5 levels of ads, from forgettable to unforgettable
What moves an ad from scrolled past to remembered.
Ricky · Advertising specialist
· 4 min read
Most ads aren't bad. They're forgettable, which costs the same. When we review ad creative, we place it on a five-level ladder, and the goal on every brief is to move the ad at least one level up.
Level 1: It exists
A logo, a product photo and a discount. It looks like an ad, so people scroll past it like an ad. It runs, it spends, and it leaves no trace.
Plenty of ads stop here because they're technically correct: the logo is right, the product is shown, the discount is real. Nothing is wrong with them, and nothing about them stands out.
Level 2: It's clear
One offer, readable in a second on a phone. The product is obvious, the text is big enough and the ask is plain. Clarity alone puts an ad ahead of much of what's in the feed.
A quick test: show the ad to someone for one second on a phone, then ask what it was selling. If they can't say, it's still level one.
Level 3: It's specific
The ad speaks to one kind of person about one problem. “Comfortable shoes” is level two. “Shoes for nurses on twelve-hour shifts” is level three. A specific ad speaks to fewer people, and means a lot more to the ones it reaches.
Level 4: It belongs in the feed
The ad is made for the place it runs. Vertical for stories and reels, readable with the sound off, with the key message in the first frame instead of the last. It feels like part of the feed rather than an interruption, so people give it a few more seconds.
The same idea usually needs a different execution for each placement. A banner that works on a website can feel stiff in a story.
Level 5: It's remembered
The ad carries something people recall later: a line, a character or a look that belongs to the brand and shows up the same way every time. Level five is rarely one ad. It's what builds up when many clear, specific, well-made ads share the same signature.
Where to aim
Not every ad needs to reach level five. Most brands get further by making every ad clear, specific and native to its channel, and by keeping the same voice and look across all of them, so the memorable part builds over time.
That consistency is easier when it's written down. Your Brand DNA holds the voice, the visuals and the audience, and every ad request starts from it, so the hundredth ad still looks and sounds like the first.
When an ad gets stuck, ask which level it's on and what the next one up would need. The fix is often small: a sharper first line, a more specific audience, a vertical cut.