What types of creative assets should you test?

Creative testing isn’t limited to finished ads. You can test virtually any creative asset, or even any element of a creative asset, from taglines to imagery to CTAs and everything in between.  

Let’s take a closer look at what creative assets are and all the types and elements that brand marketers and insight professionals commonly work with and test. We’ll also check out some real-life example questions from actual consumer research we’ve run.

First up, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page:

What are creative assets?

Creative assets are digital files of various formats that are used in marketing materials, ads, campaigns and other projects. They come in different shapes and sizes, from logos and images to videos and other rich media, which includes interactive elements such as GIFs or audio.

How to optimize different creative assets

Before we dive into specific tips for different types of creative assets, let’s set some ground rules. When developing, testing and refining creative assets, there are some key things to always keep in mind – whether you’re creating moving images or a line of copy.

• Know your crowd: like a restaurant asking you if you have any allergies, get to know the people who will see your assets. Find out what they’re allergic to in ads, and what they love. The best creative assets are built on a foundation of solid target audience research.
• Aim for brand consistency: some creative ideas are great and exciting, but might not be in line with what your brand usually does. That doesn’t mean you have to throw these ideas out of the window, but do find a way to make it relevant to your branding to remain consistent. 
• Quality is key: we’re talking about high-resolution images, professional videos, and crystal-clear sound. They’re the basics, but don’t overlook them. 
• Create for different platforms: we’re not quite handing our TV’s on the walls vertically, so make sure there’s a TikTok and Instagram version, and a TV or YouTube version of a video. Always adapt and design for the platforms and screens that are relevant to your brand. 
• Accessibility is non-negotiable: creativity should be accessible to anyone. With everything you create and put out, ask yourself how you could make it more accessible. Alt text for images and captions for videos are just the start.
• Test, learn, adapt: test various versions of your assets. Not just internally, but with the people we mentioned in our first point: your target audience. Attest can help you optimize and test your creative assets. Start by exploring our creative testing survey template.

Now, let’s get even more specific and look at our tips for all kinds of creative assets.

Video/TV ads

Video or TV ads are a creative testing classic! And because so much work goes into them (storyboarding, scripting, shooting, editing, voiceover…), it’s crucial to make sure it’ll be time and money well spent. that 

Bear in mind the location of your ad, and how this might affect the creative. For example, people are more likely to sit through a network TV ad (they don’t have much choice) so those ads can have a slower pace than a YouTube ad, which people might be able to skip after 5 seconds.

Static ads

Billboards, social media, newspapers… static ads are as relevant as ever.

Again, think about placement. People’s attention spans on social media are much shorter than they are when they’re waiting at a subway station, so make sure your creative works in its context.

Website elements

Imagery, headers, copy, CTAs, the general user experience. When it comes to your website—arguably your brand’s biggest ‘always-on’ advert—the list of elements that can benefit from creative testing goes on and on.  

Taglines

A small number of words—a huge impact. 

Your tagline should neatly summarize what your brand stands for—no pressure. Whether you’re working on a tagline for a static or video ad, or for your website’s homepage, or for your latest product’s packaging, creative testing helps you find the one that’ll make the biggest impact.

Claims and proof points

This is all about testing the proof points you add to your creative. 

Think about something like toothpaste. You could say Recommended by 85% of dentists or you could say Contains protection against plaque. Both of these might be true, but which one will impress your buyers the most?

Product packaging

Among all your competitors’ products on a shelf, what will make yours stand out? From design to color choice to material, creative testing is how you find out. 

Logos

We’ve all seen those graphics showing how massive brands’ logos have changed over time. In almost all cases, those brands will have run extensive creative testing to make sure their update won’t ruin all of that valuable brand equity and reputation they’ve built up. 

Because your logo is so fundamental to your brand awareness, even subtle tweaks can have a big effect. 

Audio 

Effective audio for your creative can be the difference between buying and bypassingTesting your song choice or voiceover is a must!