The debate over ad "quality" is often based on subjective opinions of brand fit. A more effective definition of quality is its ability to achieve the primary business objective: selling the product. Unconventional creative that drives sales, like Olay's "cat with lasers" ad, is by definition high-quality.

The ad industry's 1960s shift toward clever, vibe-based ads was a mistake. This "modernist" turn abandoned the effective model of David Ogilvy, which successfully combined a hard-sell message (facts, benefits) with powerful imagery. Modern ads often fail because they prioritize entertainment over persuasion.

For years, marketers could succeed with mediocre creative by optimizing media buys. As platforms automate targeting, creative excellence is now the primary lever for success. An organization that doesn't respect and elevate creativity across the entire marketing function is destined to underperform.

According to analysis by strategist Peter Field, the industry's reliance on cheap, low-attention media forces the creation of dull creative. To improve creative effectiveness, marketers must first address the foundational problem of their media strategy before attempting to fix the creative work itself.

Data analysis from LinkedIn on thousands of ads shows that creative is the most critical component of success, responsible for 60-70% of effectiveness. This means marketers should prioritize emotive, human-centric creative that builds a connection, rather than focusing solely on technical ad delivery aspects.

Despite testing various ad formats, Spot & Tango's best-performing creative was a simple static photo of their product on an office shelf. This low-fi, authentic ad resonated more with customers because it mimicked user-generated content (UGC).

The CEO of Unbound Merino found that his most polished, creative ads often underperformed. Conversely, ads he felt were cheesy or made him uncomfortable—specifically, founder-led videos—were highly effective, showing that authenticity can trump production value.

Extensive behavioral research on ad performance reveals a clear pattern: simplicity is superior. Creatives with multiple storylines, clutter, and excessive detail create cognitive load and reduce effectiveness. The best-performing ads feature a single, clear message that is easy for the human brain to process quickly.

Businesses often conclude static images work better than video after A/B testing. This is typically because their video ads are poorly made. A high-quality, engaging video will beat a high-quality image, but a good image will always beat a bad video. The problem is creative execution, not the format itself.