Updated Jun 1, 2026 by Moloco
Report · January 14, 2026
Published by Moloco
Building, testing, and scaling Winning with creative: Building, testing, and scaling high-performance ads 01 The state of ad creative in 04 Winning formats and Why this report matters now— and Leaning into generative AI for what marketers will creative 02 The creative Carrying creative beyond the The case for creative as a 05 Building smarter performance ...
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Winning with creative: Building, testing, and scaling high-performance ads Content 01 The state of ad creative in 04 Winning formats and Why this report matters now— and Leaning into generative AI for what marketers will creative 02 The creative Carrying creative beyond the The case for creative as a 05 Building smarter performance Getting started with “Return on creative” as a strategic CRAFTSMAN+ Creative testing TikTok and Generative 03 Winning formats and 06 Measurement The psychology of Proven strategies to integrate The big playables into existing Real-world Innovations in UGCdrive success across Top tips for UGC TikTok Ads - best practices for success © Singular 02
Winning with creative: Building, testing, and scaling high-performance ads Introduction Creative is the leverfor growth, not just engagement Ever feel like there are moreads than Great design doesn’t justhelp ads stand out, it At a moment whennearlyevery other campaign organic content? Between the endless can also driveengagement, conversion, and element is handled by automation andAI, stream of in-feed ads on social media even build trust. Plus, if an ad’s brilliant creative creative isthe soleopportunity brandshave to platforms, tacky native ads on every also sparks interactions, that may persuade really stand out and win audiences news site, and absurdly long rewarded algorithms that it has greatervalue, triggering in-app videos, it feels like ads are all we more For marketers focused on improving returnon ad consume spend (ROAS), scaling profitability, and building And that’s theimportant point here: a brand, creative optimization is With so many ads clamoring for user Outstanding creative isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have.’ attention, it’s beyond critical for brands As targeting gets morechallenging (thanks to So what does it taketo build creative that to find a way to stand out in a messy, privacy regulations, fragmentation, and plain performs? Let’s break it noisy landscape. old confusion), creative becomes a critical performance lever – andthe one remaining domain where brands have control and the power to XO
Winning with creative: Building, testing, and scaling high-performance ads Why this This guideis intended to arm you, the marketer, report matters with theknowledge youneed to build, test, measure, andscalehigh-performing ad creatives across formats and channels. We’ve now —and partnered with industry leaders including Craftsman+, Liftoff, Moloco, SplitMetrics, Tinuiti, what marketers and TikTok to bring you actionable data, insights, and real-world examples to help you will learn maximize thereturns on your creative campaigns. Ultimately, the goal is to bring inthe right customer, not just any customer. When creative works, it does more than convert. It teaches us what people actually want and what’s getting in the way of them saying
The creative advantage Marketing right now is a trifecta of challenges, with signal loss,user fatigue, and rising costs comprising a perfect storm of marketingstrife. Ads not only haveto rise above the noise to capture attention, theyalsohave to convert quickly and
Winning with creative: Building, testing, and scaling high-performance ads Creativity isthemost The case for powerful differentiator, but creative as a How important is creative, exactly?McKinsey data indicates that there are only a handful of performance creative canbe the most impactful leverin a competitive marketplaces, tools available to reliably and that themost creative companies actually outperform their peers: attribute conversions to driver 67% 70% 4% any particular creative 7 asset. had above-average had above-average had above-average organic revenue total returnto net enterprisevalue or growth shareholders (TRS) NEV/forward EBI TDA In advertising, if you win in creative, you win. Period, full stop, endof story. You can screw up targeting, you can fail in campaign creation, you can Pro-tip: ᵁseSingular s Creative IQ’s mess up SKAN measurement, you can pick suboptimal AI-powered dimension ᶠⁱltersto ad partners, but if you absolutely kill it with amazing instantly spot your highest-impact images, videos, or playables that absolutely demand creative elements and iterate on attention and irresistibly drive action, it’s almost themin minutes, not days. impossible to John VP Insights
The 2026 mobile marketing landscape is defined by a fundamental transition from media-centric targeting to creative-driven acquisition, necessitated by tightening privacy constraints and the saturation of traditional advertising channels. Competitive advantage now hinges on the speed of creative iteration and the ability to unify product development, monetization, and distribution. By leveraging early behavioral signals to predict long-term value, industry leaders are successfully aligning short-term performance metrics with sustainable user lifecycle growth. This evolution is supported by a strategic shift toward AI-powered personalization and behavior-driven gamification, as non-gaming applications increasingly adopt the engagement tactics traditionally reserved for the mobile gaming sector. Data from 2025 reveals a period of significant market consolidation, marked by a 16.7% decline in active advertisers alongside a 73.3% surge in creative output per advertiser. Playable ads have emerged as the premier format, consistently yielding the highest attention duration, scroll-stop rates, and conversion metrics. While the AI app sector experienced a sharp 48% contraction in the number of advertisers, top-tier players have responded by aggressively scaling localized marketing efforts. Simultaneously, the finance and health sectors have maintained greater stability, focusing on service-centric, medical-grade solutions and persuasive, value-based messaging to capture mature markets in North America and Europe. Global strategies for 2026 prioritize a balanced media mix, typically favoring video content, while emphasizing hyper-local operations in emerging regions like Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Success in these diverse markets requires intensive user education and culturally nuanced, scenario-based ad updates. As the industry moves toward subscription-based models and on-device AI integration, the focus has shifted from mere technological development to the large-scale monetization of AI-enhanced user experiences. Ultimately, the market is moving toward a future of highly segmented, interactive, and performance-driven advertising that prioritizes technical precision and regulatory compliance to foster long-term user trust.
SocialPeta: The Ultimate Insight Tool for Global AI App Marketing Unlock the marketing strategies behind today’s most successful AI products with SocialPeta. Our platform provides comprehensive insights drawn from ad data across global channels, media, and advertisers, giving you both information and inspiration for your next big move. For the fast-growing AIGC industry, SocialPeta curates the latest ad creatives, AI tool rankings, and deep industry insights.
The 2021 mobile gaming landscape was defined by a transition toward creative-led advertising strategies necessitated by rising acquisition costs and shifting privacy regulations. As iOS privacy changes prompted a strategic pivot toward Android platforms, the industry experienced a 200% surge in ad creatives and a 34% year-over-year increase in CPMs on major platforms like Meta. With the United States emerging as the most expensive market at an average CPM of $28.18, advertisers increasingly prioritized data-driven optimization and regional targeting to maintain return on investment amidst a broader 5% slowdown in total advertiser market growth. While casual and puzzle games maintained the highest volume of individual advertisers globally, RPGs consistently dominated in total creative output across key regions, including Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. To combat market saturation, developers shifted toward high-engagement formats, specifically vertical video ads exceeding 30 seconds and playable end cards. These creative strategies, often incorporating celebrity endorsements and real-people trailers, became essential tools for driving conversions in a competitive environment where traditional tracking methods faced significant headwinds. Looking toward future growth, the industry is increasingly focused on globalization and the refinement of hybrid monetization models. Developers are diversifying revenue streams by integrating NFTs and combining traditional in-app purchases with ad-based structures. Furthermore, the adoption of privacy-compliant user acquisition, such as early SKAN testing and AI-driven optimization, has become a prerequisite for success. As companies expand into emerging markets like the Middle East and the CIS, the combination of M&A activity, social feature integration, and sophisticated monetization frameworks will remain central to navigating the complexities of the post-privacy mobile ecosystem.
With Over 400,000 Advertisers Analyzed, the 2026 Global Mobile Gaming Marketing T hite Paper Decodes How Growth Is Being As the global mobile gaming market shifts from rapid expansion driven by new user acquisition to an increasingly competitive battle for existing users, 2025 marks a decisive turning point for marketers worldwide.