Why Your Ads Need To Evolve To Avoid Being Left In The Dust

There’s an analogy used in the business world that mirrors Darwin’s theory of evolution.

In the world of advertising, this idea rings especially true: 

Survival Of The Fittest

Just like how species evolve to adapt to their environment, your Meta ads need to adapt and improve to survive as well.

Imagine running the same ad campaign forever.

People would get bored and stop paying attention to it.

Take that famous Cadbury’s ad of a gorilla drumming to Phil Collins for example. 

Good ad right?

But over time this attention-grabbing campaign eventually became more background noise. 

Even billion-dollar corporations have to change their marketing every couple of months.

I mean that Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad was soooooo good, it was changed almost immediately…

(Ahem)

Running an ad perpetually leads to ad fatigue.

Audiences get tired of seeing the same message again and again and again - destroying its impact over time.

I recently had a conversation with a business owner who was frustrated with Meta ads.

He told me:

“Ads don’t work. They worked in the past, but not anymore.” 

This isn’t uncommon.

It’s a classic case of not adapting.

His ads were stagnant, failing to evolve with his audience.

He didn’t realise that continuous iteration is key to improving engagement and effectiveness.

And this is where A/B split testing comes in...

Think of it like natural selection in the advertising ecosystem.

By testing different variations of your ad - you can determine which one resonates most with your audience, ensuring the fittest survives.

The Pareto Principle

———

80% Of Outcomes Come From 20% Of Causes

When testing what works for your ads start with the things that will have the biggest impact first.

If you don’t know who your audience is start there.

When running meta ads you can pick several audiences and see which ones are responding the most.

After this you can move into the nitty gritty of your ad.

Marketing legend David Ogilvy once said:

“On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” 

Your headline is your first impression.

It needs to be compelling enough to grab attention immediately. 

The Right Bait For The Right Critter

Imagine you’re selling a fitness program.

Two potential headlines for your ad might be:

- Ad A: “Transform Your Body In 30 Days With Our Ultimate Fitness Program!”

- Ad B: “Sculpt Your Dream Physique Fast - Join Our 30 Day Workout Challenge!”

You won’t know which one will work best. 

So you’d run both of these ads at the same time to see which one gets more clicks and conversions. 

But it doesn’t stop with the headline.

Images, CTAs, ad copy, and even background colour - all of these elements should be tested to optimise performance.

Just make sure you only test one thing at a time - or you won’t be able to track what’s working and what’s not!

How Long Should You Run Your Test?

Patience is crucial in A/B split testing.

Allow your ads to run for at least a week to gather enough data.

A shorter timeframe may not be enough to tell you what’s working and what isn’t.

Multibillion dollar corporations constantly churn out new campaigns because they understand the necessity of staying relevant and engaging. 

They know that a successful ad will eventually lose its effect as the audience becomes desensitised to it.

It’s Like Watching A 1960s Ad In 2024 

It’s a bit boring now.

Your audience has evolved and craves novelty and relevance. 

By regularly introducing new ad variations, your message stays fresh and engaging.

It ensures that your ads are always at peak performance, adapting to audience feedback and staying ahead of the competition.

A/B split testing is a survival strategy in advertising.

This approach - ensuring only the fittest ads survive - will keep your campaigns way more effective in the long run!

Try it out.

Pritesh Chauhan

P.S. If you’d like us to take a look at your ad campaign and see what we can do for you, get in touch below:

pkcmarketing.co.uk/free-marketing-analysis