This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!
Welcome to a special edition of Marketing Blueprints. Today, we're sharing insights from our new research report, "The New Rules of Great TV Creative."
—Elena
Why traditional TV creative formulas no longer work.
TV commercials haven't changed much since the Mad Men era. Nice tagline? Check. Celebrity? Sure. A gut feeling that it'll work? Absolutely.
Meanwhile, everything else has changed. Today's viewers are scrolling social media while watching your ad. They're armed with remotes that can instantly banish your boring commercial. And they have 32,200 linear channels and 89 streaming options fighting for their attention.
The writing's on the wall (or screen). According to Peter Field and the IPA, there's been a concerning decline in the effectiveness of creatively awarded campaigns over recent decades. Some experts are even calling it a "creativity crisis."
But here's the good news—your competitors are struggling with the same problem. Which means there's a massive opportunity for those willing to adopt a new set of rules for TV creative that works.
- Start with strategy. Smart TV creative begins with understanding your audience deeply. Who is your audience beyond demographics? What do they think of your brand? What specific action do you want them to take? Skipping this step is why even pricy Super Bowl ads with star-studded casts can flop.
- Test before you invest. A study from Marpipe found marketers accurately predict which ads will perform best only 52% of the time—little better than flipping a coin. But in-market A/B testing is expensive for TV. Pretesting using AI-powered synthetic audiences can test dozens of concepts in in hours, predicting performance with surprising accuracy while preserving budget for production.
- Boring = invisible. 47% of TV ads produce feelings of neutrality—the kiss of death for effectiveness. Instead, create ads that trigger emotional responses through relatable characters and compelling storylines. Don't forget audio that works without visuals, clear calls-to-action, and distinctive brand elements.
- AI creative is already here. 61% of ad agencies now use generative AI. But the real revolution isn't headline-grabbing "AI commercials" but subtle production enhancements. "Shootless creative" combines traditional development with AI-enhanced techniques, making previously impossible concepts feasible and affordable.
The path forward is clear. Successful TV advertisers will merge timeless creative principles with deep customer understanding and an openness to new technology. Download the report to learn more.