In the world of digital advertising, a strong strategy on the right channel can only take you so far if the messaging is bland. Creative (ad) fatigue can dilute your messaging and ultimately waste your advertising dollars if not fixed. This blog discusses what creative fatigue is, how it can damage your campaign, and how to prevent it.
What Is Creative Fatigue?
Creative fatigue happens when your audience has seen your ad too many times and it no longer makes an impact. This can happen across any advertising channel, whether it’s display, social, video, audio, or even a text ad in search results. The creative of any advertising campaign is supposed to intrigue the end viewer. Creative fatigue can not only dilute the messaging, but, in the worst case scenario, irritate the potential customer.
Signs Of Creative Fatigue:
- Declining click-through rates
- A click-through rate (CTR) is a metric that compares the number of clicks an ad gets to the number of times the ad is shown. The more clicks, the better. When a click-through rate is trending downward, it is a sign that people are getting tired of seeing the same ad.
- Less views
- For certain channels, such as audio or video, a declining number of views can be a sign that people are not interested in the ad anymore.
- Fewer engagements
- Primarily for social media, a declining number of engagements, such as Likes, Comments, Shares, etc., can be a symptom that the creative isn’t as enticing as it used to be.
How Can Creative Fatigue Damage a Campaign?
As you may have noticed above, creative fatigue is not a good thing and can have a negative impact on campaign performance. Below are some examples of how this can have repercussions on campaign performance.
- Wasted impressions:
- An ad that doesn’t grab a user’s attention enough to make even a small impact is a wasted impression.
- Negative brand perception:
- A company that uses the same creative for too long can be seen as “lazy”, “uninspired”, or even “annoying”.
- Algorithmic penalties:
- This is more for digital media buyers, but it is worth noting. Depending on the platform the ad is serving on (think Google Ads, Meta Ads, DSPs), creative fatigue can hurt the algorithm’s ability to optimize campaigns.
What’s a Good Way To Prevent Creative Fatigue?
Thankfully, preventing creative fatigue isn’t that difficult of a task. The main concept is to have new/fresh content in front of your target audience on a regular basis. Although there isn’t a one-size-fits-all “you should change out creative every __ days”, you can make the best judgments based on your campaign objective. If you start to see performance drop, try switching out creative. Creative doesn’t always have to be replaced from scratch either. Repurposing the same messaging in different ways is also an acceptable way to prevent fatigue.
Fresh ideas and smart rotation don’t just fight fatigue, they keep your brand relevant and engaging in a crowded digital world. If you need help managing campaigns and keeping your messaging fresh, our team is here to make sure your ads stay engaging and effective towards your target audience.
