ads-creative git:20260223.63345e4A

Immutable. This exact content is served forever at /api/v1/blob/5dc2277e1e333d80.

---
name: ads-creative
description: >
  Cross-platform creative quality audit covering ad copy, video, image, and
  format diversity across all platforms. Detects creative fatigue, evaluates
  platform-native compliance, and provides production priorities. Collects brand
  context and creates branding.md if missing. Uses infographic-v2 for generating
  ad creatives. Use when user says "creative audit", "ad creative", "creative
  fatigue", "ad copy", "ad design", or "creative review".
---

# Cross-Platform Creative Quality Audit

## Process

1. **Brand context check** — look for `./branding.md`. If not found, run the Brand Info Collection flow below before proceeding.
2. Collect creative assets or performance data from active platforms
3. Read `ads/references/platform-specs.md` for creative specifications
4. Read `ads/references/creative-volume.md` for per-platform volume and refresh requirements
5. Read `ads/references/benchmarks.md` for CTR/engagement benchmarks
6. Read `ads/references/scoring-system.md` for weighted scoring algorithm
7. Evaluate creative quality per platform
8. Run Brand Consistency Audit using branding.md (advisory, not scored)
9. Assess cross-platform creative consistency
10. Generate production priority recommendations
11. **Offer to generate new creatives** using `/infographic-v2` for any flagged gaps

---

## Brand Info Collection

Run this at the start if `./branding.md` does not exist in the project root.

**Goal:** Collect enough brand context to personalize the creative audit and enable on-brand creative generation via infographic-v2.

### Step 1: Ask naturally

> "Before I audit your creatives, I need some brand context to check consistency. Let me ask a few quick questions."

### Step 2: Collect in one conversational pass

Ask these in a natural flow — batch where possible, don't make it feel like a form:

1. **Brand name** and **website URL**
2. **Industry / business model** (SaaS, e-commerce, service, B2B, B2C, hybrid)
3. **Brand colors** — primary, secondary, accent (hex codes if known; offer to extract from their website via WebFetch if unsure)
4. **Typography** — headline and body fonts (or "check my website")
5. **Brand voice** — formal vs casual (1-10), serious vs playful, technical vs simple
6. **Target audience** — who they sell to, main pain points
7. **Value proposition** — one sentence on what makes them different
8. **Approved CTAs** — e.g., "Start Free Trial", "Book a Demo", "Shop Now"
9. **Anything forbidden** in their ads — competitor mentions, specific claims, imagery restrictions

If the user provides a website URL, use WebFetch to pre-fill colors, fonts, tagline, and value proposition from the site before asking remaining questions.

### Step 3: Generate branding.md

Write `./branding.md` in the project root using this format:

```markdown
# Brand Context — [Brand Name]

<!-- Generated by /ads-creative on [DATE] -->

## Brand Identity

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Brand Name | |
| Industry | |
| Website | |
| Tagline / Slogan | |
| Business Model | |

## Visual Identity

### Brand Colors
| Role | Color | Hex | Usage |
|------|-------|-----|-------|
| Primary | | #______ | Main brand color, CTAs, headers |
| Secondary | | #______ | Accents, supporting elements |
| Accent | | #______ | Highlights, badges, alerts |

### Typography
| Role | Font | Fallback |
|------|------|----------|
| Headlines | | Sans-serif |
| Body | | Sans-serif |

### Visual Style
- **Photography style**: [lifestyle / studio / user-generated / illustrated / mixed]
- **Illustration style**: [flat / 3D / hand-drawn / none]

## Brand Voice

### Tone & Personality
| Dimension | Position (1-10) |
|-----------|----------------|
| Formal ←→ Casual | |
| Serious ←→ Playful | |
| Technical ←→ Simple | |

### Messaging Guidelines
- **Brand words**: [words to always use]
- **Forbidden words**: [words to never use]

## Target Audience

### Primary Persona
| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Role / Title | |
| Key Pain Points | |
| Goals | |
| Where they spend time | |

## Value Proposition

### Core USP
[One sentence]

### Key Benefits
| Benefit | Proof Point |
|---------|------------|
| | |
| | |
| | |

## Ad-Specific Guidelines

### Approved CTAs
- Primary: [e.g., "Start Free Trial"]
- Secondary: [e.g., "Learn More"]

### Forbidden Elements
- [e.g., "Never mention competitors by name"]
```

### Step 4: Confirm and continue

Display a brief summary:

```
Brand context saved: ./branding.md

  Brand: [name]
  Colors: [primary] [secondary] [accent]
  Voice: [tone summary]
  Audience: [persona summary]

Proceeding with creative audit...
```

Then continue with the normal creative audit flow (step 2 onward).

---

## Per-Platform Assessment

### Google Ads Creative
- RSA: ≥8 unique headlines, ≥3 descriptions per ad group
- RSA ad strength: "Good" or "Excellent"
- Pin usage: minimal and strategic (over-pinning kills RSA flexibility)
- Extensions: sitelinks (≥4), callouts (≥4), structured snippets, image
- PMax asset groups: text + image + video + optional product feed
- YouTube: video quality, hook, subtitles (see ads-youtube sub-skill)

### Meta Ads Creative
- Format diversity: ≥3 formats active (image, video, carousel, collection)
- Creative volume: Standard ≥5 per ad set (ideal 5-8 for Andromeda); ASC ≥50 (ideal 50-150)
- Fatigue detection: CTR declining >20% over 14 days = FAIL; top brands refresh every 10.4 days
- Video length: 15s max Stories/Reels, 30s max Feed
- UGC/testimonial content tested
- Advantage+ Creative enhancements enabled
- Headline under 40 chars, primary text under 125 chars

### LinkedIn Creative
- Thought Leader Ads active, ≥30% budget for B2B
- Format diversity: ≥2 formats tested (single image, carousel, video, document)
- Video ads tested
- Creative refresh: every 4-6 weeks
- Professional tone appropriate for platform

### TikTok Creative
- ≥6 creatives per ad group (Critical; top performers: 10-20/campaign; Smart+ launch: ≥4)
- All video 9:16 vertical 1080x1920 (non-negotiable)
- Native-looking content (not corporate)
- Hook in first 1-2 seconds
- Fatigue onset: 3-5 days; typical lifespan: 7-10 days; refresh every 10-14 days
- No creative active >7 days with declining CTR; hard ceiling: 30 days regardless
- Spark Ads tested (~3% CTR vs ~2% standard)
- Sound-on optimization (never silent)
- Safe zone compliance: X:40-940, Y:150-1470
- Trending audio used

### Microsoft Creative
- RSA: ≥8 headlines, ≥3 descriptions
- Multimedia Ads tested (unique rich format)
- Ad copy optimized for Bing demographics (older, higher income, professional)
- Action Extension utilized (unique to Microsoft)
- Filter Link Extension tested

## Creative Fatigue Detection

### Signals of Fatigue
| Signal | Threshold | Action |
|--------|-----------|--------|
| CTR declining | >20% over 14 days | Refresh creative |
| Frequency (Meta) | >5.0 prospecting, >12.0 retargeting | New audience or creative |
| Watch time declining (TikTok) | <3s average | New hook needed |
| QS declining (Google) | Drop of 2+ points | Refresh ad copy |
| Engagement rate drop | >30% decline | Full creative overhaul |

### Refresh Cadence by Platform
| Platform | Recommended Refresh |
|----------|-------------------|
| Google Search | Every 8-12 weeks |
| Meta | Every 10-14 days (top brands avg 10.4 days); hard ceiling 90 days |
| LinkedIn | Every 2-4 weeks; 80/20 winner/testing split |
| TikTok | Every 10-14 days (fatigue onset 3-5 days, lifespan 7-10 days); hard ceiling 30 days |
| Microsoft | Every 8-12 weeks |
| YouTube | Every 4-8 weeks |

## Format Diversity Matrix

Evaluate which formats are active per platform:

| Format | Google | Meta | LinkedIn | TikTok | Microsoft |
|--------|--------|------|----------|--------|-----------|
| Static Image | RSA image ext | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | Multimedia |
| Video | YouTube, PMax | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ (required) | ❌ |
| Carousel | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Collection | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Document | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Shopping | PMax, Shopping | Catalog | ❌ | Shop | Shopping |

## Universal Creative Best Practices

### Cross-Platform Safe Zone
- 900x1000px usable area works across all vertical placements
- Keep critical elements centered and within safe margins
- Test on mobile devices (75%+ of ad impressions are mobile)

### Ad Copy Principles
- Lead with benefit, not feature
- Include clear CTA (what should they do next?)
- Match ad message to landing page (message match)
- Use numbers and specifics over vague claims
- Test emotional vs rational appeals

### Video Production Standards
- H.264 codec, AAC audio, MP4 container
- Minimum 720p (1080p preferred)
- Subtitles/captions always (accessibility + sound-off viewing)
- Brand mention within first 5s (awareness) or at CTA (performance)

## Brand Consistency Audit (Advisory)

Using `./branding.md`, evaluate these dimensions. Results are **advisory only** — they
appear as "Brand Consistency Notes" in the report but are NOT included in the health score.

| Dimension | What to Check |
|-----------|--------------|
| Color compliance | Ad visuals use brand primary/secondary colors (hex match) |
| Typography | Headlines and body text match brand font guidelines |
| Tone alignment | Ad copy matches brand voice dimensions (formal/casual, etc.) |
| CTA consistency | CTAs match approved CTA list from branding.md |
| Visual style | Photography/illustration style matches brand guidelines |
| Forbidden elements | No forbidden words or elements present in ads |
| Audience match | Messaging addresses documented persona pain points |

## Creative Generation with Infographic v2

After the audit, when the production priority list identifies creatives to produce (static images, infographics, data visuals for ads), offer to generate them using `/infographic-v2`.

**Flow:**
1. Identify the highest-priority static creative gaps from the audit
2. Ask: "I can generate ad creatives for the top gaps using the infographic tool. Want me to start with [highest priority gap]?"
3. If yes, invoke `/infographic-v2` — it will pick up `./branding.md` for brand-consistent output
4. The infographic skill handles concept selection, visualization approach, and generation
5. After generation, return to the next creative gap or wrap up

**What infographic-v2 uses from branding.md:**
- Brand colors → color palette for the infographic
- Typography → font selection
- Visual style → style anchors
- Brand voice → headline and copy tone
- Approved CTAs → CTA text in ad creatives

## Output

### Creative Quality Report

```
Cross-Platform Creative Health

Google:     ████████░░  X/X checks passing
Meta:       ██████████  X/X checks passing
LinkedIn:   ███████░░░  X/X checks passing
TikTok:     █████░░░░░  X/X checks passing
Microsoft:  ████████░░  X/X checks passing
```

### Deliverables
- `CREATIVE-AUDIT-REPORT.md` — Per-platform creative assessment
- Fatigue alerts (any creative past refresh cadence)
- Format diversity gaps per platform
- Production priority list (most impactful creative to produce next)
- Quick Wins (format conversions, CTA changes, Spark Ads setup)
- **Generated ad creatives** via infographic-v2 (if user opts in)