The Science-based Playbook of Ad Creatives

🎓 Improve your Ad Creatives with the latest science

• What should you say in your ad? 
• What colors and fonts should you use?
• How and where should you show your product in the ad?
• Should there be a person in the ad - and what should they be doing? 
  

These are all questions that can - and should be - answered using science, not opinions.

This Science-based Playbook of Ad Creatives is your guide to doing just that. 

It contains the 58 most important insights from the latest scientific evidence. All explained in actionable, straightforward recommendations that you can apply in minutes.

Use it to generate ads that are much more likely to work - and drive results.

📘 What’s in the Playbook

1) 58 creative recommendations, based on the latest scientific research.

2) Examples of how to apply the insights

3)  $2,000 and 1,000+ pages worth of research papers, summarized

Everything condensed in just 43 pages.

📈 How to use it

Use these recommendations to create your ad visuals, videos, and copy - launch new ones or work on tweaking and optimizing your best performers.

Ads crafted with this Playbook are optimized to perform better but aren’t guaranteed to succeed. For best results, always try to test multiple variants in small campaigns or on pre-testing platforms before scaling.

A (non-exhaustive) list of the areas the playbook helps you decide on:

1. Which types of ads to use, and when
2. Best ad types for different products
3. What visual elements to include, and how
4. Optimal ad layout and spacing
5. How to place products in the ad
6. What style videos will work best
7. Ad copy and video script optimizations
8. Words that help capture ad attention
9. Which font styles work best, and when
10. What colors match your goal and product

❌ What you should not expect

• Opinions from self-proclaimed “experts”. This is science.
• Generic, vague information. It’s actionable and straight to the point.
• A beginner's guide to ads. These are advanced optimization techniques.

❓ FAQs

Q: Can I find this research elsewhere?

Yes, you can analyze the research papers yourself (and should, if there’s one you’re deep diving into) in scientific journals such as the Journal of Marketing or Marketing Science. All studies are referenced and linked.

But unless you are someone who can review the 10,000+ marketing studies published each year, buys each research paper for $30+, and knows how to interpret academic research - you will have never heard of most of these new techniques. My team of PhDs and I are one of the very few with the ability to do this.

It’s very unlikely that you will find this research analyzed and summarized elsewhere. Most science-based insights you will find are recycled tropes of decades-old research. This is the latest scientific evidence that barely anyone is using yet.

Q: Is this for new or established marketers and creatives?

These recommendations are useful for any business, whether already established or just starting out. It also works in any industry (e.g. Ecommerce, service, SaaS). If you are looking to make better ads - this Playbook will help.

If you are a designer, these techniques will not teach the basics of effective creative design, they are meant to help you optimize on a more strategic level. However, if you are just starting out, you can use these guides to learn how to build effective marketing materials from the get go. 

Q: Is this just a collection of insights covered in the Science Says newsletter?

No. Many of the insights in the playbook have been covered in the newsletter, others are brought in from new research papers. Science Says insights in the playbook are enriched with more examples, focused on optimizing ad creatives, and explained so that you can rapidly apply them to your ads.

You can subscribe to the Science Says Platform to access the library of hundreds of insights.

Q: What kind of research is included in the playbook?

All the studies covered in the playbook have survived rigorous statistical analyses, peer-review (i.e. picked apart and challenged by other scientists), and been published in a reputable scientific journal (e.g. Journal of Marketing Research).

Research that has not been published in a journal may not have been peer-reviewed, so it is not included.

Q: What if I don’t see any results?

You get your money back. If you tested techniques and didn’t see a statistically significant lift in conversions you will get a refund (within 90 days of purchase).

I’d appreciate it if you could share how you applied what didn’t work, so academic researchers can use the learning to advance our scientific understanding, but this is optional.

Q: Considering all the above, the price seems a bit low

The mission of Science Says is to close the gap between the latest science and practice. I try to keep the pricing accessible while generating enough margins.

The majority of revenue is spent on salaries (marketing PhDs who help analyze and verify the research, designers, and writers). The rest is invested in growing Science Says's reach and developing new products to be a sustainable business.

Note: If you become a Science Says Platform member, you get 10% off any playbook, including this one!

🎓 About Science Says

• Science Says turns the latest science in marketing into 3min practical recommendations. You can join thousands of research-based marketers getting new insights every week here - for $0.
• And I am Thomas McKinlay, the founder of Science Says. Before starting Science Says in 2020, I was a product marketer at Google. I found it crazy how little we use the latest discoveries from the brightest scientists in the world, so I decided to change that.

Playbook bundle offers: Looking to buy one of the bundles of Playbooks? You can find info about each Playbook on their individual pages: Pricing & Promotions ⏺ Ecommerce Optimization ⏺ SaaS Optimization