Advertising on social media has revolutionized the way companies can reach and interact with potential customers. Brands can choose to run ads that aim to achieve specific objectives, but it comes at a cost. Strategizing properly is crucial for these brands so no funds go wasted. Every ad’s budget should strive to support increasing brand awareness, increasing audience engagement, or driving conversions.

To see a positive return on investment, it’s important for brands to optimize their strategies properly. By continuously looking at the metrics of an ad campaign, companies can see what tactics work for their audience versus what doesn’t. Launching an ad and immediately stepping away is no better than taking a shot at the dark. Continuous optimization is necessary for the success of any ad campaign.

As an example, I’ve chosen to analyze a wet n’ wild advertisement and suggest strategies that can optimize the campaign’s success. I found this ad on Meta’s Ad Library, which shows any ads currently running on Facebook or Instagram. 

Ad Analysis

To determine whether an ad is performing at its best, it is important to analyze key elements such as the campaign’s objective, creative execution, audience targeting, and expected performance benchmarks.

Below is an analysis of the wet n wild ad and what we can gather about their strategies.

Campaign Objective: Conversions

This ad seems to be primarily focused on increasing sales due to specific products being featured and a “Shop Now” link included at the bottom. Because the caption is the same for each product, it may be vague on purpose to encourage viewers to explore further. This strategy can be an effective way to increase traffic to the website and encourage those who click through to make a purchase.

Creative Elements

This ad has multiple sizing options of the same image to support different advertisement spaces.The image includes one model and leans into elements such as scales and multicolor type to support the product’s chameleon characteristics. This ad focuses on strong color and direct product placement to capture a viewer’s attention. The copy aligns with wet n wild’s brand identity of inclusivity and creative freedom by encouraging customers to “be who you want to be in Chameleon Chrome.” The use of colorful emojis within the text is another tactic that catches the eye and encourages the audience to read the full caption.

Targeting Assumptions

The creative elements of this ad seem to target a relatively specific audience. The ad reminds me of Lisa Frank, which caters to a wide age range because it’s nostalgic for millennials and retro for current tweens.This ad could target a wide range of predominantly women aged 10 to 40 who enjoy colorful makeup. The age range could be even wider due to the product’s affordability and convenience. The copy and imagery provided by this ad cater to those who like to transform themselves with makeup. The ad is likely intended to reach users who engage with other cosmetic brands and makeup content.

Industry Benchmarks

Wordstream shows that Facebook’s average benchmarks for the beauty and personal care industry are currently:

1.16% click-through rate (CTR)

$1.81 cost-per-click (CPC)

7.10% conversion rate (CVR)

$25.49 cost per lead (CPA)

Possible Optimizations

Wet n wild’s ad campaign for their Chameleon Chrome products has room to drive more conversions by refining a few of its tactics. First, the verbiage of the copy and call to action button can be revised to draw more attention from their audience. “Available NOW at Walmart” is included at the bottom of the caption, but lacks an effective call to action. Changing this to a tagline along the lines of “Shift your look, your way. Now at Walmart.” adds personality and intrigues the audience to act. The phrase “Find Chameleon (highlighter) at Walmart” can also be changed to something like “Unlock your new form with Chameleon Chrome Highlighter” to entice viewers to click through to the website.

Because this ad’s visual is the same for all four products, there is no way to differentiate the shades. Using a different model for each shade would create more visual interest for the viewer and provide more information about what each option offers. Assigning different taglines or characteristics for each shade would give viewers the ability to choose which one they align with, which creates an additional form of engagement. Turning these images into short videos would also provide more information to the viewer and encourage the audience to pause on the advertisement.

Creating effective advertising requires brands to continuously monitor and adjust their strategies to reach their ideal audience; there is always a next step. By implementing the suggestions above, wet n wild’s Chameleon Chrome line can make their way into countless vanities.