Hey I’m Ben Bennett, Director of Ad Creative at the Smart Marketer Agency.
I spend my workdays producing creative that grab people’s attention, connects with them on an emotional level, and generates interest in our products.
And fortunately, as an agency we get to test hundreds of ads every month and analyze a ton of data across different markets to see what’s working.
So in this post, I’m sharing my current top 5 Meta ad creatives that are hitting it out of the park for our clients in 2025.
You also get:
- 3 big takeaways on what makes powerful ad creative this year
- Ad examples from our successful agency clients
- Production tips to help you generate high-impact creative on a limited budget
And if you enjoy this article, then definitely check out our 4-Part Ad Creative Class where you can learn the full system for how we plan, produce and optimize powerful ad creative — even if you have no production experience.
Alright, let’s jump in!
3 Takeaways for What Makes Winning Ad Creative in 2025
Before I get into my favorite creatives, I want to highlight 3 of the major trends we’ve noticed across our most successful ads.
1. Focus on the right problem.
Most people think of themselves as pretty logical, but the truth is, we’re emotional beings. And when we make buying decisions, we’re doing so just as much with our heart as with our head.
So as advertisers, we should be thinking about how to speak to our customers’ emotions, and that starts by focusing on the right problem. What are they struggling with in their lives now, and how will our offer make their life better?
Plus, a big part of creativity is imposing constraints and then working within those parameters. By limiting ourselves to 1 problem per creative and simplifying the process, the number of ideas explode.
2. Use a “native” style.
What is a “native” style when it comes to ad creative? It simply means that the ad looks like a normal post on the ad platform you’re using — as opposed to looking like a highly produced piece of advertising.
Most people don’t want to be sold to, so if you want a prospect to stop and listen to your message, don’t tip your hand that you’re selling something until you’ve already hooked them in.
3. Authenticity is more important than ever.
When it comes to paid traffic, one of the most impactful trends of the last few years has been the focus on user-generated content (UGC).
That’s because this was essentially a shortcut to authenticity. Similar to the emphasis on “native”-style ads I just mentioned, people generally want to hear from real people — not brands.
But over the last couple of years, UGC has become more common and it no longer comes off as authentic as it once did, so it’s even more essential that we build authenticity into the style and the scripts of our creative.
My 5 Top Meta Ad Creatives & Why They Work
Okay, here are the top 5 ad creatives that are working right now for our clients at the Smart Marketer Agency. I’m going to explain what each creative template is, why it works, and give an example of it in action.
1. Problem-Focused Contextual Ad with Pain Points
What It Is
Focus on one problem your product solves, and actually show your avatar experiencing this problem (don’t just explain it) in context — i.e., in an actual scenario where they might encounter it in their everyday lives.
Optionally, you can also add what we call pain point overlays to draw the eye and increase emotional connection.
Ad Example:
This ad for NutriPaw’s calming dog treats opens with a dog that is very not-calm.
Notice how it doesn’t just have a person saying, “Does your dog bark or have anxiety?” It shows us a situation that the target customer can relate to: standing in your house while your dog goes nuts. It vividly shows the pain points in context.
Why It Works
Most ads start with someone explaining the problem face-to-camera, but humans need context to understand and process information.
That’s why we use “problem footage” — a visual representation of their problem that reflects the experience of their everyday lives — to immediately connects with customers.
Hooking a customer in that first 5 seconds is so key to winning ad creative.
2. “Disguised” Product Demos
What It Is
Again, we start off with one problem that your avatar commonly experiences, but this time we use a “disguised demo” — i.e., a demo that looks like a normal person using your product, not a sales a pitch — to show how they solved their problem.
Ad Example
This ad from Keeping Current Matters (KCM) features their app for real estate agents.
They start with the problem (memorizing scripts), then they show how their product offers a solution — including many of the app’s features — all without making it feel like a professional demo.
Why It Works
Demos are so powerful.
As marketers and business owers, we know our products so well that, when we target cold traffic, we assume our prospects understand them too — but that’s often not the case.
A good demo shows how the product works, and how it takes the customer go from the before state (problem, pain points) to the after state (solution, benefits), including specific features that help facilitate that transformation.
The thing is, people don’t want to be sold to. We want authenticity, remember? So if it’s the CEO demoing the product, or even an overly-produced piece of UGC, the viewer immediately checks out.
That’s why these “disguised demos” are so effective, because it feels like a real person telling us about this transformative experience.
And again, showing these demos in context — in an environment that feels natural to the avatar — is key.
3. Practical Pain Points with Emotional Hooks
What It Is
Again, start with another problem shown in context (a recurring theme, clearly). But this time we focus on a value-based emotional hook explaining why this problem is especially infuriating, and how your product rights this wrong.
Ad Example
This is another ad from KCM promoting their app for real estate agents. The ad starts by showing how hard it is to produce good content (a practical problem), then says that agents shouldn’t have to also be master content creators (an emotional hook).
This is clearly an opinion that KCM knows will resonate with their audience, and the emotional hook intensifies the ad’s effectiveness.
Why It Works
This ad relies on a concept we use here in Kentucky called “That just ain’t right.”
It’s not just about the problem that the prospect is facing, as in the “disguised demo” template — it’s about really dialing up the frustration that your avatar feels because of this problem.
Real estate agents have to basically learn a whole new skillset (content creation) just to get clients? That just ain’t right. And the emotional reaction from the person in the ad is so important here.
Another thing I love about this ad is the framing device of “You’re not a [BLANK]. You’re a [BLANK].” — as in, “You’re not a content creator. You’re a real estate agent.”
This does 2 things:
- It’s a great way to call out a group of people without being too obvious.
- It also sets up the opinion-focused script we’ve bee talking about, where you draw a line in the sand. Great stuff.
4. Narrative Style with Trust Elements
What It Is
Similar to ad #3, this focuses on something your audience might be frustrated about and then frames your product as the solution. But instead of starting with problem footage, this ad uses a story format.
Ad Example
In this ad from WINPRO, a pet supplement brand, a man is walking his dog while venting his frustrations about the supplement industry. In the end, he frames his product as a healthy and sustainable alternative.
Why It Works:
First of all, I love this ad. The guy in it is actually the brand owner, Tim, who’s a super cool dude.
Here’s what makes it so great: the “Hey, let me tell you a story” style of the creative really draws the viewer in, as if you’re just listening to one of your good friends.
This establishes authenticity (which, remember, is so important for ad creative in 2025), and builds trust.
Here’s the formula for this script:
- Call out a frustration that your audience will resonate with
- Mimic the avatar’s own journey in looking for a solution
- The journey should culminate with the main problem your product solves
- Explain why your offer is different from the traditional solution
- Connect the USP of your offer to how it solves the frustration
- Show benefits
The great part is that these ads are super easy to make. As long as you have a good script, you can just walk around in an environment that’s natural for your brand and record yourself on your phone. Then if you want, you can edit in some other material.
There are 2 more reasons why I love this ad:
- Great editing: The story does such a good job keeping you engaged, and a big part of that is the editing.
The #1 priority in video editing is clarity: do the cuts remove distractions and enhance the story in a way that makes it easier to digest?
Our creative is fighting for people’s attention. If we succeed in getting a prospect to stop scrolling, all it takes is 1 moment of confusion or boredom (signs of bad editing) to make them return to their timelines.
- It’s opinionated: Another thing I love about this ad is that it takes a stance. Tim voices his frustrations about bad ingredients and products being made in China — and it’s not about whether or not you agree with him.
The important thing is that Tim got a ton of engagement and social proof on this ad because people are arguing in the comments.
Brands shouldn’t shy away from having strong opinions if those opinions are aligned with the company’s values. “But won’t I alienate potential customers?!” Maybe, but staying neutral won’t win you many customers either.
5. “Amazon Review” Format
What It Is
This creative mimics the raw, unscripted reviews that you might find at the bottom of an Amazon listing. It shows the product in a real environment and talks about why the product is awesome. Easy.
Ad Example
We didn’t make this ad. It’s an ad from TikTok shop “reviewing” an Anker wireless charger. And while it doesn’t seem like much at first glance, it got a ton engagement and a ton of sales.
Why It Works
Remember earlier when we talked about how important authenticity is in your ad creative? This is a perfect example: the unpolished, “amateur” feel of this creative makes the ad feel so much more genuine.
This style is quick and dirty. There are no edits, just some text overlays (optional).
Could you do a high-production value version of this ad with the CEO going over features and benefits? Sure, but you wouldn’t get that authentic feel that is so impactful to customers.
Granted, TikTok is more geared toward this style of creative than Meta, but I would still recommend testing it.
Here’s how I’d approach it:
- Step 1: Imagine you’re sending a video to your best friend recommending your product.
- Step 2: Think about how you would describe it in simple terms, in a way that isn’t salesy but that fully communicates the benefits.
- Step 3: Then just pull your phone out, and just start going. Don’t over think it.
Like we talked about earlier, putting constraints on yourself is such a great way to inspire creativity.
* * * * *
That’s it! I hope you enjoyed the top 5 Meta ad creatives for our agency clients in 2025.
Try testing these creatives for your brand, and when you do, remember to focus on the 3 big takeaways — 1) Focus on a single problem, 2) Use a native style, and 3) Be as authentic as possible.
This article should go a long way in helping you improve your Meta ads, but it also barely scratches the surface of what I have to teach you about creative.
To learn more, check out the 4-Part Ad Creative Class I did with Molly. You’ll get our entire system for ideating, producing and optimizing powerful ad creative — even if you’re on a small budget and/or you have no production experience.
This has been Ben Bennett — thanks for reading!
