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🧠 Stop Creating Ads the Old Way (Do This Instead)

The workflow shift that's helping brands produce more creative at a fraction of the cost

Author

Alec Newcomb
May 21, 2025 • Reading Time: 5 minutes

In partnership with

Hello...Hello! 👋🏻

Remember when creating a single video ad cost $6,000+ and took weeks?

Those days are over, but only if you're willing to rethink your creative process…

The Traditional vs. AI-Native Creative Process 👀

Most marketing teams are still using an outdated workflow:

  1. Create a creative brief (that nobody reads)

  2. Send to creative agency ($$$$)

  3. Wait 2-3 weeks

  4. Get back 2-3 concepts

  5. Make revisions (more $$$)

  6. Launch ad

  7. Hope it works

90% of marketers are using AI wrong - they're bolting it onto an outdated process rather than reimagining the entire workflow. You have a PhD-level coworker in AI. How are you using them to rethink your Creative Process?

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The AI-Native Creative Process: 7 Steps to Better Results 7️⃣

Here's the streamlined process I've implemented that's delivering 20X the creative output at a fraction of the cost:

  1. Research - Use AI to analyze Meta Ad Library, Google Ad Transparency Center, Reddit, competitor ads, reviews, and customer pain points

  2. Persona Development - Create clear audience segments (Use free MA persona template)

  3. Ideation - Generate 10-15 concepts across using multiple psychological frameworks

  4. Scripting/Copy - Develop 2-4 versions with different hooks and CTAs

  5. AI Rendering/Production - Create multiple variants in Canva, Midjourney, Sora, or HeyGen.

  6. QA, Edit & Refinement - Human QA/edit, review for brand voice, and emotional resonance

  7. Test & Learn - Launch more variants (budget allowing) to gather data faster on what stops the scroll 

The secret is shifting from "one perfect ad" to scaling "many good ads" that you can let the Meta and Google algorithms test for you.

Quick Win: Start With Better Research 💥

💡 Pro Tip: Run these prompts twice - once at the beginning of your planning process and once before finalizing creative. You'll catch insights you missed the first time. And try ChatGPT for one and Claude/Grok for the other.

Your 15-Minute Action Plan 🤝

  1. Choose one product/service to focus your ad creative on

  2. Run the Competitive Ad Analysis prompt using 3 competitors

  3. Extract 3 unique selling points that your competitors are missing

  4. Create your first AI-native ad using the frameworks above

Doing even this simplified version will put you ahead of 80% of marketers who are still stuck using AI tools to accelerate the old ways. It's you and AI. 

AI handles the busy-work, humans handle empathy.

Ready to reimagine your creative process? Start with one channel and scale from there.

Cheers,

Alec

P.S. I'm giving a talk at UNH this Thursday covering this topic in depth. If you're in the area, come say hello!

P.P.S. WARNING > Don’t automate your brand superpower. Just the busy-work. Have questions on getting this right? Talk to Tim.

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