Why most ads fail to get noticed (and how to fix it)

The fact that you’re about to ignore this proves the very point of this article.
 
It doesn’t matter what this says – if you don’t read it, the content doesn’t matter. The same goes for your next ad. If nobody notices it, everything you’ve worked for is wasted.
 
Marketers and agencies invest weeks or months working on strategy and creative. Desk research. Data analysis. Strategy decks. Creative ideas. Rounds and rounds of feedback. groups.
 
During this time, most of the energy is focused on the micro detail, based on the assumption that people will, of course, see and notice the work. You wouldn’t spend all that time and effort otherwise, right?
 
And yet, when asked, 54% of marketers and three-quarters of agencies believe that most creative work doesn’t stand out.  

 

Source: The BetterIdeas Project.

Stop and think about that for a minute.
 
Most creative work gets ignored. And yet the industry acts like the opposite is true, pouring energy and money into making ignorable wallpaper.
 
Imagine if that happened in other areas of your life. Renovating? You’re building an extension upstairs - you work with architects and interior designers, employ specialist cabinet makers, painters and other craftspeople, investing tons of money. Then, when it’s finally complete, you have a party to celebrate… but hold it downstairs so most people walk past the stairs without realising the renovation is up there.
 
This happens in marketing all the time. Marketers and agencies obsess over the details, but forget to invite people in.
 
So, if everyone agrees that most creative work is ignored, why isn’t anything done about it?  

 
Why most work doesn’t cut through
 
1. People overestimate the importance of their own work. 
It’s human nature to place an inordinate amount of focus and value on things that matter most to us. Marketers and agencies spend so much time thinking about their brands that it’s easy to forget that everyone else doesn’t. However, 78% of brands could cease to exist tomorrow and people wouldn’t care (source: Havas Meaningful Brands, 2025).
 
The marketing world is not the real world. You must continually remind yourself of a harsh truth: customers are not as interested in your brand as you are.
 
2. The clutter isn’t just other ads
Brands aren’t just fighting for attention in ad breaks. They’re up against a tidal wave of content and entertainment. The competition for attention was a key topic at Cannes Lions 2025. Effectiveness expert Les Binet stressed that it has become the true driver of commercial success. His advice? “Stop thinking like marketers and start thinking like people.”
 
3. Making and assessing creative work is difficult
There’s a lot to consider when creating and evaluating ideas. Asking “Will this cut through?” is just part of the evaluation process, and it’s one of the easiest to overlook. Not surprising given marketers’ natural inclination is to look at more immediate things like messaging, tone, brand differentiation – and of course, gut feel.
 
But in fact, evaluating creating work is an overlooked and undervalued discipline. Few marketers have been trained to do it properly, giving a competitive advantage to those who have. 
 
 
How to make your next ad more effective
 
The first step is reminding yourself that most creative doesn’t cut through, and by that logic, the work you’re about to create probably won’t either – unless you make it a conscious goal.
 
The next step is to zoom out. Avoid the natural inclination to see the idea only through your own lens. Would your target audience stop and notice it?
 
If they wouldn’t, what would make them care? How can you get them to notice and earn their attention? This is a question that should always be asked at the brief writing stage as well as the creative evaluation stage. It’s fundamental to success. After all, if your audience doesn’t notice your ad, nothing else matters. Just like the proverbial tree falling in the forest, your ad won’t make a sound.