Ad of the Month - Motorola
We are months past the iPhone 17 keynote, yet the industry giants are still fighting a war over engineering specs. Apple is filling the airwaves with claims about "vapour cooling" and "aluminium unibodies," while Samsung has joined the technical arms race to promote the Fold's processing power and the S25 Ultra's AI zoom.
But are big brands wasting money talking about specs that consumers find boring?
Our data suggests they might be. We dug deeper into the last month's performance, and the results reveal that for the general public, this technical density backfired. While competitors focused on explaining the phone's advanced capabilities, the ads failed to drive significant lift in Purchase Consideration or Intent.
Meanwhile, Motorola quietly stole the show.
At Human Made Machine, we tell you whether your creative will be effective with your target audience. This is crucial, as creative contributes up to 70% of a campaign's success. We test thousands of creatives each month in realistic, simulated media environments using the gold standard of control/exposed experiments to predict real-world impact. To dig deeper into performance, we collect qualitative and quantitative data, analyzing what works - and why.
The Winner: Motorola Razr Vertical
In a sea of sleek black phones touting their superior specs, Motorola stood out by doing something radical. “They threw a bright pink phone into the pool!” The ad featured a woman clipping the Razr to her swimsuit and diving headfirst into a swimming pool. It shows a real-world scenario, managing to demonstrate that it is water-resistant, and associates it with fun.
This strategy achieves a two-fold benefit. First, it differentiates the ad from competitors who are busy lecturing viewers on hardware advancements. Second, it showcases a useful feature (waterproofing) without saying a word. This allowed Motorola to use upbeat, summery audio rather than a dry voiceover. This choice helped secure its place as a top performer in our Distinctiveness pillar and drove significant lifts from Awareness to Intent.
“I like the ad is straight to the point and short and that is important in today’s world. People have short attention spans.”
“I like that it shows its features such as you can take a selfie with the phone closed and it comes in pink and it seems to be a waterproof phone.”
Honorable Mentions: Functional Clarity
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Product Shot
Samsung kept it simple with audio cues, focusing on the satisfying snap of the phone folding and unfolding, which it is known for.
Viewers liked it for being "short and to the point" and "focused on the phone rather than what's going on around". While it lacked the distinctiveness of the Motorola winner, it proved that a clear demonstration of a single feature (the flip) is enough to drive Purchase Intent.
“I like the design of having the screen fold. New technology is nice.”
Motorola Edge Vertical
Motorola followed the same successful recipe for their Edge model. This spot featured engaging skater visuals to showcase the phone's edge display and camera capabilities. Viewers described it as "fun and engaging" and "appealing to the eye". By matching the visual action (curving skaters) to the product feature (curved screen), they made the benefit stick.
“Interesting ad, colours, noticed people curving on skateboards, fits in with the phone. Nothing to dislike.”
In a month of heavy technical claims, Motorola won by keeping it simple. By avoiding jargon, focusing on the tangible benefit of waterproofing, and using high-energy visuals to grab attention, they cut through the noise to deliver a huge brand lift. This confirms a hunch we had back in August, when Samsung’s winning smartphone ad eschewed AI features to put the focus on the Galaxy Fold’s premium design. We tip our hat to the Razr for mastering the art of the simple sell.
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