Here's the truth: No amount of media spend or clever targeting can make up for low quality or low volume of creative.

With an estimated 41% of overall ad spend going to waste of late, brands must learn to embrace the power of a platform-specific approach or risk not breaking through at a time when people are consuming social content more than ever.

The days when you could just slap the same ad creative across all your channels are long gone. Platform-native creative is the key to unlocking true engagement and maximizing your ad performance.

Think about it. Scrolling through TikTok is a completely different experience than watching videos on YouTube or browsing your Facebook feed. Each platform has its own unique vibe, its own visual language, and its own audience expectations. Trying to force-fit the same generic creative across all platforms is like showing up to a black-tie gala in your pajamas. It just doesn't work.

Demographics are out. Creative targeting is in.

Forget everything you thought you knew about your target audience. Those neatly packaged demographics – age, gender, location – they're fading into irrelevance. In the age of hyper-personalization and AI-powered algorithms, your audience is defined by their actions, not their attributes. That means you need to produce a variety of creative assets, and the AI will ensure the right message reaches the right eyeballs.

Traditional Targeting Falls Short

The era of traditional demographic targeting—relying on age, gender, or location—is rapidly fading. Consider two individuals: Both 30-year-old men living in the same area could have very different interests and online habits. One might be a family man who loves DIY projects and follows his local sports teams, while the other, married with no kids, travels with his wife and is always up-to-date on the latest tech. Traditional targeting would treat them the same, but their digital footprints paint a different picture.

This one-size-fits-all approach often leads to ineffective marketing campaigns, failing to engage or convert. Today's consumer expects personalization that speaks directly to their interests and values. By understanding and leveraging these unique identifiers through creative targeting, brands can forge genuine connections.

Platform-Native Creative: The last great advantage

You can't just resize your TV spot and call it a day. You gotta speak the language. Creator platforms like reels, TikTok and Shorts thrive on lo-fi trend-driven content. YouTube viewers are more receptive to longer-form storytelling and how-to videos. On Meta feeds, it's all about catching attention in that split second before they scroll away. And let's not forget the nuances of Snapchat, Reddit, and X. There's a lot to consider, but it's worth investing in creative that will make the algorithm swoon.

Understanding these nuances fuels algorithmic love: Platform algorithms are designed to prioritize content that feels native and organic. By creating ads that seamlessly blend with the platform's aesthetic and user experience, you're signaling to the algorithm that your content is high-quality and worth promoting.

How To Become the Algorithm Whisperer:

1. Create a variety of ads and let the algorithm deliver them to the right people.
2. Users respond with clicks, views, likes, comments, and shares.
3. The algorithm sees this love fest and shows your ad to even more people.
4. Your ad performance skyrockets, reaching a wider audience and driving better ROA.

Platforms are obsessed with keeping users glued to their screens. They're constantly analyzing how people interact with content, looking for signs of love (or in this case, engagement). And when brands make ads that speak the language, they'll get rewarded with better ROA.

Mix up the creative style for max impact

Think of your audience like a group of friends with different tastes. Some might love your witty TikToks, while others are hooked on your in-depth YouTube tutorials. That's where creative variations come in. By creating different versions of your content, you can figure out what works best for each group and keep them coming back for more.

Make sure to launch with:

• Creator videos:  Lo-fi content made by influencers or just concepted and shot in a way that feels natural to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts
• Remixed brand assets: Eye-catching graphics and videos that ladder up to your TV campaign but are remixed to fit best practices for every ad unit
• Interactive Elements: AR filters, funny effects, quizzes and polls
• Long Form: Best served on YouTube but more recently gaining traction on Meta and TikTok - these are tutorials and in-depth explainers about your product.

Plus, let's be real, nobody wants to see the same ad over and over again. Creative variations keep things fresh and exciting, fighting off that dreaded ad fatigue.

The bottom line:  know your platforms. Play to their strengths, understand what their users dig, and tailor your content accordingly. It's going to take A LOT of creative assets, but that's how you get seen, get loved, and get results on social.

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At Newfangled Studios, we're masters of platform-native creative. We understand the nuances of each platform and craft bespoke campaigns that resonate with your target audience and drive results. If you want to drive relevance across platforms, click below to book a meeting today.