The second half of 2025 is shaping up to be a turning point for creative. Costs are up, AI is everywhere, and fatigue is setting in faster than ever. The rules of engagement are changing, and the only lever left that consistently drives growth is creative.

According to Nielsen, creative accounts for a staggering 49% of ad performance. That’s more than targeting (9%) and deliverability/viewability (22%) combined. In other words, if you’re not winning on creative, you’re not winning at all.

That’s why Singular brought together a powerhouse panel of creative leaders to unpack what’s working, what’s breaking, and what comes next. What followed was a fast-paced conversation full of practical takeaways that marketers can put to work today.

Meet the Panel:

• Philip Levin, Creative Director, CRAFTSMAN+

• Brett Hastie, Associate Director of Performance & Creative, Tinuiti

• Deanna Ulrich, Senior Manager of Creative Performance, Liftoff

• Armine Marukyan, User Acquisition Manager, SplitMetrics

• Safia Dawood, Growth Data Science, Moloco

• Lisi Gardiner, Product Director, Singular

• Dina Kirshner, Global Product Marketing, TikTok Symphony Creative Studio

1. Creative Must Be Platform-Native

[Video Placeholder: Philip Levin on Native Creative]

The era of “one size fits all” creative is over. Native, thumb-stopping design is what gets remembered and shared. Whether it’s TikTok, Instagram Reels, rewarded videos, or playable ads, each platform comes with its own expectations and rhythms. Leaning into those cultural cues is how brands avoid feeling out of place.

2. Adapt Creatives Around User Motivations

[Video Placeholder: Philip Levin on User Motivations]

Users don’t all download apps or buy products for the same reasons. Research from Meta’s Big Catch Playbook shows that players are drawn to games for diverse reasons:

• Self-expression: Customizing avatars or designing worlds.

• Progression: Building, leveling up, or improving over time.

• Discovery: Unlocking new maps, hidden items, or storylines.

• Escapism: Entering a fantasy world or relieving stress.

• Social connection: Playing with or against friends or joining clans.

• Expertise: Mastering puzzles, challenges, or precision-based tasks.

• Power: Experiencing victory, domination, or unique roles.

• Relaxation: Passing time or engaging in calming play.

As CRAFTSMAN+ Creative Director Philip Levin noted, “I like to think of it like a song where you might not remember all the lyrics, but you’ll remember the chorus... that’s what ads need to do to capture conversions.”

3. UGC Only Works if It Feels Real

[Video Placeholder: Philip Levin on UGC Authenticity]

Authenticity beats polish. Levin advised briefing UGC creators with concept lists, not scripts. That leaves room for genuine reactions, especially in “first-time trying” formats where creators discover the product on camera.

Best practices:

• Outline, don’t script: Prompts lead to authenticity; scripts lead to stiffness.

• First-time use concepts: Capture raw reactions to create believable excitement.

• Small but critical details: Even pronunciation guides can make or break brand perception.

4. Measurement Has to Catch Up to Creativity

[Video Placeholder: Lisi Gardiner on Creative Intelligence]

The panel agreed that while it’s easier than ever to launch new creatives, understanding why they work is the hardest part. Lisi Gardiner, Product Director at Singular, argued the solution is AI-powered tagging.

By automatically labeling assets with attributes (format, messaging, value prop) and combining that with attribution data, marketers can surface patterns across markets and campaigns, turning raw creative volume into actionable insights.

5. Beat Creative Fatigue With Iteration

[Video Placeholder: Armine Marukyan on Creative Fatigue]

Creative fatigue hits faster than ever, often within a week for high-scale campaigns. Armine Marukyan of Splitmetrics highlighted the need to schedule refreshes before performance slips, monitoring early signals like CTR and CPC to spot declines before they hit ROAS.

Strategies for combatting fatigue:

• Refresh messaging early: Don’t wait until fatigue shows up in the data.

• Look outside your vertical: Borrow ideas from creators in unexpected categories.

• Zig when others zag: Contrast is what earns attention in a crowded feed.

Final Whistle: Creative Is the Growth Lever

Creative isn’t the side dish—it’s the main course. From platform-native design to UGC authenticity, the marketers who win in 2025 will be the ones who treat creative as their biggest growth lever.

👉 Thank you to Singular for hosting the conversation. Watch the full webinar here.

If you’re ready to optimize your creative strategy—from playables to production at scale—work with CRAFTSMAN+ to turn attention into outcomes.

CONTACT US