The Weekly Sharpener #120 - Creative Cuts

Hey Fam 👋,

Welcome to Creative Cuts ⚔️! Your weekly dose of Ad Creative thoughts + breakdown(s).

What's on the agenda:

We're going to an organic post from NYT Cooking and how it can be used as an ad today + why it feels so effective and how YOU can create your own ad that exudes authority + drive action.

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Our structure is as follows:

• Hook

• Trust

• Benefits

• CTA

• Other Examples

Let's dive into this creative and why it can be effective as an ad.

Note: I found this on the NY Time Cooking IG feed.

Hook

This is a static image so the traditional hook won't apply from a data-driven perspective, however, there is still a hook.

The food that's incredible to look at.

The copy that's in larger copy. It's easy to read and connect with the image you're seeing. Many times the copy will be trying to do too much!

Trust 

First off, if you saw an NYT Cooking logo like so 👇

This would automatically add validity to the creative you were interacting with. Now without it what can you do to add trust quickly:

1. High quality image

2. Using words that draw attention + galvanize others: "Everyone's Saving" - these two words automatically activate FOMO and make someone continue reading.

3. Clear understanding of what you're getting: a recipe for the dish you are seeing

4. Reminder of how easy the process with be: 6 simple ingredients.

Benefits

• Easy

• Fast

• Tasty

• Popular

Within this creative it feels like the copy/image/expected outcome hit 4 out of 5 in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

If you are able to hit 2+ of these type of needs in an ad creative you will be activating your customer's mind in multiple ways that will unconsciously pull them to click through.

This is a massive point that I believe bares drilling down on: are you pushing people or pulling them.

Pushing -> Buy now, you're missing out, here's a discount, get 2 for 1, etc.

We've all done it and we will do it again. The problems with this:

• Customer quality isn't always great.

• LTV suffers as a result

• Your "brand equity" can take a hit if your current great customers see this

• From there word of mouth can degrade.

Pulling -> you're giving your customer some sense of esteem, belonging, safety, etc. Now they NEED to you to be part of their story because you understand them.

They are being pulled by the magnet which is your product fitting into their life.

I'll leave it to you to decide what you should be doing (😉 - you know don't you)

CTA

There are multiple CTA's built into this creative that aren't direct CTA's. Why I like this approach as a counter to some of your more direct callouts is it operates on a more subliminal level than your standard ad creative.

• Save This Recipe (not exactly)

• Baked Pudding

• An Hour's Time

You know you are getting a recipe -> to bake -> in an hour.

It's a fraternal twin to get your now or shop now. Each is "go for it"

Other Examples

Each of these ads doesn't try to do too much. Yes they have brand equity working for it BUT does that Pudding have a brand?

Your product or your photography can give you a foothold.

What really works is how the messaging cuts through:

I want to JUMP like Jordan: Zero Gravity like His Airness.

I want to stand out in a crowd like my neighbor with a Porsche.

Don't overcomplicate it. 🤜 🤛

That's it for this week's Creative Cuts⚔️.

Let us know if there are brands you think we should be looking at. Until next time keep on creating friends!

All my best,

Chase

PS - If you missed our last episode of Creative Cuts with Marin Istvanic check it out:

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