you a more comprehensive view
of what works in your ads.
The real power of these tests lies in their ability to make predictions. By analyzing how different elements perform, you can forecast the success of future
campaigns with greater accuracy.
So, which one should you choose?
Well, it depends on your goals and resources. A/B testing is great for quick, straightforward comparisons. Split tests offer more flexibility, while multivariate
testing provides the most detailed insights but requires a larger sample size.
3. Expect lower overall results
When diving into creative ad testing, it's crucial to brace yourself for a reality check: your initial results might not be as stellar as you hope.
But don't panic – this is actually a good thing.
Lower overall results during testing don’t necessarily mean your ad is wearing out – it’s often a sign that adjustments are needed to enhance emotional
engagement. Working with experts who understand the nuances of advertising creativity can help refine your approach, ensuring every element – soundtrack,
branding placement, and narrative resolution – works together to drive both short- and long-term effectiveness. Testing early and often provides clear
insights into how different creative choices influence emotional response, allowing for targeted optimizations that maximize impact.
It’s all part of the process.
Remember, the goal isn’t to make every ad a top performer, but to refine and improve its commercial impact. In many verticals – like finance or auto – a 2- or 3-
Star ad can still outperform the competition. Working with experts helps you make informed creative decisions, while access to over 100,000 ads allows you to
benchmark against category norms. By understanding typical short- and long-term effectiveness metrics, you can assess whether your ad is exceeding industry
standards and driving meaningful brand recognition.
4. Set the right budget
When it comes to creative ad testing, setting the right budget is crucial.
Skimping on your testing budget can lead to unreliable results, insufficient data, or worse – making decisions based on flawed insights. Overspending can eat into
your overall marketing ROI, leaving less for actual campaign execution.
As a rule of thumb, many experts suggest spending around 10-20% of your total ad budget on testing.
Keep in mind that ad testing is an investment. A well-allocated testing budget can lead to more effective campaigns, higher conversion rates, and ultimately, a
better ROI on total advertising spend.
5. New or cloned campaigns?
When it comes to creative ad testing, should you start from scratch or build on what you've got? Well, the answer is both.
New campaigns allow you to test fresh ideas and creative assets without the baggage of previous performance. They're perfect for exploring entirely new
concepts or targeting different audience segments.
Cloning existing campaigns provides a solid baseline for testing. You can tweak specific elements while keeping others constant, making it easier to isolate what's
driving performance changes.
Remember, the key is to balance innovation with iteration. Why not try both approaches and see which yields the most valuable insights for your brand?
6. Use a scientific approach
Creative ad testing isn't just about gut feelings or personal preferences – it's about hard data and measurable outcomes.
By blending creative intuition with scientific rigor, you'll create ads that not only spark imagination but also drive tangible results. After all, in the world of
advertising, art and science are perfect partners.
Ad testing should start with setting a clear hypothesis. What do you think will work, and why? Then, design tests to prove or disprove these theories. Use robust
methodologies and ensure your sample sizes are large enough to achieve statistical significance. This approach helps overcome personal biases and
provides reliable insights into what truly resonates with your audience.
System1 adds another layer to ad testing, measuring consumers’ emotional response to an advertisement, to deliver metrics on brand recognition, and long-
and short-term sales potential.
7. Perform ongoing testing
Are you keeping pace with changing consumer preferences? Are you adapting to broader changes in the market?
Ongoing testing can help you answer these questions, which is essential if you want to create relevant and effective ads.
One-off tests are like snapshots – they capture a moment, but fail to see the bigger picture. But by regularly testing and optimizing your ads, you can keep
your campaigns sharp. With System1’s data visualization tools, you can view and compare your ad test results for every ad in your industry. You can also view the results for new ads 24 hours after they’ve launched.
Through ongoing testing, you can spot creative trends, see how your ads compare to new market entrants, and change your advertisements accordingly.
8. Keep your data
In the world of creative ad testing, data is key.
Documenting and storing your test results in a comprehensive database is essential for long-term success. With each test, you're collecting more
information on consumer behaviour and preferences.
By leveraging advanced analytics on your accumulated data, you'll uncover patterns and trends that can dramatically improve your targeting and creative dvertising strategies.
Tools like System1 also provide valuable data insights. With a vast database of over 100,000 ads, you can compare your ad with other ads in your category,
making sure your creative advertising exceeds the industry benchmark. You can also view all the latest ads tied to relevant cultural moments like Christmas and
the Super Bowl to see the rankings in one place.
Key takeaways for effective creative ad testing
Creative ad testing can help you see which advertisements evoke an emotional response, which ultimately leads to better brand recognition, increased sales and
long-term market share gain.
When testing ads, remember to set clear goals, choose the right testing methods, and embrace a scientific approach. And don't be discouraged by initial testing
results – they're stepping stones to success. Budget wisely, test continuously, and always keep your valuable data.
Ready to supercharge your ad performance? Start your creative ad testing journey today with System1's Test Your Ad platform.