New research from Perion and EMARKETER points to an underutilised performance lever in most marketing campaigns, and it's not media spend, targeting, or AI. It's creative.
The Creative Optimization Gap, a survey of 111 US agency and marketing professionals, found that nearly 9 in 10 marketers agree creative is important for campaign performance. Yet only 3.6% say it's well understood and actively optimised. Almost half of respondents (48.7%) believe that if creative could be optimised and activated in near real time, they'd see an 11 - 30% performance lift. One in four expect gains exceeding 20%.
The report identifies three core problems: slow feedback loops, disconnected platforms, and unclear ownership. Over half of marketers (53.2%) say creative insights arrive slower than media signals. Some 41.4% don't receive feedback until two to four weeks after launch. And 72% wait for a performance decline before making any creative changes.
The solution isn't just faster tools - it's about assigning clear ownership, building modular creative that can be swapped rather than rebuilt, and using AI as a connective layer across channels and campaigns. AI adoption is growing and over half of those surveyed (54.1%) plan to invest in AI-powered creative systems within the next 12 months. However, trust and integration remain barriers.
For NZ brands and agencies having to do more with less, this research offers a useful global insight into how creative can be optimised more effectively. For more information please reach out to Olivia Hay, Marketing Manager Perion ANZ oliviah@perion.com
Find the full report below.
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