The creative type that’s printing money for e-commerce brands in 2025

Summary

In this insightful video, Jordan West, CEO of Social Commerce Club, dives deep into creative diversity strategies for Meta, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. He emphasizes the importance of diversifying ad formats, concepts, talent, and placements to break through the noise and reach new audiences. By using formats like video, carousels, and creator-driven content, and leveraging tools like Meta's Advantage Plus and TikTok Shop, brands can scale effectively. Jordan also shares his expertise on testing new creative ideas, responding to feedback, and adapting to platform-specific needs to drive success.

Takeaways

• 😀 Creative diversity is key to success on Meta and TikTok. It involves using various formats, concepts, and placements to reach new audiences without increasing customer acquisition costs (CAC).
• 😀 Video, carousel, and collection ads are effective formats for prospecting and should be diversified across multiple platforms like Meta and TikTok.
• 😀 The algorithm thrives on creative diversity. The more varied the content, the better it performs in finding new pockets of demand.
• 😀 Platforms like TikTok Shop help brands better understand customer sentiment and how people interact with their products, which aids in scaling.
• 😀 TikTok Shop’s GMVAX campaign type is designed to help brands scale by focusing on diverse creator content and tapping into various creator demographics and angles.
• 😀 YouTube Shorts is an emerging platform for top-of-funnel content, with low CPMs and ample growth opportunities. If something works on TikTok, it’s worth testing on YouTube Shorts.
• 😀 The 'concept bank' is a crucial strategy for creating diverse and engaging content, including social proof, trust-building, educational product demos, and founder-led content.
• 😀 Social proof and trust-building concepts include UGC testimonials, review walls, before-and-after timelines, and creator reactions to third-party reviews.
• 😀 For product education, use formats like problem-solution demos, listicles, how-tos, comparison videos, and mythbusters to highlight the product's value.
• 😀 Creative formats should be platform-specific. Instead of making traditional ads, focus on creating content that aligns with each platform’s culture and user behavior. Diversify content to reach broader audiences.

Q & A

What is the main point Jordan West is trying to convey about cold traffic?

Jordan emphasizes that cold traffic is often ineffective because many marketers fail to diversify their ad creatives and formats. Instead of just iterating on one ad, it's important to experiment with different creative formats and placements to reach new audiences.

What does 'creative diversity' mean in the context of Meta and TikTok Shop advertising?

'Creative diversity' refers to using different formats, concepts, talents, and lengths of ads. This includes experimenting with video, image, carousel, and collection formats, as well as different types of content such as testimonials, problem-solution, or educational pieces. It’s about offering variety to the algorithm to reach new pockets of demand.

How does Meta’s advantage plus creative system work?

Meta’s advantage plus creative system varies the format and creative for each individual user to improve relevance. The system aims for complete personalized advertising, meaning no duplicates for each user, which is in line with Mark Zuckerberg's plan for personalized ads across platforms.

Why does Jordan West stress the importance of 'flex ads'?

Jordan believes 'flex ads' are the future of advertising because they are versatile and enable creative diversity. Flex ads allow for a wider variety of creative types within a single ad, ensuring that the algorithm has access to diverse content to better optimize for performance.

What is the significance of TikTok Shop's GMVAX campaign type?

As of July 2025, GMVAX is TikTok Shop’s default and only supported campaign type for new creation. Jordan stresses that this type of campaign allows advertisers to focus on scaling by tapping into diverse creator content and ad strategies that appeal to different audience segments.

What role does 'creator diversity' play in advertising on TikTok Shop?

Creator diversity is essential for expanding reach on TikTok Shop. It means working with a variety of creators, not just a single type or set of creators, to create different ad angles and to appeal to a broader audience. This includes diversity in age, style, and how creators use or showcase the product.

Why does Jordan encourage brands to test successful TikTok ads on other platforms like Meta and YouTube Shorts?

Jordan suggests testing successful TikTok ads on Meta and YouTube Shorts because these platforms are great for top-of-funnel marketing. YouTube Shorts, in particular, has low CPMs right now and is a valuable channel for expanding brand visibility at an affordable cost.

What types of content are included in Jordan's 'concept bank'?

Jordan's 'concept bank' includes a variety of creative approaches for ads such as social proof (UGC testimonials, review montages), educational content (problem-solution demos, comparison videos), and brand-focused content (founder videos, expert explainers). These concepts help brands diversify their ad content to keep it fresh and engaging.

How does Jordan suggest handling negative customer reviews in advertising?

Jordan advises reacting to negative customer reviews in a fun and engaging way, such as creating response videos or memes. This shows the brand’s human side and can turn potentially negative feedback into positive, engaging content that resonates with audiences.

What is the significance of carousel ads and how can they be used effectively?

Carousel ads are a powerful tool for showcasing multiple aspects of a product or service in one ad. They can be used to demonstrate step-by-step use cases, features, before-and-after transformations, or customer reviews. Jordan highlights the importance of using carousels in a way that provides both information and engagement, especially for industries like health and beauty.