Why Story Should Be Your #1 Priority in Your Ad Creative

Welcome back to Nice Ads! This week, I’ve found another set of brilliant ads I want to share with you. In today’s issue, we’ll be learning;

• How to mix high-production and UGC

• The secret to native static ads

• Why the story should be number 1

But before we get going, I wanted to mention that my agency, Fraggell, currently has three client spaces as we go into Q2. This is a great chance for brands that are looking to scale this year and need a helping hand with some new ads! You can see if you qualify here.

The Foldie

👉 Watch in full here

This is one of my favourite ads we’ve made so far this year. Why?

Because it stands out from the AI-generated scripts and UGC videos that people’s feeds are full of right now.

We shot the main A-roll in our studio with an incredible actress, along with some UGC-style footage of the bags being packed, etc., to help boost the story a little.

But it was the edit that pulled this together - We have a killer post-production team that, with the guidance of our creative strategy team, helped push the narrative forward mixed in with big captions and relevant broll gave the viewer a reason to watch.

This type of creative will be big this year—high production mixed with UGC and a great story. And I’m happy to say Fraggell is at the forefront of this.

But what can you learn from this? Simple. The script is the only thing that matters in your ad. If you can find a winning script, you’ve unlocked endless winners. Just recycle that script into different formats with different creatos and boom. Watch the sales roll in.

If you want ads like this for your brand, I’d love to chat. Fill out this form, and let’s see how we can help.

Hopper

Hopper is a great brand to look at when you want native-looking static ads. Their ad library has provided some great examples in the past, but why this one?

Picture this: You’re a keen traveler scrolling through your Instagram feed. You see this ad. It looks native, and it grabs you because the picture looks like something you usually see on your travel-filled feed, and the caption speaks to just what you want—cheap travel. So you click.

That’s why this ad works. Because they understand their customers, they know what they see daily, and they make ads that look like that.

This has got 10x easier with the new ChatGPT model that came out last week; you can make killer statics that look native in seconds. Like this example from my friend Dara

Native ads in seconds. If you’ve not given this new image model a try, it’s unreal. A lot of the ads need work to get 100%, but it’s well worth it.

TLDR:

• Make ads that look native to what your customer sees every day

• Have fun with your statics

Looking for more?

Here are 4 ways I can help you 👇

• Fraggell - Looking for ads that turn scrollers into customers? My performance ad creative agency has delivered high-convert ads to brands like ALOHA, Chomps, and Nailboo… It’s worth your time to apply today to see if you're a good fit.

• The Ad Creative Course - Want to learn how to make converting ad creative yourself? Join over 100 students who are already learning with the help of my course. Grab your place today.

• Sponsor Nice Ads - Reach over 10,000 marketing decision-makers and fill one of our few ad spots available. Join brands like Motion, Triple Whale, and Minisocial by expressing your interest here.

• CreativeOS - Create static ads in seconds with over 800 pre-tested templates for DTC brands. Become a member today and get 50% off your first month.

• Foreplay - Improve your creative workflow. Save ads, build briefs, and more. Claim a free trial here.

Ovrload

👉 Watch in full here

Ovrload was in a bit of controversy a couple of weeks ago, but I don’t think that changes how great their creative is.

They understand that a story is at the heart of every good ad, and this example I found is no different. Instead of just making another boring UGC video where a gym girl sits in front of a camera talking about how amazing a gummy is, they framed it all as a story—following someone’s journey taking Ovrload for the first time and how it changed how they work out.

It also helps that the creator is super playful in how she films and presents the camera; this makes a massive difference in how the video is taken. Again, proof that your creator chose is VERY important.

That’s the lesson; story first. Wherever you can implement a narrative, take it. Work closely with your creators to craft something special. Everyone is talking about volume, but honestly, quality is still number 1.

TLDR:

• Story makes your UGC ads stand out

• Make ads that look fun

That’s it! All three ads are broken down. Hopefully, you learned something you can take into the week ahead.

Remember, you can get more of my content on Twitter and Linkedin.

I’ll see you soon.

✌️