Why "routine" ad creative still matters—and what consumers really notice about it

Brands today spend a lot of time, money and resources trying to figure out who to talk to and how to reach them with an ad. But once you reach them, what is their experience? How an ad looks—the different visual elements like colors, imagery and messaging, even for a "routine" or "simple" display ad—shape these experiences and influence how people perceive your brand.

To help marketers understand just how critical ad creative is in how consumers engage (and in some cases, whether or not they decide to buy), we conducted a survey of 500+ US consumers. The results were clear: creative isn’t just decoration. How people interpret and react to the different visual elements within digital ads has real influence on consumer behavior. Keep reading to see the full findings.

Surprise! People do notice your ad creative

An overwhelming majority of respondents (83%) say they at least sometimes notice the visual design elements of online ads. Nearly half (43%) say they “often” or “always” notice them. That means in most cases, people are looking—and that first impression matters.

When asked which elements stand out most, images (66%) and color (65%) rose to the top. These basic building blocks of design are often the very first things consumers register, ahead of logos (44%), fonts (41%) or even product displays (35%).

Interestingly, only 11% said they notice personalized design features like seeing their name in an ad. That number might seem low—but it shows that good, truly personalized ads are actually quite seamless. People might not necessarily notice how personalized an ad is to them, they just notice it resonates (i.e. something that just fits with their lifestyle, location, interests, likes and dislikes).

Creative design drives curiosity—and so does personalization

Noticing an ad is one thing, taking an action is another:

• Three-quarters of respondents say the visual appeal of an ad at least sometimes influences their decision to learn more about a product. For nearly a third (32%), it often or always does.
• 50% of all respondents said they’ve purchased a product specifically because they were drawn in by the ad’s design. For one in five, this has happened more than once.

This influence was especially strong among middle-aged consumers. Respondents aged 30–59 were the most likely to report buying multiple times due to compelling ad design.

When asked to assess a stylized ad vs. an ad that features a simple product image, consumers were far more likely to engage with the stylized version: More than 80% said they’d be more likely to click a stylized ad versus a straightforward product-focused one. This trend held across age groups and genders.

When it comes to personalized ad creative (e.g. ads that use images relevant to their lifestyle or location, ads that include your name in the design):

• 42% of respondents have noticed an ad with personalized visual elements within the last month.
• 43% of respondents say personalized visuals make them more likely to learn about a product.
• A third (33%) say personalized ad visuals make them like the brand more.

There's a chance people may be less likely to notice personalization because they aren't receiving a lot of good personalization—and that represents an opportunity for brands to stand out.

So, what should marketers take away from this?

1. Prioritize high-quality creative and visuals

Too often, creative can take a back seat when it comes to other elements of a marketing campaign like audience strategy and targeting. And while those things are incredibly important, at the end of the day, what people see are your ads. Your audience strategy might be on-point, but if you only have a handful of creative executions to show all those people, you're not going to succeed.

The findings show that images and colors are among the first things people notice—and ad creative as a whole does play a key role in determining whether someone engages. Brands should think beyond just “showing the product” and aim to tell a visual story that aligns with their audience’s lifestyle, values and aspirations. When given the choice, stylized creative outperformed basic product shots, indicating that thoughtful and strategic creative choices pay off.

2. Rethink what it means to personalize an ad

Ad personalization at the 1:1 level should always be a marketer's north star, but understand achieving true personalization is difficult—especially at scale. Personalization is more than just “Hello, [First Name],” it's the heartbeat of meaningful engagement with your customers. The key is starting with a strong foundation of data and identity.

Let's start with data. If you can't fundamentally understand your customers through meaningful insights about each person's unique needs, preferences and past behaviors, it's almost impossible to tailor each element of an ad to an individual. Strong identity resolution makes it possible to deliver the message you've worked so hard on to the right person across channels and formats. Without it, you risk missing your customers completely.

The bottom line

Consumers aren’t just seeing your ads—they’re evaluating them. Visual design remains one of the most powerful tools marketers have to spark interest, build brand affinity and drive purchases. At Epsilon, we believe creative is a key pillar of success in your marketing campaigns, and it should be treated as such. Having a strategic creative services partner that can provide real data and insights—and activate on them, at scale—will help you create strong and long-lasting relationships with your customers. Are you ready to create ads that don't just reach, but resonate?

Epsilon Pulse is the beating heart of Epsilon’s proprietary research. Designed to produce relevant and up-to-date insights about consumers, marketers and their preferences, Epsilon Pulse helps brands better understand the adtech and martech industry so they can make informed, data-driven marketing decisions.