Kroger, Vidmob, and MMA Global took a year of Kroger's live ads, 1,934 of them across Meta and DV360, and looked for what the ads that converted had in common. The result is a set of 22 creative guidelines: 17 for DV360 and five for Meta. Ads that follow them convert at roughly four times the rate of ads that don't.
1,934
live ads across Meta and DV360
22
creative guidelines
4X
conversion rate for ads that follow them
Getting to 22 took a deliberately strict filter. The study tested 231 attribute levels, of which 105 passed standard statistical testing — confirming they genuinely influenced conversions rather than reflecting noise. A guideline only makes the list if it passes three separate tests: it moved real conversions, it held up in live-action creative, and the predictive model agreed. Guidelines were only finalized when all three converged; any guideline lacking full agreement was excluded.
This process yielded 22 validated guidelines across both platforms. On Meta, one guideline, a relatable human scenario, passed all three tests. The other four were directional: each passed two of the three tests, and none failed outright.
CREATIVE GUIDELINES
On DV360, ads that showed the product in the first three seconds converted worse. Open on the person or the moment, and bring the product in after.
On DV360, opening on a sound or voice-only hook underperformed. The first seconds have to work with the sound off.
On DV360, holding the logo until the end hurts conversions. On Meta, ads that only mentioned Kroger out loud and never showed it did worse.
On Meta, scenes without people were one of the strongest negative signals in the study. On DV360, a mix of live-action and graphics outperformed pure 3D animation.
THE RULE
Across both platforms, ads built around relatable human moments outperformed transaction-focused creative.
On DV360 the product still mattered—it’s important to show it clearly, just not in the first three seconds.
87%
of assets with a relatable human scenario landed in the top half of performers.
38%
did without one.
76%
Ads showing people reacting or enjoying the moment reached the top half
45%
without.
On Meta, 87% of assets with a relatable human scenario landed in the top half of performers. Without one, 38% did. Ads showing people reacting or enjoying the moment reached the top half 76% of the time, against 45% without. By quantifying the impact of specific creative attributes, Kroger is able to further validate its brand ethos and creative strategy to “Feed the Human Spirit.”
BUILT FROM REAL DATA
These rules come from Kroger's ads and Kroger's customers, not from a general best-practices list. Trained on 2025 data, the model sorted ads into high and low performers with 81% accuracy on later live data it hadn't seen. That makes the guidelines specific enough to check an asset against before it ships.
81%
accuracy on later live data it hadn't seen
THE BUDGET IMPACT
About half of Kroger's media spend was running behind low-scoring creative. Conversions from high-scoring ads cost roughly 70% less, and on DV360 the low scorers also carried a higher CPM. Moving spend toward the high scorers, with no new creative made, could deliver up to 2.2x the conversions from the same budget..
~50%
of Kroger's media spend was running behind low-scoring creative
70%
less for conversions from high-scoring ads
2.2x
the conversions from the same budget
When feedback comes down to taste, a guideline validated on a year of live results is a better thing to bring to the room. It works in both directions. If an asset scores low, you find out before launch instead of after the spend.
PRE-FLIGHT CHECK
With these guidelines in hand it’s quick to determine whether your assets are built for success.
Is there a person in the frame, in a situation the viewer would recognize from their own week?
Is someone reacting or enjoying, rather than posing with the product?
Does the first frame work with the sound off, with no pack shot in the first three seconds?
Is the brand visible on screen, not held to the end or only spoken?
Have you briefed against the platform's guidelines before concepting?
Has the asset been scored before launch?
CREATIVE SCORING
Vidmob's creative scoring is a simple, easy to use mechanism to manage, protect, and maintain creative excellence by establishing and enforcing creative best practice criteria via machine learning. In-flight scoring batches live creative against digital platform best practices, while pre-flight scoring batches creative before it goes live. Pre-flight scoring should be prioritized to ensure you are running the best-built creative before a single dollar is spent.
In-flight scoring
batches live creative against digital platform best practices
Pre-flight scoring
batches creative before it goes live
Where this really comes to life is when teams begin to layer on custom guidelines for a brand, driven by their own creative and performance data. What messaging resonates for your audience? What hook timing works for your category? These become your unique fingerprint, grounded in data, not opinion. Media and creative teams can make decisions based on the creative tactics that actually drive intended outcomes, not just guesswork.