Loop vs Calmer — Who nailed paid ads?

What's up, Marketers! This is Aazar.

This newsletter is about leveling up your paid growth marketing skills by analyzing the best brands' paid strategy, tactics, positioning, and value props.

This newsletter is divided into:

• Sharing what I've learned

• Sometimes, sharing some other performance marketers’ lessons with you

• And I analyze & compare the best ads on the internet (this issue)

Last week, I asked this question and overwhelmingly received a positive response.

I’ve decided to make a pro version of this newsletter. Thank you to everyone who gave their input.

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1. My experiments, insights & data (a peak into how I operate)

2. Video & image ads experiments with insights

3. A clear ad format you can steal (or copy)

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Welcome to the Paid Social Performance Battle.

The showdown is where your favorite brands compete to see who wins on paid social.

How it Works

1. I compare two paid social Facebook Ads library accounts and see who is killing it

2. You vote for your favorite for a chance to win a prize (worth €1068)

If you missed that newsletter, you can find it here. Last time’s winner was Ryze, but it was close:

This week, I wanted to do a typical paid social product but mostly nice-to-have with AOV around $50.

That’s the sweet spot. 

At the end of this battle, we’ll know how to:

1. Turn nice to give into must-have

2. Replicate their playbook for ads

All I can guarantee is that you’ll have one or two more concrete ad ideas to implement. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll only pick 3 ads and analyze and apply the best ideas.

For this Paid Social Performance Battle, I’ve picked Loop vs Calmer. 

Note: For a better understanding of the ads, I recommend watching them first. These ads are hosted on Atria (a platform that lets me save ads for inspiration even after the brands delete them. They also have a 5mn + ad discovery feature where I find good ad concepts worth stealing. I recently moved to this platform because it lets me spy on brands I love, review mining, and creative concept creation – concept to script to brief. It’s my all-in-one creative strategy tool now.)

Let’s see how they differ from each other:

The Positioning

Loop simply lowers the volume of sound.

Calmer changes the way sound enters the ear altogether.

Ads that appeal

Loop

Ad # 1 – Demonstrate

This ad has been running for more than 42 days, so it is proven. Let’s tear it down:

What immediately stands out:

• With music & sound, it was easy to demonstrate the feature.

• Within 2 seconds, you learn what the product is and what it does.

• You get three features: Quiet, experience, and engage (and you don’t need to remove them).

What we can steal & learn:

• Close your eyes and think about what’s the most demonstrable feature you can get people to understand in less than a second….Done? Now, try that with your new ad hook and concept. (We usually underestimate the power of music and sound. We have five senses; advertising can reach more than one. I’ve seen my ads with music work better than those without music.)

• Challenge yourself to make an ad like this in 15 seconds.

Ad # 2 – Analogy with the hook

This ad has been running for more than 75 days, so it is proven. Let’s tear it down:

What immediately stands out:

• Verbal hook: These are like weighted blankets for your ears. 10/10 on analogy.

• Visual hook: The scroll magic trick got me watching.

• The use of AI voice-over trend-

• They’re using the Hook + Before +  FAB formula for the script (Features, Advantages, Benefits) + CTA.

• The visuals are telling since you use such products while traveling. 

• Also, it’s a whitelisted ads from Savvyfinds (Savvanah Sanchez’s agency)

What we can steal & learn:

• I love both visual and verbal hooks – I’d steal both of them.

• Script formula is very easy to replicate – I wouldn’t hesitate to copy.

• I loved how the words and visuals got along – Stealing this tactic.

• Use AI voice-over to tell your product – You might save some money on creator voice-overs.

Ad # 3 -  Carousels that won

This carousel has lived in their ad account for over 39 days. I had to cover them since not many ad accounts have carousels, nor do they run them successfully.

Ad insights:

• The first image is an instant product showcase with a great copy – You wanna know what “sshh to life” actually means.

• Second slide – Use cases to make the point for JBTD.

• The third slide, I don’t get it but it probably means something technical that helps sell the product.

• The fourth slide showcases the product and how it would look with a touch of good copy.

• Guarantee + rhetorical question that leads to an action.

• If I had to steal something, I like the slide with the formula. The slides are super simple, like a landing page that creates a slippery slope for you to keep reading the next slide…

 Slippery slope example:

Joseph Sugarman stated the job of a headline was to act like “a slippery slope” in which the person would be:

...first sucked in by the headline

….then sucked in by the 2nd line

……..then sucked in by the 3rd line

…………and so forth

With this ad:

1. Grab attention with the copy and image on slide 1

2. Then use cases + wanna learn more

3. Then how it would look + wanna make you buy

4. The rhetorical question + guarantee makes it easy for you to buy 

This is the formula for carousel ads. 

Bonus

Not analyzing these ads but I found them interesting and will try such ads in my ad account:

1. Us vs. Them format 1

2. Us Them format 2

3. Addressing objection ad

4. The most common use-case

Calmer

Ad # 1 – Make the pain relatable and bigger

This ad has been running for more than 69 days, so it is proven. Let’s tear it down:

What immediately stands out:

• Make the pain bigger than before with emotions – and effective use of sound.

• Up until 8 seconds, she kept going with how she felt.

• The aftermath and emotion – it was like a tickle for my mind.

• Also, the packaging is like pouring out pills and we love taking meds for our pain.

What we can steal & learn:

• Make the pain bigger and more relatable.

• Offer your solution as a quick remedy.

• Apply clear before & after within seconds.

Ad # 2 – Organic video that became an ad

This ad has been running for over 102 days, so it is proven. Let’s tear it down:

What immediately stands out:

• It’s an authentic review calling out a specific audience – the autistic community.

• Visual hook: It feels like he is about to share a secret.

• He is an author with few followers, deeper influence with a niche.

• They stole the video from his TikTok.

• “All right, if you're one of my autistic or misophonic or otherwise sound-sensitive bitches, you need to stay tuned” – I’m like 😂 @bitches.

• I am not paid but …. Yes, you have my attention.

• He tried to demonstrate and explain in a very authentic way that you can believe and then wanna try for yourself.

• Talking about the difference and the “productivity” win most neurodiverse folks want.

• His TikTok blew up: https://www.tiktok.com/@jarrodrodu/video/7246883253502709034

What we can learn:

• Keep an eye on organic content like this – This is way before TikTok Shop.

• Deeply resonate with a niche – A clear use case.

• The hook (both verbal and visual) – Damn, I wanna steal it.

• Since this was organic, it tells us that if our ads look organic and feel organic, it can still resonate – Another simple format for you, but the key thing is authenticity.

• I’m not paid but… If you know, you know ; ) 

Ad # 3 – Simple static done well

This ad has been running for over 102 days, so it is proven. Let’s tear it down:

Ad insights:

• Belong somewhere deeply: The product was created with the “Misophonia” audience in mind. It simply calls out those who are “problem aware” and knowledgeable about this topic bc they have it. (I remember I used to target an audience with ADHD; one UGC creator used a term that was deeply relatable to the technical ADHD term and widely known in the community. That ad worked well for us.) 

• The review is authentic and gets full marks on the copy. 

• If your product is life-changing, say so in your reviews.

• Pick the right reviews. 

• This ad’s key learning is: product + reviews that stand out and blend in + belonging.

Sometimes, our ads don’t have to work so hard. It’s just the right message to the right people with the right mindset. 

That’s all from this week. Hope you enjoyed it.

Now it’s time to decide … Who do you think nailed their ad better?

Respond to this email and cast your vote for a chance to win!

The prize (worth €1068):

Yearly subscription to Mastermind Paid Social/Paid Social Mastermind(299€), €300/hour for a free call with me, and a one-time entire marketing audit for your brand (469€).

Happy Growing with Paid Social,

Aazar Shad

Hey there! I hope you're enjoying this newsletter, and guess what? It's absolutely free! I love putting it together because it allows me to explore my curiosity. However, I would really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to share your thoughts and give me some feedback. Your input will help me understand if I'm actually helping you or not. Thanks a bunch!

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