If you run ad campaigns on three or more channels, you're probably creating 30-50 ads per month. Assuming it takes 3-5 hours to make one ad, that’s a total of 90-250 hours, plus additional time for testing and tweaking. What if you could automate this entire creative process, and cut it down to minutes?

Enter programmatic creative: the automation of ad creation, testing, and launch using Generative AI.

Programmatic creative solutions not only save you time, but also blend data and creativity to personalize ads that resonate better with each target audience group. This means you see higher conversion rates and returns on ad spend on your digital marketing campaigns. 

But this is not a replacement for human creativity, it's merely a tool to help marketers save time and focus on other creative and strategic endeavors. 

In this article, we give you a complete lowdown of programmatic creative, including:

• What it is, how it works, and why you should adopt it to stay ahead of the competition.
• A leading example of programmatic creative software, and how you can use it to create your own ad creatives for FREE in 2 seconds. 
• How programmatic creative fits into the entire programmatic advertising ecosystem

What is programmatic creative? Everything you need to know

Programmatic creative is the automated design and deployment of digital ads. Instead of manually creating an ad for every potential audience and ad placement, it uses Generative AI to produce multiple ad versions based on data inputs. This means automatically adjusting ad copy, visuals, or call-to-actions depending on the audience segment or ad platform. 

However, programmatic creative is not programmatic advertising nor AI ad generation. Let’s look at how it’s different. 

Programmatic creative vs. Programmatic advertising

Programmatic creative is a part of the bigger programmatic advertising and ad tech ecosystem. Programmatic Advertising handles the 'where' and 'when,' while programmatic creative takes care of the 'what.' 

Here’s how it fits in:

• Within the CMP: When integrated into a Creative Management Platform, programmatic creative helps in automating the design process of the ads. It uses data and AI technologies to create multiple variations of ad creatives that can be used in programmatic campaigns. These creatives are then stored in the CMP and can be fed into the DSP for distribution.
• Within the DSP: Some Demand-Side Platforms may have programmatic creative capabilities built-in. In this case, the DSP not only handles the buying of ad space but also the automated design and deployment of the ads themselves. This makes the process even more streamlined.
• Data Integration: Programmatic creative often leverages data from the Data Management Platform (DMP) to make the ad creatives more targeted and effective. This data can include user behavior, location, and other contextual factors.
• Real-Time Adaptation: When used in conjunction with Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO), programmatic creative can adapt in real-time to user behavior and other variables. This ensures that the most relevant and effective version of the ad is displayed.
• Deployment: Once the creatives are designed, they are ready for deployment. If Real-Time Bidding (RTB) is part of the strategy, the programmatic creatives can be fed into the Ad Exchange for real-time auctions.

In essence, programmatic creative is the bridge between ad creation and distribution,  making the entire process more automated, efficient, and effective.

Programmatic creative vs. AI ad generation

Programmatic creative is not exactly the same as AI ad generation. While plenty of tools can generate ad copy and visuals using AI, programmatic creative solutions go a step further: they also A/B test and launch ads natively.

One leading programmatic creative solution in the market is AdGen AI. 

AdGen AI makes it easy to create and publish content on multiple ad channels based on several input factors, including your website URL, brand identity, historical data, and more. It provides the right formatting for each channel automatically and takes into account millions of ads created by marketers to deliver continuously improving, high-performing ads.

Once you input your website URL, AdGen AI creates a wide range of ad variations, from headlines to images, so you can A/B test effectively on different platforms. This saves marketing creative teams a great deal of time as they no longer need to manually create different ads for different audiences. 

And when you're ready, connect to your ad accounts and launch your ads on multiple platforms directly from AdGen AI. 

Let's look at an example of how this works.

What is an example of programmatic creative?

Here’s how we generated a programmatic creative ad using AdGen AI in 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Input details

Unlike ChatGPT, you don't need to find the right prompts, tweak, and type them out to get quality output on a programmatic creative solution.  

Simply plug in your website URL and the software will automatically scan and generate:

1. The product description 
2. Copywriting direction
3. Ad copy purpose (e.g. AIDA, Problem/solution)
4. Tone & style of your ads (e.g. Luxury, Casual, Adventurous)
5. UTMs 

In this case, we plugged in Tesla's URL. 

Step 2: Revise/edit as needed

A programmatic creative platform is interactive: you can edit the generated output as needed.

For Tesla, it was exactly what we wanted and close to the brand, so we kept it as is. 

Have a look: 

Then, you can choose the ad copy purpose and tone & style from a drop-down menu. 

Step 3: Select the type of ads you want to create. 

Currently, AdGen AI supports these ad types on Google and Meta:

You can pick and choose what kind of ad you’d like to create.

And that’s it! Get a collection of ad creatives

AdGen AI created different variations of ad creatives (the image below is one of them), as well as different headlines, body copy, and CTAs for Google and Meta.

➡️ Ad copy for Google display advertising and search advertising: 

➡️ For Meta carousel:

‍

➡️ And for Meta Single image ad:

Publish the ads

You can adjust the images and copy to your heart’s content or regenerate everything from the beginning.

When you’re satisfied, just hit “Publish” and your chosen ads will be published onto your ad platforms. NOTE: You will need to connect your ad accounts to AdGen AI first.

These ads are already configured in the required ad format so you don’t need to take the extra step.

—

And…that’s really it. In just a matter of minutes, you get a bundle of high-quality ad creatives that you can test, tweak, and publish. 

Get started here today.

You’ve seen how programmatic creative works in practice. So, what can you get out of it?

What are the benefits of programmatic creative?

Marketing is about speed and personalization. Programmatic creative helps with both:

• Human-centric process: Programmatic solutions streamline the creative process with AI, but it still needs human direction and judgment to work effectively. Marketers need to dictate the marketing strategy and make the final call on the ads they want to use in their campaigns.
• Personalization & Targeted Ads: Ad units are made to fit each person's likes and needs, reaching the right people at the right time.
• Efficiency & Time-Savings: Automation speeds up the ad creation and placement process, saving both time and effort.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Real-time data helps fine-tune the creative elements, ensuring that the ads are as effective as possible.
• Cost-Effectiveness & Cost-Saving: Precise targeting means better results without wasting money on irrelevant placements.
• Scalability: Once the creative elements are set up, they can be easily scaled across different platforms and audiences.
• Real-Time Optimization: Ads can be adjusted on the fly based on performance, allowing for immediate improvements.
• Enhanced User Experience: More relevant and less intrusive ads contribute to a better overall user experience.
• More Variety: Multiple creative elements can be used and rotated, keeping the ads fresh and engaging.
• Competitive Advantage: Utilizing advanced ad technologies can give businesses an edge over competitors.

What are the differences between programmatic and non-programmatic creative?

Now that we've explored an example of programmatic ad, let's dive into how it stacks up against traditional advertising methods. 

The table below breaks down the key differences:

Time Efficiency

Programmatic ads: Quick and automated, saving time.
Non-programmatic ads: Time-consuming due to manual ad creation and targeting.

Targeting

Programmatic ads: Highly targeted as it uses real-time data and algorithms to reach the desired demographics.
Non-programmatic ads: Takes a lot of time and effort to make ads highly targeted.

Cost

Programmatic ads: Generally more cost-effective due to automation and real-time bidding.
Non-programmatic ads: May involve higher costs due to manual labor and potentially less effective targeting.

Labor Intensity

Programmatic ads: Low effort, as software does most of the work.
Non-programmatic ads: High effort, as people handle the tasks.

Scalability

Programmatic ads: Easily scalable as you can quickly adjust your campaigns based on real-time data.
Non-programmatic ads: Less scalable due to the manual nature of the work involved.

Personalization

Programmatic ads: Ads can be personalized for each viewer, leading to higher conversion rates.
Non-programmatic ads: Ads are usually the same for everyone.

Flexibility

Programmatic ads: Easy to make real-time adjustments to campaigns.
Non-programmatic ads: Hard to make quick changes as changes usually require renegotiation and manual adjustments.

Data-Driven

Programmatic ads: Highly data-driven, hence gives better results.
Non-programmatic ads: Less data-driven, relying more on human intuition.

Complexity

Programmatic ads: Might be complex to set up initially but easy to manage later.
Non-programmatic ads: Simpler to set up but can be complex to manage in the long run.

But choosing between the two doesn't have to be an either/or decision. Many marketers find a blend of both approaches offers the best of both worlds, combining the efficiency and precision of AI with the nuanced creativity of human minds. The future of advertising may well lie in this harmonious fusion.

When we built AdGen AI, our aim was not to replace human marketers, but to free up time and brainspace for more creative and strategic endeavors. For example, marketers still need to make the final call on the ad copy and images they think will resonate with the target groups the most. 

Eric Mayhew, Co-Founder and President at Fluency puts it nicely in this article: 

This is not the start of AI taking our jobs. This is AI taking on the most repetitive and often least enjoyable parts of our jobs. It’s also firmly in the realm of “attended AI,” which is fully reliant on human expertise to refine and enhance the raw outputs to ensure quality and protect brand safety.

But to get the most out of your programmatic creative ads, you need a good creative strategy. Here are some best practices we recommend.

💡Programmatic creative best practices

1. Audience Segmentation: Know your audience segments well. Tailor the creative elements like images, headlines, and calls-to-action to resonate with each specific group.

2. Visual Hierarchy: Prioritize the most important information visually. Make sure your headlines, key benefits, and calls-to-action are the most prominent elements in the ad.

3. Simplicity: Keep it simple. Overcomplicating your ad with too many elements can be distracting. Aim for a clean design that communicates the message quickly.

4. High-Quality Assets: Use high-resolution images and clear typography. Poor quality visuals can harm your brand's credibility and reduce engagement.

5. Message Alignment: Ensure you are choosing the right message for the right audiences. Consistency between the ad and the landing page can significantly improve conversion rates.

6. Creative Consistency: Maintain brand consistency across all ad variations. While the content may change, elements like logo, color scheme, and tone should remain consistent to build brand recognition.

7. Performance Monitoring: Continuously monitor ad performance metrics using a marketing intelligence platform like Adriel. Use these insights to refine your programmatic creative strategy and make data-driven decisions for future campaigns.

Try AdGen AI: the leading programmatic creative solution in the market

Whether you’re a marketing agency, ecommerce brand, small business, or an enterprise, you can save dozens of hours on ad creation and deliver more relevant ads to the right audiences with programmatic creative.

Take your digital advertising game to the next level and get started today with AdGen AI.