ads-creative

Cross-Platform Creative Quality Audit

Process

1. Brand context check — look for ./branding.md. If not found, run the Brand Info Collection flow below before proceeding.
2. Collect creative assets or performance data from active platforms
3. Read ads/references/platform-specs.md for creative specifications
4. Read ads/references/creative-volume.md for per-platform volume and refresh requirements
5. Read ads/references/benchmarks.md for CTR/engagement benchmarks
6. Read ads/references/scoring-system.md for weighted scoring algorithm
7. Evaluate creative quality per platform
8. Run Brand Consistency Audit using branding.md (advisory, not scored)
9. Assess cross-platform creative consistency
10. Generate production priority recommendations
11. Offer to generate new creatives using /infographic-v2 for any flagged gaps

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Brand Info Collection

Run this at the start if ./branding.md does not exist in the project root.

Goal: Extract the brand's actual styling, copy, and identity — primarily from their website — to personalize the creative audit and enable on-brand creative generation via infographic-v2.

Step 1: Ask for brand name and website

"Before I audit your creatives, I need your brand context to check consistency. What's your brand name and website URL?"

Ask for the brand name and website URL first. If the user provides a URL, immediately run the website extraction (step 2) before asking any further questions.

Step 2: Website extraction (when URL provided)

Do not guess or assume anything. Extract the actual values from the live website.

2a — Fetch the homepage

Use WebFetch on the homepage URL. Extract ALL of the following:

Visual identity:

• All colors used prominently: backgrounds, buttons, headers, links, text, borders, footer. Report exact hex values. Identify which is primary (most prominent brand color, usually on CTAs and headers), secondary, accent, background, and text color.
• Font families: read the actual font-family declarations used on headings and body text. Look in CSS, <link> tags for Google Fonts / Typekit / custom font URLs, and inline styles. Report the exact font names (e.g., "Plus Jakarta Sans", "DM Sans", "Geist"), not generic fallbacks like "sans-serif".
• Logo: describe the logo from the header/nav. Note if it's text-based, icon-based, or both.
• Visual style: describe what you observe — minimal with whitespace? Bold with saturated colors? Dark mode? Gradient-heavy? Illustration-driven? Corporate?
• Button styles: rounded, square, pill-shaped? What color? What text color on buttons?
• Spacing and density: tight and information-dense, or airy and spacious?

Copy and messaging:

• Tagline / slogan from the hero section
• Hero headline: the main H1 or hero text
• Value proposition: what they do and why it matters
• Key benefits: any benefit sections, feature highlights, selling points
• Social proof: testimonials, customer logos, metrics, awards, trust badges, star ratings
• CTAs: every call-to-action button text on the page
• Navigation items: main nav labels reveal product/service categories

Brand voice signals:

• Tone of the copy: formal or casual? Technical or plain? Playful or serious?
• Person: first person ("We help...") or second person ("You can...")?
• Specific words/phrases: any repeated brand language, trademarked terms

2b — Fetch additional pages (if needed)

If the homepage left gaps, also fetch:

• /about or /about-us — company story, mission, team, more voice signals
• /pricing — pricing model (free trial, freemium, tiers, contact-us)

Only fetch if there are genuine gaps. Don't fetch for the sake of it.

2c — Present extraction to user

Show everything extracted clearly:

Here's what I found on [website]:

  Brand: [name]
  Tagline: "[extracted tagline]"
  Industry: [detected industry]
  Business model: [detected model]

  Colors:
    Primary:    [name] #[hex] — used on [CTAs, headers, etc.]
    Secondary:  [name] #[hex] — used on [subheadings, etc.]
    Accent:     [name] #[hex] — used on [highlights, badges, etc.]
    Background: #[hex]
    Text:       #[hex]

  Fonts:
    Headings: [exact font name]
    Body:     [exact font name]

  Visual style: [description of what you observed]
  Button style: [pill/rounded/square], [color], [hover behavior if visible]

  Voice: [formal/casual], [serious/playful], [technical/simple]
  Hero: "[exact hero headline]"
  Value prop: "[extracted value proposition]"
  CTAs found: "[CTA 1]", "[CTA 2]", "[CTA 3]"
  Social proof: [what's shown — logos, metrics, testimonials]

Does this look right? Anything to correct or add?

The user confirms or corrects. Only after confirmation, proceed with remaining questions.

Step 3: Fill gaps with questions

After website extraction, only ask about things that could not be determined from the website. Skip any section where the website gave a clear answer.

Likely still needed (websites rarely cover these):

• Target audience: who they sell to (job title/role, age), pain points, buying triggers, where they spend time online
• Ad-specific guidelines: confirm extracted CTAs, pricing in ads?, required elements (trust badges, ratings), anything forbidden
• Brand voice refinement (only if ambiguous from the site): words they always/never use

Do NOT re-ask about colors, fonts, tagline, visual style, or value proposition if the website extraction already captured them.

Step 4: No-URL fallback

If the user does not provide a website URL, collect everything manually:

1. Brand colors — primary, secondary, accent (hex codes)
2. Typography — headline and body fonts
3. Visual style — clean/minimal, bold/colorful, professional, playful, premium
4. Tagline / value proposition
5. Brand voice — formal vs casual (1-10), serious vs playful, technical vs simple
6. Target audience — who they sell to, main pain points
7. Approved CTAs
8. Anything forbidden in ads

Step 5: Save branding.md

Write ./branding.md in the project root using the canonical format from ads/references/brand-context.md.

Every value in branding.md must come from the website extraction or the user's direct answers. Never fill in defaults or placeholders. If a field has no data, leave it blank or omit the section.

Validate before writing:

• Brand name is not empty
• At least one color with hex value exists
• At least one audience description exists
• Business model is identified

Step 6: Confirm and continue

Brand context saved: ./branding.md

  Brand: [name]
  Colors: [primary hex] [secondary hex] [accent hex]
  Fonts: [heading font] / [body font]
  Voice: [tone summary]
  Audience: [persona summary]

Proceeding with creative audit...

Then continue with the normal creative audit flow (step 2 onward in the Process section).

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Per-Platform Assessment

Google Ads Creative

• RSA: ≥8 unique headlines, ≥3 descriptions per ad group
• RSA ad strength: "Good" or "Excellent"
• Pin usage: minimal and strategic (over-pinning kills RSA flexibility)
• Extensions: sitelinks (≥4), callouts (≥4), structured snippets, image
• PMax asset groups: text + image + video + optional product feed
• YouTube: video quality, hook, subtitles (see ads-youtube sub-skill)

Meta Ads Creative

• Format diversity: ≥3 formats active (image, video, carousel, collection)
• Creative volume: Standard ≥5 per ad set (ideal 5-8 for Andromeda); ASC ≥50 (ideal 50-150)
• Fatigue detection: CTR declining >20% over 14 days = FAIL; top brands refresh every 10.4 days
• Video length: 15s max Stories/Reels, 30s max Feed
• UGC/testimonial content tested
• Advantage+ Creative enhancements enabled
• Headline under 40 chars, primary text under 125 chars

LinkedIn Creative

• Thought Leader Ads active, ≥30% budget for B2B
• Format diversity: ≥2 formats tested (single image, carousel, video, document)
• Video ads tested
• Creative refresh: every 4-6 weeks
• Professional tone appropriate for platform

TikTok Creative

• ≥6 creatives per ad group (Critical; top performers: 10-20/campaign; Smart+ launch: ≥4)
• All video 9:16 vertical 1080x1920 (non-negotiable)
• Native-looking content (not corporate)
• Hook in first 1-2 seconds
• Fatigue onset: 3-5 days; typical lifespan: 7-10 days; refresh every 10-14 days
• No creative active >7 days with declining CTR; hard ceiling: 30 days regardless
• Spark Ads tested (~3% CTR vs ~2% standard)
• Sound-on optimization (never silent)
• Safe zone compliance: X:40-940, Y:150-1470
• Trending audio used

Microsoft Creative

• RSA: ≥8 headlines, ≥3 descriptions
• Multimedia Ads tested (unique rich format)
• Ad copy optimized for Bing demographics (older, higher income, professional)
• Action Extension utilized (unique to Microsoft)
• Filter Link Extension tested

Creative Fatigue Detection

Signals of Fatigue

Signal	Threshold	Action
CTR declining	>20% over 14 days	Refresh creative
Frequency (Meta)	>5.0 prospecting, >12.0 retargeting	New audience or creative
Watch time declining (TikTok)	<3s average	New hook needed
QS declining (Google)	Drop of 2+ points	Refresh ad copy
Engagement rate drop	>30% decline	Full creative overhaul

Refresh Cadence by Platform

Platform	Recommended Refresh
Google Search	Every 8-12 weeks
Meta	Every 10-14 days (top brands avg 10.4 days); hard ceiling 90 days
LinkedIn	Every 2-4 weeks; 80/20 winner/testing split
TikTok	Every 10-14 days (fatigue onset 3-5 days, lifespan 7-10 days); hard ceiling 30 days
Microsoft	Every 8-12 weeks
YouTube	Every 4-8 weeks

Format Diversity Matrix

Evaluate which formats are active per platform:

Format	Google	Meta	LinkedIn	TikTok	Microsoft
Static Image	RSA image ext	✅	✅	❌	Multimedia
Video	YouTube, PMax	✅	✅	✅ (required)	❌
Carousel	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌
Collection	❌	✅	❌	❌	❌
Document	❌	❌	✅	❌	❌
Shopping	PMax, Shopping	Catalog	❌	Shop	Shopping

Universal Creative Best Practices

Cross-Platform Safe Zone

• 900x1000px usable area works across all vertical placements
• Keep critical elements centered and within safe margins
• Test on mobile devices (75%+ of ad impressions are mobile)

Ad Copy Principles

• Lead with benefit, not feature
• Include clear CTA (what should they do next?)
• Match ad message to landing page (message match)
• Use numbers and specifics over vague claims
• Test emotional vs rational appeals

Video Production Standards

• H.264 codec, AAC audio, MP4 container
• Minimum 720p (1080p preferred)
• Subtitles/captions always (accessibility + sound-off viewing)
• Brand mention within first 5s (awareness) or at CTA (performance)

Brand Consistency Audit (Advisory)

Using ./branding.md, evaluate these dimensions. Results are advisory only — they appear as "Brand Consistency Notes" in the report but are NOT included in the health score.

Dimension	What to Check
Color compliance	Ad visuals use brand primary/secondary colors (hex match)
Typography	Headlines and body text match brand font guidelines
Tone alignment	Ad copy matches brand voice dimensions (formal/casual, etc.)
CTA consistency	CTAs match approved CTA list from branding.md
Visual style	Photography/illustration style matches brand guidelines
Forbidden elements	No forbidden words or elements present in ads
Audience match	Messaging addresses documented persona pain points

Creative Generation with Infographic v2

After the audit, when the production priority list identifies creatives to produce (static images, infographics, data visuals for ads), offer to generate them using /infographic-v2.

Flow:

1. Identify the highest-priority static creative gaps from the audit
2. Ask: "I can generate ad creatives for the top gaps using the infographic tool. Want me to start with [highest priority gap]?"
3. If yes, invoke /infographic-v2 — it will pick up ./branding.md for brand-consistent output
4. The infographic skill handles concept selection, visualization approach, and generation
5. After generation, return to the next creative gap or wrap up

What infographic-v2 uses from branding.md:

• Brand colors → color palette for the infographic
• Typography → font selection
• Visual style → style anchors
• Brand voice → headline and copy tone
• Approved CTAs → CTA text in ad creatives

Output

Creative Quality Report

Cross-Platform Creative Health

Google:     ████████░░  X/X checks passing
Meta:       ██████████  X/X checks passing
LinkedIn:   ███████░░░  X/X checks passing
TikTok:     █████░░░░░  X/X checks passing
Microsoft:  ████████░░  X/X checks passing

Deliverables

• CREATIVE-AUDIT-REPORT.md — Per-platform creative assessment
• Fatigue alerts (any creative past refresh cadence)
• Format diversity gaps per platform
• Production priority list (most impactful creative to produce next)
• Quick Wins (format conversions, CTA changes, Spark Ads setup)
• Generated ad creatives via infographic-v2 (if user opts in)