ABES
What a Great Creative Strategy Looks Like in 2025 (And Why Most Brands Are Getting It Wrong)
If your ads aren’t converting, chances are the problem isn’t your product — it’s the creative.
And not just the visuals, either. It’s the strategy behind it. That’s where most brands slip up.
So here’s what a real creative strategy looks like in 2025 — and why it’s the difference between burning budget and scaling results.
1. It starts with your customer, not your product
Too many ads lead with “here’s what we do” instead of “here’s what you need.”
Your strategy needs to be built around:
What your ideal customer actually wants
What they’ve already tried (and why it didn’t work)
What they’re skeptical about
What would instantly catch their attention on the platform they’re on
Without that? You’re just guessing.
2. You need more than one idea — you need angles
You’re not trying to make one great ad. You’re testing multiple angles to see what lands.
That means:
Testing different emotions: curiosity, vulnerability, humor, urgency
Trying different formats: UGC, voiceovers, founder-led videos, comparison breakdowns
Matching platform expectations: what works on TikTok won’t perform the same on Meta
It’s not about luck — it’s about structure.
3. Your brief is your blueprint
Here’s where a lot of brands lose money: unclear briefs.
If the person filming your content doesn’t know the goal, the angle, the pacing, or the platform, you can’t expect results.
A proper brief should include:
Hook ideas (caption + visual + voiceover)
What needs to be said vs. what can be improvised
Emotional tone
Platform-specific notes (length, aspect ratio, pacing)
It saves time, raises quality, and keeps messaging aligned with strategy.
4. Data needs to drive the next idea
Great creative strategy is iterative. You don’t stop at “this one worked.” You ask:
Why did it work?
What was the hook retention like?
Did people click, add to cart, bounce?
Did it scale or fall flat?
The next round of creatives should be based on that — not vibes or assumptions.
Why most brands struggle
They test too little.
They scale too fast.
They brief too vaguely.
And they wait until performance drops to think about creative.
But by then, it’s already costing you.
If you’re working on improving your creative strategy and want an outside eye, feel free to reach out at Contact@abesmedia.com
Happy to take a look at what you’re working with and offer direction if it helps.