Most teams say they have a creative strategy. But if you listen closely, what they really have is a creative production plan.
Over time, I’ve noticed three ways teams think about creatives. And which one they’re at usually shapes performance.
Stage 1: counting creatives
(Where I never wanted to sell my ad production service as)
This is the “how many can you produce for us?” stage. It’s an output mindset. Teams think in cost per creative, not cost per winner.
The problem: quantity without insight just raises your creative waste.
I’ve seen thousands spent on hundreds of creatives that produced exactly one winner, sometimes none. This mindset is especially common in app success stories built on cheap Gen-Z-style TikToks.
Cheap production is expensive.
Stage 2: chasing IPM
(Where I used to be)
A more articulate mindset.
Here, you optimize for performance: measuring installs per mille (IPM), cost per install (CPI), and iterating toward efficiency. Better IPM and lower CPI often lead to better ROAS. It’s true.
At this level, data begins to guide design. You learn which messages, tones, or visual cues perform. You trim the fat, improve the funnel, and find your base hits.
But this stage has a ceiling. It’s still about what works, not why it works.
Stage 3: emotional connection
(Where I am striving to be)
This is where the good teams live. You stop chasing metrics and start chasing meaning.
People don’t install because of mechanics. They install because something clicks.
Because your ad doesn’t only describe the app, it also mirrors how they want to feel. That’s when you see strange data patterns: same IPM, same CPI, but suddenly 20% of installs become purchases instead of 5%. Seen it already multiple times in my accounts.
Same IPM, same CPI. The share of installs that turn into purchases is what moves.
It’s why you see freezing people, annoying owls, or trapped kings. These moments make people feel something.
Look at the top 3 gaming ads of the last 90 days in AppMagic’s rankings (subscription apps are no different): the first asks your IQ, the others ask you to save bears and save the town.
That’s why car ads talk about you taking yourself on an adventure, not the car taking you there. Function is hygiene. Emotion is what moves people.
Emotion makes your creative sticky. It gives people an anchor, a reason to open the app and make their first purchase. And in a world where AI can generate a thousand ads a day, thinking about them becomes your unfair advantage.