While focusing your creative around the product and the price can yield results, infusing your marketing with emotional and compelling storytelling makes a bigger impact, according to Smartly.io’s “The State of Digital Creative” report.

“It’s a nice reminder that even as we’re striving for things like hyper-relevance and discounts, and lots of accurate targeting, and lots of media-focused types of levers, great creative—emotional creative that tells a story—is still No. 1,” Sarah Hiraki, head of creative, APAC and EMEA at Smartly.io, said during a recent EMARKETER webinar.

Here are four takeaways and brand examples to guide your full-funnel creative strategy.

1. In the upper funnel, tell a great story.

Grab attention with entertainment-led content. Upper-funnel advertising is like a brand’s “curb appeal,” where first impressions matter most.

Creative appeal and high-production values are over four times more effective than relevance in capturing audience interest, according to Smartly.io’s report. Brands should focus on delivering striking visuals, relatable storylines, and engaging animations.

Recognizable creators and aspirational lifestyle further enhance appeal, while ASMR-inspired sounds can captivate viewers on a sensory level.

Put it in action: Hotel chain RIU combined user-generated content with professionally shot visuals, boosting video views by 105%.

2. In the mid funnel, make a clear case.

While presentation remains important, shift to the product-focused creative as consumers move into the mid funnel. Product information is 2.4 times more effective than price and promotion in enticing consumers to learn more, Smartly.io found.

This stage is like being stuck in an elevator with your audience, Hiraiki explained. It’s a space to show off, educate, and delight.

Brands should educate their audience with how-tos, before-and-after comparisons, and detailed explanations of the product. Highlight interesting use cases and offer testimonials to encourage consideration.

Put it in action: Activity booking platform GetYourGuide launched 24,000 ad variations to showcase unique travel experiences across 100 destinations and four markets. This approach not only informed potential customers but also expressed the value and emotional payoff of GetYouGuide’s offerings.

3. In the lower funnel, bring your best offer.

“[The lower funnel] is the time to really go all in—don’t be afraid to sell to people,” Hirkai said. Brands should leverage all the interest built up through the funnel to clearly demonstrate value through sales, promotions, or free shipping. Additionally, ratings, reviews, and product guarantees can enhance consumer confidence.

While price and offers are powerful motivators, quality advertising (17.1%) is far more important than brand reputation (0.4%), Smartly.io found.

Put it in action: FanDuel showcased its value by combining real-time data with relevant offers for NFL and NBA games, leading to a 16% reduction in cost per install (CPIs) on Snapchat and a 21% decrease in cost per first-time deposit,, Hiraki said.

4. Show up in your audiences’ favorite spaces.

“You wouldn't run the same out-of-home (OOH) creative as you do on TV,” Hiraki said. Tailoring creatives for specific platforms to meet diverse audiences preferences is a must.

For Gen Alpha, focus on Snapchat. Notably, 45% of Gen Alpha use Snapchat, compared with the cross-generational average of 23%, per Smartly’s research.

While TV remains the preferred format for video content across generations, its dominance declines among younger viewers.

Put it in action: Uber created a library of creative ad concepts with flexible structures they can use, customize, and reuse without needing to start the creative process over each time. This allows for greater flexibility and faster response times across various channels and enables Uber to efficiently update and localize content.

Watch the full webinar.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.