Diagnosis-first ad creative for B2B SaaS. I find the failure mode in a LinkedIn ad before I open a design tool, then rebuild the creative around it. Agency background in performance marketing.
Every piece below starts with that diagnosis. Some redesign creative that's underperforming. Others find the buyer or emotion a strong campaign is missing. Same method, two problems.
Self-initiated studies: diagnosing creative that's underperforming, then rebuilding around the failure mode.
Replacing a feature list with the pain it was supposed to solve
Cue's original ad opened with “Why use Cue for your lead management?” - wrong question, wrong category, no specific pain. A numbered feature list followed. Their best proof points: 96% automation, £0.89 per resolution, appeared nowhere.
The hypothesis: a CS manager stops scrolling when they see their own morning reflected back.
The redesign shows a WhatsApp inbox of identical opening-hours queries, all unread, all stacking. The resolution lands right below: CUE AI answered all of this, instantly.
The numbers they never used close the argument.
Turning Excel sprawl into a TOFU hook for private credit
Hypercore's original ad led with 'From origination to maturity. One platform.' — a positioning line over a donut chart on a black background, indistinguishable from every other fintech in the feed. No pain, no recognition, no tension.
The hypothesis: private credit operators have normalised their Excel dependency but know it's fragile. The redesign visualises that fragility as a Jenga tower, every block labeled with real spreadsheet naming conventions - “Ask Marcus”, “DO NOT TOUCH”, “#REF!” in red.