New research from CreativeX, the technology company powering creative decision-making with data for brands like Diageo, Bayer, and Nestlé, demonstrates the financial opportunity of optimizing creative in an AI-driven advertising ecosystem.
The study, which analyzed 1.8 million video ads spanning $2.4 billion in media spend and 1.6 trillion impressions across 2024, found that many brands aren’t building their creative for digital environments. This oversight results in wasted spend, lower engagement, and weaker advertising performance.
With AI increasingly automating media buying and creative selection, brands lack visibility into how their creative is prioritized or deprioritized by ad platforms. The research found that brands investing in creative excellence saw measurable performance gains: every 10 percentage point improvement in Creative Quality Score (CQS) led to a 6.3% reduction in Cost Per Completed View (CPCV). If the industry doubled down on putting media spend behind creatives with a high CQS, the potential efficiencies would amount to $47.8 billion in savings.
For the average Fortune 500 advertiser spending $50 million annually on digital media, these insights translate to a $7 million cost-saving opportunity—enough to fund a Super Bowl ad.
The study assessed adherence to six validated creative guidelines defining digital suitability, developed in collaboration with platform partners, third-party researchers, and industry leaders. This standardized 0-100% metric, known as the Creative Quality Score, provides brands with a clear benchmark for creative excellence.
As AI continues to shape the future of advertising, this research underscores a crucial point: in an age of automation, creative remains one of the most powerful and controllable drivers of media efficiency.
*Creative Quality Score: Measures an ad’s digital suitability, indicating whether it meets platform-validated creative best practices for its intended placement.
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