Ad Creative Analysis

Analyze a directory of competitor or reference ad creatives. Produce a per-creative JSON analysis and a cross-creative pattern summary.

Step 1 — Accept Inputs

Expect one of:

A directory path containing image files (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .webp, .gif) and/or video files (.mp4, .mov, .avi, .webm)
An optional metadata.json file in that directory with fields per filename: platform, spend, duration_days, impressions, format

If no path is given, ask the user: "Please provide the directory path containing the ad creatives."

List all files in the directory. Separate into image ads and video ads. Log the count of each before proceeding.

Step 2 — Analyze Image Ads

For each image file, use vision/image analysis to evaluate the following.

Design Evaluation

Assess these five dimensions:

Visual hierarchy — Is the eye drawn to the right element first? Is there a clear focal point?
Color usage — Does the palette create contrast, evoke emotion, and maintain brand coherence?
Text overlay readability — Is copy legible at a glance? Font size, contrast, placement?
CTA prominence — Is the call-to-action visually distinct, clearly placed, and easy to act on?
Brand consistency — Logo placement, color adherence, font alignment with brand identity.

Image Scores (1-10 each)

attention_grab — How fast and strongly does the creative stop a scroll?
message_clarity — How clearly is the core message communicated without needing context?
cta_strength — How compelling and action-oriented is the CTA?

Image Extraction

Extract:

primary_message — The single core thing this ad is communicating (one sentence)
emotion_appeal — One of: fear, aspiration, social_proof, urgency, curiosity, humor, trust, belonging, exclusivity
target_audience — Inferred from visuals, copy, and context (e.g., "women 25-35 interested in fitness")
hook_text — The first piece of copy the eye lands on (headline or main text)

Step 3 — Analyze Video Ads

For each video file, analyze the video directly using vision. If a transcript file exists alongside the video (same filename, .txt or .srt extension), read and use it.

Video Evaluation

Assess these four dimensions:

Hook quality (first 3 seconds) — Does it immediately create curiosity, shock, or recognition? Would someone stop scrolling?
Script structure — Does it follow a logical persuasion arc (problem, solution, proof, CTA)?
Pacing — Is the editing rhythm appropriate for platform and audience? Not too slow or rushed?
CTA placement — Is the call-to-action clear, timed well, and repeated if needed?

Video Scale Score (1-10)

Assign a single scale_score representing the ad's viral and engagement potential at scale:

9-10: Exceptional hook, tight script, clear CTA. Likely to perform well at high spend.
7-8: Strong fundamentals, minor weaknesses. Good candidate for testing.
5-6: Average execution. Needs a stronger hook or clearer CTA before scaling.
3-4: Core idea present but poor execution. Requires significant rework.
1-2: Unlikely to perform. Fundamental issues with hook, message, or CTA.

See references/analysis-framework.md for detailed scale score rubric.

Video Extraction

Extract:

hook_text — Exact words spoken or shown in the first 3 seconds
hook_type — One of: question, bold_claim, pain_point, curiosity_gap, social_proof, before_after, demonstration
main_message — The core value proposition stated in the ad
emotion_appeal — One of: fear, aspiration, social_proof, urgency, curiosity, humor, trust, belonging, exclusivity
cta_text — The exact CTA spoken or shown
cta_timing — When the CTA appears (e.g., "end", "middle", "repeated throughout")

Step 4 — Universal Metadata (All Ad Types)

For every creative, regardless of type, record:

filename — The file name
ad_format — One of: single_image, carousel, video, story, reel
aspect_ratio — Detected or inferred (e.g., 1:1, 9:16, 16:9, 4:5)
dimensions — Width x height in pixels if detectable
ad_objective — Inferred from content and CTA: awareness, consideration, or conversion
platform_fit — Which platforms this format and ratio suits best (e.g., ["Instagram Feed", "Facebook Feed"])

Step 5 — Output Per-Creative JSON

Output one JSON object per creative. Print all results together in a single JSON array.

Image ad example structure

{
  "filename": "ad_001.jpg",
  "type": "image",
  "ad_format": "single_image",
  "aspect_ratio": "1:1",
  "dimensions": "1080x1080",
  "ad_objective": "conversion",
  "platform_fit": ["Instagram Feed", "Facebook Feed"],
  "scores": {
    "attention_grab": 8,
    "message_clarity": 7,
    "cta_strength": 9
  },
  "primary_message": "Lose 10kg in 30 days without giving up your favourite food",
  "emotion_appeal": "aspiration",
  "target_audience": "Women 28-45 who have tried dieting before",
  "hook_text": "Still counting calories? There's a better way."
}

Video ad example structure

{
  "filename": "ad_002.mp4",
  "type": "video",
  "ad_format": "video",
  "aspect_ratio": "9:16",
  "dimensions": "1080x1920",
  "ad_objective": "consideration",
  "platform_fit": ["TikTok", "Instagram Reels", "Facebook Reels"],
  "scale_score": 8,
  "hook_text": "I was $40,000 in debt until I found this",
  "hook_type": "before_after",
  "main_message": "This budgeting app helped me pay off debt in 18 months",
  "emotion_appeal": "fear",
  "cta_text": "Download free — link in bio",
  "cta_timing": "end"
}

Step 6 — Generate Cross-Creative Summary

After analyzing all creatives, produce a summary object appended to the output. Include:

total_analyzed — Count of creatives analyzed (split by type)
top_performers — Filenames of the top 3 creatives by score (images by average score, videos by scale score)
dominant_emotion — Most frequently detected emotion appeal across all ads
common_hooks — List of recurring hook patterns or phrases observed
cta_patterns — Most common CTA structures seen (e.g., "verb + free + urgency")
dominant_objective — Most common inferred ad objective
format_breakdown — Count per ad format
recommendations — 3-5 actionable observations for improving or scaling these creatives

Summary example structure

{
  "summary": {
    "total_analyzed": { "images": 5, "videos": 3 },
    "top_performers": ["ad_004.jpg", "ad_002.mp4", "ad_007.jpg"],
    "dominant_emotion": "aspiration",
    "common_hooks": [
      "Question-based hook challenging a common belief",
      "Before/after framing in first sentence"
    ],
    "cta_patterns": [
      "Shop now + scarcity signal",
      "Free trial + no credit card"
    ],
    "dominant_objective": "conversion",
    "format_breakdown": { "single_image": 4, "video": 3, "carousel": 1 },
    "recommendations": [
      "Hooks are strong but CTAs lack urgency — test adding 'today only' or limited quantity",
      "All videos open with talking head — test a demonstration hook for variety",
      "Aspiration dominates — test a fear/pain angle to broaden audience response"
    ]
  }
}

Step 7 — Handle Missing or Unreadable Files

If a file cannot be analyzed (corrupted, unsupported format, too dark/blurry for vision):

Include the filename in the output with "status": "unreadable" and a brief "reason" field
Continue analyzing remaining files, do not stop

Reference Material

Consult skills/ad-creative-analysis/references/analysis-framework.md for:

Detailed scoring rubrics per metric
Ad psychology pattern definitions
Hook formula templates
Extended example output