Performance Advertising:
Testing & Creative Overview
+ Team
Robinhood
Robert Thompson
Victor Bivol
Elaine Lin
Esther Lin
Francis Miles
Travis Nichols
+ Project Information
The realm of performance marketing is one of the few areas of design where you recieve objective feedback on creative work. Either people respond to it, or they don’t. Success is dependant on forensically deciphering the ‘why’ of what works, or what doesn’t. The beautiful can fail and the weird can prevail.
Leave your taste at the door.
One hand to rule them all.
This bizzare video is the single most performative Robinhood display ad.
How can that be?
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Motion is used to captivate and maintain the viewer's attention. The hypnotic, moving patterns create a dynamic backdrop that contrasts sharply with the static smartphone in the foreground. This juxtaposition of movement and stillness not only draws the eye but also keeps the viewer engaged, leveraging the human brain's natural attraction to motion. The kinetic aspect of the design ensures that the ad is not merely seen but experienced, making the visual narrative memorable and impactful
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Every advertisement aims to present its product as a solution to a problem, simplifying some aspect of the consumer's life. This ad is no different, promising clarity in both the understanding of the product and its use. It assures potential users that, despite the complexities of investing, the app provides a clear and accessible pathway to managing their finances. The design choices made here—favoring minimalism, clarity, and motion—speak directly to the app's target audience, who seek a straightforward and efficient investment experience.
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You have fractions of a second to capture the attention of your customer. The ad's use of stark black and white geometric patterns creates a visually arresting image that stands out in a sea of colorful and often cluttered media. The bold design commands attention, leveraging the power of contrast to make a strong visual statement. This arresting quality is essential for stopping the scroll of users on social media platforms, where visual content must compete fiercely for engagement. The striking strangeness of the uncanny hand and hypnotic background create a lasting impression, enhancing brand recall and recognition
Test, recognize, refine
‘The Twist’
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Variables:
Night Mode UI
Weird/Unrealistic Phone Ratio
Phone/Hand Rotation
Iridescent Hand
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The phone rotation attracted users, but the unrealistic phone, hand color and ‘night mode’ UI were not performative.
‘Fancy hand’
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Variables:
Endcard
‘Female’ Hand
Crypto UI
Hand Value Contrast
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Users did not respond well to variants with ‘female hand’. Endcard did positively effect variants which included it, but did not outperform the control.
‘Day Mode’
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Variables:
Single-Color Background
‘Day Mode’ UI
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User’s preferred Day-mode UI. The color of the background made little difference though value contrast has a measurable effect on performance.
Wildcards
Wildcards can be seasonal, reactive, humorous or all three. While they don’t always perform to the same standard of tactical creative, they leave a layer of brand recall on subsequent ads with humor and timeliness.
Cut-downs—get more for less.
Display ads don’t have to look like display ads.
Broadcast advertising shoots are an opportunity to get the raw materials for performance units, and I included coverage for display creative units within every shoot we did, no matter the scale of the shoot.
