Productivity ads usually play it safe, showing a professional at a laptop getting a task done faster. Canva went the other way and built its latest ad around an opera-singing squirrel. We asked HMM AI whether that strategy will pay off.
Skincare ads reliably use two devices: a famous face, or a lab-style demo of the product at work. This month, testing Thai skincare TV against women aged 18–55, both were in full force — and the ad that won wasn't decided by which trick it used, but by how convincingly it pulled it off.
Celebrity wattage usually wins fragrance ads. Not this time. We tested 11 Turkish fragrance creatives this month, and the ad that beat Emma Watson and Kendall Jenner used no celebrity at all.
In Indonesia, TikTok and creator culture have transformed local commerce, but driving real purchase consideration still comes down to creative clarity. Our latest Ad of the Month breakdown shows how Dove came out on top by skipping the usual social media drama and anchoring its winning message in a simple, hyper-focused product demonstration.
India's skincare market has become a science competition. The brands that won with consumers this month are the ones who remembered what the science is actually for.
In India, smartphones may start looking identical on paper, but the ads behind them still have the power to create difference. Our latest Ad of the Month breakdown shows how Samsung shifted away from hardware claims and anchored its message in a simple, relatable moment: privacy during the daily commute.
Engagement metrics don't prove brand growth, but brand lift studies do. Discover why pretesting is essential for connecting creative to business results.
Join Human Made Machine and Ad Age on May 7th to learn how the world’s most progressive brands use data to eliminate guesswork and convert high-risk ideas into high-probability successes.
How What3words partnered with HMM to
How the BBC leverages HMM to validate premium media environments and de-risk their clients’ creative strategies.
Learn how VW used HMM to De-Risk their strategy and help optimise the creative execution
Learn how a three-phased framework for creative excellence has delivered record growth for Coach.
In Brazil, the haircare market is a crowded space dominated by global juggernauts and long-standing homegrown brands. This Ad of the Month reveals how Skala achieved an 18-point brand lift to beat out powerhouses like Pantene and L’Oreal by tapping into Brazilian culture and pride surrounding Carnival in Rio.
Brazil’s beauty market is a scientific battleground where "skintellectuals" demand more than just flashy claims. This Ad of the Month reveals how Dove achieved a 12-point brand lift by transforming a beloved Rio landmark into a powerful metaphor for skin restoration.
While tech giants fought over engineering specs, Motorola quietly stole the show. Our data reveals that "technical density" backfired with audiences, while Motorola's simple, high-energy approach drove significant lifts in Purchase Intent. See how the Razr mastered the art of the simple sell.
Christmas advertising is a high-stakes masterclass in emotional storytelling. Learn how the season's top performers move beyond the transactional to create lasting brand connections by leveraging nostalgia, togetherness, and the spirit of giving.
Luxury ads often sell a mood, but LOEWE sold a feeling. Our latest Ad of the Month reveals how LOEWE successfully drove brand lift by focusing on sensory and tactile elements - making the product the star - to communicate premium quality and build awareness in a competitive market.
Chinese travelers are driving demand for authentic, emotionally resonant experiences. Our Ad of the Month shows how Hilton successfully achieved massive brand lift by focusing on relatable human moments and stand-out visual storytelling in this high-growth market.
Has AI cracked the code for ad effectiveness… for itself? While shiny new features were once the darling of AI adoption, our September Ad of the Month suggests that leading with purpose over novelty may be the way to go for genuine brand growth.
The smartphone market is fiercely contested, and strong creative and messaging are essential for winning with consumers. Brands have focused more and more on AI integrations - but our August Ad of the Month suggests they should consider flipping the script, highlighting premium hardware design instead.
Japan remains one of the most challenging markets for global brands, as campaigns that perform well in the West often struggle to connect with local audiences. In this issue of Ad of the Month, we look at how beauty brands build resonance in Japan by tapping into cultural cues and fostering confidence and aspiration among women.
How can retailers build their brands and influence people’s deeply habitual shopping behavior? Our June Ad of the Month suggests one strategy is to first understand the audience's needs at a given moment (e.g. the run up to Father’s Day!), and then strike a chord by addressing these needs directly but with creativity.
What does it take to sell a $2000 handbag? We analysed recent ads from luxury brands Louis Vuitton, Longchamp, Gucci and more to uncover what drives consideration - and why most ads failed to breakthrough. This month's winning creative showed that you don't need to reinvent the wheel to be successful.
At Human Made Machine we're committed to delivering human-centered insights. As AI becomes more accessible, so too has its use among survey-takers, contributing to a rise in survey fraud. In this blog we look at how this affects data quality and what can be done to eliminate it.
We are often asked about what celebrities our clients should choose for their ads - and how best to use them to engage audiences. This month, we looked at recent YouTube ads in the beauty sector. Our Ad of the Month showcases how a big name can advocate for and amplify a brand without overshadowing it.
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This blog analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of two Puma ads: AI-generated versus human-created. We celebrate the ability of AI to do a good job, but also the pure creativity that humans alone can bring to drive brand salience.
Digital marketing moves fast. CMOs need to captivate audiences and drive meaningful brand engagement but face real uncertainty. That's where Creative Pre-Testing comes in. This article will show you the data behind Creative Pre-Testing's impact on campaign performance.
There's no doubt about it, this creative is not shy. The branding is borderline shouty, but some friendly banter helps engage viewers. This months winning creative was the Xfinity ad, demonstrating a high likelihood of driving incremental awareness.
A global program to optimize Google's brand marketing through creative testing and optimization
Google Search developed a concept strategy that leveraged the NFL Sunday Ticket, featuring famous NFL players, to promote its Google Search functionality (Google Lens). The team wanted to understand the concepts’ potential impact on the KPI and how to optimize it.
To measure the impact of the custom content, we built a simulated Guardian experience, featuring 140 different “Pegasus” approved articles. Respondents could choose an article to read, triggering the contextual elements of the ad and replicating the contextual relevance of the true ad.
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