Three Reasons Refreshing Your Creative Is the Key to Better Ad Performance

Every day, we’re bombarded with content. From outdoor display, to our TVs, phones, computers, and even gas pumps, we’re exposed to literally thousands of ads every day. 

In fact, that number falls somewhere between 4,000–10,000 for the average American.That’s a lot! So how do you keep your advertising campaigns performing at their best? One essential strategy that is so simple, yet so often overlooked is refreshing your creative assets.

Whether you’re running display ads, online video, social campaigns, streaming or traditional TV spots, the creative — your ad’s look, tone, and messaging — is the face of your brand. Keeping your message fresh, timely, and relevant is key in your campaign’s success.

Avoid Ad Fatigue

This is at the top of our list for good reason — ad fatigue essentially leads to wasted ad dollars. Much like viewers may skip past reruns of old shows, audiences are more likely to overlook old creative. When people see the same message too many times, they stop paying attention — or worse, they get annoyed. This leads to lower engagement, reduced click-through rates (CTR), and a higher cost-per-click (CPC).

Refreshing your creative assets helps keep your audience engaged with your message, and helps maintain optimal response rates. Even small changes like swapping imagery, updating colors, or reworking copy can reinvigorate your ads and help boost response. 

Keep Up with Your Audience

Seasons change. Trends shift. Cultural movements and current events impact consumers’ attitudes and preferences. All of these things can play a role in shaping effective, informed creative. What seemed relevant three months ago might feel dated today. Updating your creative allows your message to stay current and speak to your audience in a way that feels timely and connected to their latest interests and behaviors.

For example, if you’re advertising during a seasonal event — summer travel, back-to-school, the holidays — you should be incorporating those themes into your visuals and messaging.

Optimize for Performance

Digital advertising (including display, online video, streaming TV, and social) offers an extraordinarily useful benefit: real-time performance data. Use it! Optimum Media provides clients with real-time analytics in a sophisticated dashboard that allows for easy performance comparisons across multiple media placements.

By testing and rotating fresh creative regularly, you can identify which elements actually drive results. Maybe your audience prefers video over static images? Maybe a more conversational tone in your headlines outperforms your formal voice. Data from refreshed creative allows you to make smarter decisions and increase return on ad spend (ROAS).

When Should You Refresh Your Creative?

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but a good rule of thumb is to review creative performance every 4–6 weeks, especially for targeted or addressable campaigns. If performance metrics start to drop or plateau, that’s your cue.

Consider refreshing your creative assets:

• At the start of each campaign phase

• In alignment with seasonal or cultural moments

• When launching a new product or offer

• If you’re targeting a new audience segment

The Moral of the Story: Don’t Set It and Forget It

Creative isn’t something you build once and run forever. It's a living element of your campaign strategy. Treat it that way! You’ll see better performance and strengthen your brand’s message by keeping it fresh, relevant, and top-of-mind.