Why Your Best Performing Ad Cannot Be Beaten In an Algorithm-driven System

In the world of digital advertising, the perfect blend of creativity and data is often what drives success. However, even for a best-performing ad, at a certain point, growth can slow.

• Creative hits a wall
• Cost-per metrics go up
• Revenue growth plateaus for even the top performing ads.

But when you go to unlock new growth, splitting up that marriage of your best performing ad and your best performing audience creates problems.  The algorithm has previously learned what creative resonates with that particular audience, so trying new ads with your old refined audience or new audiences with your old refined ad are both set up to fail.

This article explores how algorithms shape audience targeting, and what steps we take to push creative boundaries while maintaining strong performance for our ad campaigns.

So what’s happening?

Ad delivery algorithms are aimed to deliver value both to the user and to the advertiser based on the advertisers’ objective and audience preferences.  In any event an algorithm can analyze 500K variables and millions of permutations in milliseconds. They begin learning immediately with the widest possible audience, taking into consideration hundreds of thousands of factors, and learn more with every 1000 impressions delivered. After 25-50 conversions, the algorithm has calibrated the most efficient audience for that particular ad, and then continues to refine that audience indefinitely with every impression and conversion that follows.  

So in an algorithm-driven system, each individual ad truly defines the audience that follows. The algorithm is profoundly efficient at building effective audiences for your ads, which is crucial for performing ads.

How We Can Help You Impove Ad Performance

At SuperFaction, we use a 3-step work stream where we support you, building the best work for your product through our test and learn process.  This includes refining performing ads and finding new creative solutions.

1. Definite Your Target Audience

2. Message Testing

3. Creative Execution

The aim is to create a betatyping framework that will equip you to answer your most pressing business questions, the building blocks of a campaign by directly tapping into the pulse of your audience.

The learnings go on to reduce the risk of spend before launching into a main flight campaign. No matter where you are in creative development, there’s a chance to learn which creative options work best. There is something to test and learn at every stage of the creative process.

No matter where you are in creative development, there’s a chance to learn which creative options work best.

1. Position
What, Why: RTBs, benefits, brand implications, gameplay motivations, positioning.
Explore the range of viable strategic or messaging territories.

2. Concept
Idea: creative territory or world, motivations, unifying theme.
Explore top level ideas and rationales for each audience.

3. Execution
Bringing the creative to life: narrative structure, story arc, copy, visual, casting, setting, duration, surface, aspect ratio, format, buttons. Effective creative execution is vital for performing ads.

What’s Next?

As algorithms refine audience targeting based on millions of variables, any changes to the ad or audience can disrupt performance. This is why understanding how to manage algorithms is key for performing ads.

We’ll explore each stage in greater detail in a series of upcoming blog posts to show what we do to ensure sustained success for our UA ad campaigns.