The hidden cost behind Dull creative
- Mariss Krasnikovs
- Aug 22
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 28
In marketing, we often obsess over tech stacks, media efficiency, and channel optimization. But there’s a far greater factor quietly draining value from your campaigns: creative quality.
A recent System1 report, “The Extraordinary Cost of Dull,” puts it in plain numbers:
Brands that use 1-star ads grow half as much as those that use 3-star or stronger ads. Over 4 years, that’s a $258 billion loss in potential growth globally.
This isn’t about budgets. It’s about execution. Most campaigns lose impact before they even launch — because the creative isn’t built to grab attention or spark emotional response.
Why this matters now
The Holiday season is approaching. For many brands, it’s the most important campaign period of the year. If you had to cook the most important meal of the year, would you use a chef’s knife - or a Swiss army knife?
Too many marketers reach for the wrong creative tools. They stick to generic formats. Standard banners. Static placements. Designs that check the media box - but don’t deliver attention, emotion, or action.
A Swiss army knife can cut, but not with precision. A dull ad can reach, but not persuade.
What’s really behind dull creative?
According to System1 and other long-term effectiveness research:
Most ads don’t entertain, surprise, or emotionally engage.
Functional messaging dominates, while brand-building gets sidelined.
Ads often follow category tropes, making them easy to overlook.
In a world where the brain filters out anything familiar or unimportant, dull creative becomes invisible.
So how do we fight dull?
At Creative Upfront, we don’t focus on better design - we build interactive creatives that reflect how people actually use digital platforms:
They swipe, tap, scratch, scroll, drag.
They explore when curiosity is triggered.
They act when something feels different — and relevant.
This is how you move from passive display to active attention. From seen to processed. From known to chosen.
And the data proves it:
Our recent campaigns reached 1,400+ attentive seconds per 1,000 impressions (Lumen Research) — matching levels seen in Digital-Out-of-Home (DOOH).
Creative formats like swipeable product galleries, scratch-to-reveal offers, and conversational ads regularly outperform standard banners on CTR, dwell time, and recall.
Choose the right tool for the job
Every strong creative starts with a sharp brief - and the right tool to match.
Ask yourself:
Is your audience price-sensitive? → Use interactive contrasts to show value.
Is brand perception stuck? → Let people explore your full product range in-banner.
Is there a product feature people miss? → Highlight it through playful, direct interaction.
Creative quality isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a performance multiplier.
Dull creative costs billions. Engaging, interactive creative adds billions in long-term growth, brand preference, and campaign efficiency.
As System1 says:
“We don’t have a media efficiency problem. We have a creative effectiveness problem.”
Let’s fix that.
Ready to turn your ad creative from passive to powerful?
Send us a short brief — we’ll send back interactive mockups aligned with your goals. No commitment. No cost. Just performance that stands out.