Why ugly ads outperform expensive productions
My talk from Nomad Cruise 15: why 'ugly' ads routinely pull more conversions than expensively produced advertising — and how to put that to work in your own account.
Originally written in German — read it on visnakovs.de.
I gave a talk on Nomad Cruise 15 that produced a few surprised faces: why “ugly” ads often perform far better than expensively produced advertising.
WatchWhy Fancy Ads Fail (And How Ugly Ads Make Millions)Opens on YouTubeThe uncomfortable truth about ad creative
Most companies pour thousands into video production, photo shoots and perfectly art-directed ads. The problem: the algorithms don’t reward any of it.
Facebook, Instagram and Google optimise for engagement. And engagement doesn’t come from perfection. It comes from authenticity.
What counts as an ugly ad
Ugly ads are ads that deliberately refuse the gloss:
- Phone video instead of studio production
- Screenshots and selfies instead of stock photography
- Handwriting and scribbled circles instead of clean design
- Raw text on a flat colour instead of an elaborate layout
They look like organic posts — which is the entire point.
Why they work
1. They break through ad blindness
People scroll past hundreds of ads a day. Highly produced advertising is recognised as advertising instantly and skipped. An ugly ad looks like a post from a friend, and it stops the thumb.
2. They build trust
A founder talking straight into the camera in a selfie video creates more trust than a €10,000 brand film. People buy from people, not from brands.
3. They’re faster and cheaper
Twenty minutes instead of four weeks of production. Which means more variants to test, faster iteration, lower cost per creative.
4. The platforms prefer them
Meta and Google want people to stay on the platform. Content that feels organic gets more reach — paid ads included.
What I see in real accounts
Across work with more than 120 clients, the same pattern keeps coming back:
- Ugly ad vs professional video: the “ugly” version wins 7 out of 10 split tests
- Cost per lead: up to 60% cheaper with ugly ads
- Click-through rate: 2–3× higher than with conventional ads
5 ugly-ad templates you can build today
Faster still: the free Ugly Ad Generator (in German) builds your ugly ad in the browser — type the text, pick a style (red box, sticky note, chat screenshot and so on), download a finished PNG in every Meta format.
In the talk I show 5 templates you can rebuild in Canva in a few minutes. Free in the Ugly Ads Vault (in German).
- Screenshot ad: a screenshot of a message or email showing a result
- Selfie testimonial: a customer holding the product up to the camera
- Text on colour: bold text on a flat background
- Before/after: a simple side-by-side comparison
- Meme ad: a known meme format carrying your message
The rule: test, don’t guess
The takeaway that matters most: never assume, always test. What lands in one industry can flop in the next. But in the vast majority of my tests, the authentic, imperfect creative beats the polished production. So don’t build on gut feel — let the numbers decide.
Download the 5 ugly-ad templates for free: Ugly Ads Vault (in German).