Product Demo creative analysis ·5 min ·Recorded Jan 2024

Identify Creative Trends With Comparative Reports

This video demonstrates how to use the "Comparative Analysis" report feature within the Motion platform. The speaker explains the difference between a "Top Performing" report (individual ad level) and a "Comparative Analysis" report (grouped ad level for trend identification). She walks through creating a comparative report to analyze the performance of three different content creators, showing how to define groups, apply filters, and interpret the results to inform creative strategy decisions.

What's discussed, in order

1 named framework

01 Motion Report Types
The two primary report types available in Motion for creative analysis.
presenter's own · ~00:05Play

What's actually believed — in their own words

With Motion, there's two different report types that you can create.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 00:05 #

Top performing shows you the individual ads and how they're performing on that individual level.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 00:19 #

Comparative analysis is creating buckets or groups together to show you a higher level analysis.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 00:24 #

Comparative analysis allows you to find larger trends about what's working across the account.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 00:30 #

Comparative analysis involves bundling ads together into a group to compare those groups to one another.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 01:34 #

You can add a global filter to a comparative report that will apply to all the groups within it.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 02:02 #

The table chart at the bottom of the report provides an overview of all the metrics you've added.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 02:50 #

The columns in the table view are fully customizable.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 02:55 #

Clicking on a group in the table view opens a pop-up showing all the ad creatives contained in that group.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 03:04 #

From the group creative preview, you can create a new Top Performing report for just that specific group of ads.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 03:25 #

Drilling into a top-performing group's individual ads helps you identify the specific style you want creators to lean into for future content.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · recommendation 03:45 #

The potential for creating comparative groups is vast and depends on your naming conventions (e.g., product, promo style, messaging, hooks).

Speaker 1 · 2024 · observation 04:11 #

Good naming conventions are a prerequisite to getting the most out of comparative analysis.

Speaker 1 · 2024 · recommendation 04:20 #

The do's and don'ts pulled from the session

Do this
  • Speaker 1: Use Comparative Analysis reports to find larger trends about what's working across your ad account. 00:24 #
  • Speaker 1: Create groups in a comparative report based on your naming conventions, such as by creator name. 00:50 #
  • Speaker 1: Use filters (e.g., "Ad name contains") to define which ads belong in each comparative group. 01:09 #
  • Speaker 1: Apply a global filter (e.g., "Campaign name contains Prospecting") to narrow the scope of your analysis across all groups. 02:02 #
  • Speaker 1: Click on a group in the table view to preview the actual ad creatives within that group. 03:01 #
  • Speaker 1: Create a Top Performing report directly from a group in a comparative analysis to drill down into the individual ad performance of that segment. 03:25 #
  • Speaker 1: Use insights from comparative reports to inform future creative strategy, such as deciding which creators to work with more or push more spend toward. 02:40 #
  • Speaker 1: Use comparative analysis across many dimensions: products, promo styles, messaging, or hooks. 04:11 #
Don't do this

    Numbers quoted in this talk

    "289 ads (289 spent)" — Speaker 1, 01:41, demo data for the "Bumblebee" group (initial 14-day window).
    2024 · #
    "306 ads (306 spent)" — Speaker 1, 01:44, demo data for the "Wheeljack" group (initial 14-day window).
    2024 · #
    "275 ads (275 spent)" — Speaker 1, 01:47, demo data for the "Optimus Prime" group (initial 14-day window).
    2024 · #
    "141 ads spent contained in Bumblebee" — Slide #7, 03:04, after date range refined to 30 days with Prospecting filter.
    2024 · #
    "Bumblebee: $202K spend / 4.12 ROAS" — Slide #5, ~02:50, refined comparative state.
    2024 · #
    "Wheeljack: $250K spend / 3.91 ROAS" — Slide #5, ~02:50, refined comparative state.
    2024 · #
    "Optimus Prime: $305K spend / 3.96 ROAS" — Slide #5, ~02:50, refined comparative state.
    2024 · #
    "Net Results: $756,644.72, Avg ROAS 3.99, Avg CPA $7.70, Avg CPM $9.12, Avg Thumbstop 9.03%" — Slide #5 table summary.
    2024 · #

    Everything referenced on-screen and by name

    People mentioned (excluding speakers listed above)

    Brands / companies referenced

    • Bumblebee — context: Placeholder/demo name for a content creator group (Transformers reference).
    • Wheeljack — context: Placeholder/demo name for a content creator group (Transformers reference).
    • Optimus Prime — context: Placeholder/demo name for a content creator group (Transformers reference).

    Tools / products referenced (excluding Motion)

    External frameworks / concepts cited

    6 ads referenced

    Show all 6 ads with extraction details
    Ad #1 — Scented candle on wood
    unknown brand ·image ·00:04
    Duration shown in this video
    29 seconds
    Hook (first 3 sec)
    N/A (static image)
    Product / pitch
    A scented candle in a glass jar, presented in a lifestyle setting.
    Key on-screen text
    "Scented with..."
    Key spoken lines
    None used
    Visual style
    polished
    CTA / offer (if shown)
    None used
    Narrative arc
    None observable
    Why shown in this video
    To illustrate the individual creatives that make up a "Top Creatives" report.
    Speaker's take
    "Top performing shows you the individual ads and how they're performing on that individual level."
    Ad #2 — Black and white product
    unknown brand ·image ·00:04
    Duration shown in this video
    29 seconds
    Hook (first 3 sec)
    N/A (static image)
    Product / pitch
    A product, possibly a diffuser or candle, with minimalist black and white packaging.
    Key on-screen text
    "Scented with..."
    Key spoken lines
    None used
    Visual style
    polished
    CTA / offer (if shown)
    None used
    Narrative arc
    None observable
    Why shown in this video
    To illustrate the individual creatives that make up a "Top Creatives" report.
    Speaker's take
    "Top performing shows you the individual ads and how they're performing on that individual level."
    Ad #3 — Candle with white cat
    unknown brand ·image ·00:04
    Duration shown in this video
    29 seconds
    Hook (first 3 sec)
    N/A (static image)
    Product / pitch
    A scented candle, shown in a cozy home setting with a pet to evoke a feeling of comfort.
    Key on-screen text
    "Lavender hal..."
    Key spoken lines
    None used
    Visual style
    polished
    CTA / offer (if shown)
    None used
    Narrative arc
    None observable
    Why shown in this video
    To illustrate the individual creatives that make up a "Top Creatives" report.
    Speaker's take
    "Top performing shows you the individual ads and how they're performing on that individual level."
    Ad #4 — Colorful circular items
    unknown brand ·image ·03:05
    Duration shown in this video
    9 seconds
    Hook (first 3 sec)
    N/A (static image)
    Product / pitch
    A collection of small, colorful, circular items, possibly wax melts or small candles, arranged in a rainbow pattern.
    Key on-screen text
    "Remove the kitchen stink, vi..."
    Key spoken lines
    None used
    Visual style
    polished
    CTA / offer (if shown)
    None used
    Narrative arc
    None observable
    Why shown in this video
    To demonstrate the grid view of all ads associated with a specific creator group ("Bumblebee").
    Speaker's take
    "You're going to get this pop-up here on the right-hand side, which is going to show you all the ads that are attached to that group."
    Ad #5 — Gold chain necklace
    unknown brand ·image ·03:05
    Duration shown in this video
    9 seconds
    Hook (first 3 sec)
    N/A (static image)
    Product / pitch
    A gold chain necklace, displayed on a textured surface.
    Key on-screen text
    "Lavender hallways, Video_50..."
    Key spoken lines
    None used
    Visual style
    polished
    CTA / offer (if shown)
    None used
    Narrative arc
    None observable
    Why shown in this video
    To demonstrate the grid view of all ads associated with a specific creator group ("Bumblebee").
    Speaker's take
    "You're going to get this pop-up here on the right-hand side, which is going to show you all the ads that are attached to that group."
    Ad #6 — Hand lighting a candle video
    unknown brand ·video ·03:14
    Duration shown in this video
    7 seconds
    Hook (first 3 sec)
    A hand enters a minimalist, brightly lit frame with a lit match and lights the wick of a white candle in a glass jar.
    Product / pitch
    A minimalist, white scented candle for creating a calm atmosphere.
    Key on-screen text
    None used
    Key spoken lines
    None used
    Visual style
    high-fi
    CTA / offer (if shown)
    None used
    Narrative arc
    A simple, satisfying action (lighting the candle) is shown.
    Why shown in this video
    To demonstrate how a user can preview a specific video creative from within a report.
    Speaker's take
    "I can even click into an ad... to showcase the video attached to that... so a great way to quickly preview what that ad is."

    8 slides, in order

    Show all 8 slides with full slide content
    Slide #1 — Title Card
    title-only ·00:00 ·Play
    Title / header text
    GET STARTED WITH MOTION
    Body content
    None used
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    None used
    Embedded examples
    None used
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    None used
    Reveal state
    1. (00:00) "GET STARTED WITH MOTION" text appears. 2. (00:01) Motion logo and subtitle "Identify creative trends with comparative reports" fade in.
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    None used
    Slide #2 — Top Creatives Report (Top Performing)
    screenshot-with-annotations ·00:03 ·Play
    Title / header text
    Top Creatives
    Body content
    • Type a description for this report • Filters: Last 14 days Nov 27 - Dec 10, 2023 | Group by Ad Name | Campaign name contains Prospecting | ROAS > 1 • Metrics: Spend | ROAS
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    Bar Chart
    Title
    Spend
    Y-Axis (Left)
    $0, $2K, $4K, $6K, $8K
    Y-Axis (Right - ROAS)
    0, 1.22, 2.44, 3.67, 4.89
    X-Axis Labels (Ad Thumbnails)
    Scented with..., Scented with..., Lavender hal..., Scented with..., Scented with..., Lavender hal..., Scented with..., Lavender hal...
    Data Points (Spend / ROAS)
    $8.47K / 4.12, $5.9K / 3.88, $6.53K / 4.52, $5.9K / 3.84, $5.33K / 3.57, $4.6K / 2.99, $4.8K / 3.84, $4.27K / 4.32, $4.2K / 3.88, $4.1K / 4.15
    Table
    Columns
    Tags, Spend, Purchase value, ROAS, CPA, CTR (all)
    Row 1
    [Tag: Scented with love_Image_BOGO...], [Tag: Sprint 1], [Tag: Designer], $8,467.65, $31,322.00, 3.69, $11.83, 2.61%
    Embedded examples
    8 ad thumbnails are displayed below the bar chart.
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    • (00:08) Speaker clicks "Create report". • (00:09) A dropdown menu appears with "Top performing" and "vs. Comparative analysis". The "Top performing" option is highlighted with a grey background.
    Reveal state
    None used
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    "We already dove into the top performing report, this one here, earlier when we looked at our top performers for the past two weeks."
    Slide #3 — Create Comparative Analysis Report (Initial State)
    screenshot ·00:33 ·Play
    Title / header text
    Untitled
    Body content
    • Type a description for this report • Define groups of ads to compare • Group name | where | Add filter • Group name | where | Add filter • + Add group • Last 14 days Nov 27 - Dec 10, 2023 | Add filter
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    None used
    Embedded examples
    None used
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    None used
    Reveal state
    None used
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    "So let's go ahead and create a comparative analysis now."
    Slide #4 — Creator Comparison Report (Build State)
    screenshot ·00:36 ·Play
    Title / header text
    Creator Comparison
    Body content
    • Type a description for this report • Define groups of ads to compare
    Group 1
    Bumblebee | where Ad name contains Bumblebee | 289 ads (289 spent)
    Group 2
    Wheeljack | where Ad name contains Wheeljack | 306 ads (306 spent)
    Group 3
    Optimus Prime | where Ad name contains Optimus Prime | 275 ads (275 spent) • + Add group • Last 14 days Nov 27 - Dec 10, 2023 | Add filter • Metrics: Spend | ROAS
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    Bar Chart
    Title
    Spend
    Y-Axis (Left)
    $0, $100K, $200K, $300K, $400K
    Y-Axis (Right - ROAS)
    0.00, 1.25, 2.50, 3.75, 5.00
    X-Axis Labels
    Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Bumblebee
    Data Points (Spend / ROAS)
    • Optimus Prime: $405K / 3.93 • Wheeljack: $286K / 3.96 • Bumblebee: $228K / 4.12
    Embedded examples
    None used
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    The screen is built progressively as the speaker types in group names and adds filters between 00:36 and 1:33.
    Reveal state
    None used
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    "Now, I'm going to do one for my creators. So creator comparison."
    Slide #5 — Creator Comparison Report (Refined State)
    screenshot ·1:55 ·Play
    Title / header text
    Creator Comparison
    Body content
    • Define groups of ads to compare
    Group 1
    Bumblebee | where Ad name contains Bumblebee | 141 ads (141 spent)
    Group 2
    Wheeljack | where Ad name contains Wheeljack | 154 ads (154 spent)
    Group 3
    Optimus Prime | where Ad name contains Optimus Prime | 113 ads (113 spent) • + Add group • Last 30 days Nov 11 - Dec 10, 2023 | Campaign name contains Prospecting | Add filter • Metrics: Spend | ROAS
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    Bar Chart
    Title
    Spend
    Y-Axis (Left)
    $0, $50K, $100K, $150K, $200K, $250K, $300K, $350K
    Y-Axis (Right - ROAS)
    0.00, 0.64, 1.29, 1.93, 2.57, 3.21, 3.86, 4.50
    X-Axis Labels
    Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, Bumblebee
    Data Points (Spend / ROAS)
    • Optimus Prime: $305K / 3.96 • Wheeljack: $250K / 3.91 • Bumblebee: $202K / 4.12
    Table
    Columns
    Spend, ROAS, CPA, CPM, Thumbstop, CTR (outbound), Click to purchase, ADV
    Row 1 (Optimus Prime)
    $304,755.28, 3.96, $7.86, $9.00, 9.06%, 1.60%, 3.46%, $31.16
    Row 2 (Wheeljack)
    $249,775.78, 3.91, $7.71, $9.27, 8.02%, 1.62%, 3.80%, $30.12
    Row 3 (Bumblebee)
    $202,113.66, 4.12, $7.44, $9.11, 10.24%, 1.64%, 3.96%, $30.69
    Net Results
    $756,644.72, Avg 3.99, Avg $7.70, Avg $9.12, Avg 9.03%, Avg 1.62%, Avg 3.73%, Avg $30.8
    Embedded examples
    None used
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    • (1:55) Date range is changed from "Last 14 days" to "Last 30 days". • (2:06) Global filter "Campaign name contains Prospecting" is added. • (2:50) The "Bumblebee" row in the table is highlighted in green.
    Reveal state
    None used
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    "Actually, let's go back 30-day window. Maybe I want to look at a longer time frame for my different creators..."
    Slide #6 — Customize Columns Menu
    screenshot (UI menu) ·2:54 ·Play
    Title / header text
    None used
    Body content
    • NRS - NB (Purchase) • ROAS/CPA • Registrations (Default) • Subscriptions • Leads • App Installs • Initiate Checkout • Video Preset • ATC • GA ROAS • Website & Offline Metrics • Website & Offline Metrics + Engagement • View Content • Customize columns
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    None used
    Embedded examples
    None used
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    The menu is shown after the speaker clicks the "NRS - NB (Purchase)" dropdown.
    Reveal state
    None used
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    "Again, you can fully customize this as well depending on what metrics you would like to look at."
    Slide #7 — Ad Creatives Modal
    screenshot (modal window) ·3:04 ·Play
    Title / header text
    141 ads spent contained in BumbleBee
    Body content
    A grid of ad creative thumbnails.
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    None used
    Embedded examples
    A 3x5 grid of image and video thumbnails is shown, including images of candles, flowers, and colorful dots.
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    • (3:14) Speaker clicks on a thumbnail of a candle. • (3:25) Speaker's cursor hovers over the "Create Top Performing Report" button.
    Reveal state
    None used
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    "But I can select into this group here in this case if I wanted to see what kind of content Bumblebee's making. Let's go ahead and click that group."
    Slide #8 — Creative Insights Modal
    screenshot (modal window) ·3:15 ·Play
    Title / header text
    Creative Insights
    Body content
    A video player showing a hand lighting a candle.
    Embedded data (charts/tables)
    None used
    Embedded examples
    A video creative is playing. Below the video are several colored tags: Sprint 1 (green), Designer (blue), Ashley (purple), Hook (red), Red small (red), Success (green), No Season (grey), Iteration (orange).
    Annotations / visual emphasis
    This modal appears on top of the "Ad Creatives Modal" after a thumbnail is clicked.
    Reveal state
    None used
    Re-reference
    None used
    Speaker's framing
    "...to showcase the video attached to that or the image or static or whatever it might be in terms of ad content."

    Verbatim transcript, speaker-tagged

    Read the complete 25-paragraph transcript

    Speaker 1: > [VISUAL: Title card with a purple and blue gradient background. A small blue 3D shape is in the top left. White text in the center reads: "GET STARTED WITH MOTION".]

    The Motion logo appears at the top, and more text appears below the main title. It now reads: "Motion. GET STARTED WITH MOTION. Identify creative trends with comparative reports."
    Screen recording of the Motion app interface. A woman appears in a small circle in the bottom left corner. The main screen shows a report titled "Top Creatives". It's a bar chart comparing "Spend" and "ROAS" for different ad creatives.] With Motion, there's two different report types that you can create. We already dove into the top performing report, this one here, earlier when we looked at our top performers for the past two weeks.
    The speaker moves her cursor to the "Create report" button in the top left. A dropdown menu appears with two options: "Top performing" and "Comparative analysis". The cursor hovers over "Top performing".] We're now going to dive into comparative analysis. So the difference between these two report types is that top performing shows you the individual ads and how they're performing on that individual level versus comparative analysis is creating buckets or groups together to show you a higher level analysis. So essentially allowing you to find larger trends about what's working across the account.
    The cursor moves down and clicks on "Comparative analysis".] So let's go ahead and create a comparative analysis now.
    The screen changes to a new, untitled report creation page. The title is "Untitled". Below it says "Define groups of ads to compare" with two empty group name fields.] Now, I'm going to do one for my creators. So creator comparison.
    The speaker types "Creator Comparison" into the report title field.] And for my side of things, I work with, let's say three different creators that make content for me, and I want to see which creator is returning back best for me. So, let's build those groups together.
    The speaker types "Bumblebee" into the first "Group name" field.] So this is where you're going to be defining those different groups. So I know my first um creator's name is Bumblebee.
    The speaker types "Wheeljack" into the second "Group name" field.] And then I have Wheeljack.
    The speaker clicks "+ Add group" and a third field appears. She types "Optimus Prime" into it.] And the last one I have is Optimus Prime. So, what I'm going to do is add the filter, and I know it's within my ad name.
    The speaker clicks "Add filter" next to the "Bumblebee" group. A dropdown appears. She selects "Ad name". Another dropdown appears, she selects "contains". In the text field, she types "Bumblebee".] So ad name contains Bumblebee for the first one. Oops. I had an extra E in there. Bumblebee. My next one is Wheeljack, and again, it's within my ad name.
    The speaker clicks "Add filter" for the "Wheeljack" group, selects "Ad name", "contains", and types "Wheeljack".] Wheeljack. And the third one is Optimus Prime.
    The speaker clicks "Add filter" for the "Optimus Prime" group, selects "Ad name", "contains", and types "Optimus Prime".] So let's go ahead and create those three groups. So as I mentioned, this is essentially bundling ads together into a group so I can compare those groups to one another.
    The groups are now defined. To the right of each group name, it shows the number of ads found. "Bumblebee" has "289 ads (289 spent)". "Wheeljack" has "306 ads (306 spent)". "Optimus Prime" has "275 ads (275 spent)".] As I can see here, there is 289 ads for creator one, 306 for creator two, and 275 for creator three. Now I can head down here. I can select my date range that I would like. 14 days is what I'm going to do for this one.
    The speaker clicks on the date range, which is currently "Last 14 days". A calendar view appears. She selects "Last 30 days" and clicks "Apply".] Actually, let's go back 30-day window. Maybe I want to look at a longer time frame for my different creators to see how they've been performing. And I can even add a global filter.
    The speaker clicks the "Add filter" button below the date range.] So this is going to apply to all the groups above. So let's just say I only want to look at ads that I've used within my prospecting stage of funnel.
    She selects "Campaign name", "contains", and types "Prospecting". She clicks "Apply".] Or say for example, you have a number of different products and you want to see how these creators are performing on those different product levels. Um, again, anything within your naming conventions you can use here. So I've gone ahead and defined those groups now, and I can select whatever metrics I would like here as well too. So in this case, I want to see which one is returning back best. So I'm going to keep it as spend versus ROAS for me.
    The screen shows a bar chart comparing the three creator groups: Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee. Each group has a purple bar for "Spend" and a pink bar for "ROAS".] So as I can see here that even though we've put a little bit more spend into Optimus Prime, Bumblebee's actually returning back quite well. So this might indicate for me that actually, I think I want to work more with Bumblebee and get them to make more content for me, and maybe we'll even push a bit more spend towards that creator. If I head down here to the bottom table chart as well, you're going to get an overview of all the metrics you've added in.
    The speaker scrolls down to a table view. It has rows for Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee, and columns for various metrics like Spend, ROAS, CPA, CPM, etc. The "Bumblebee" row is highlighted in green, indicating it's the top performer.] Again, you can fully customize this as well, depending on what metrics you would like to look at.
    The speaker clicks on the dropdown menu above the table, showing options to customize columns.] But I can select into this group here in this case, if I wanted to see what kind of content Bumblebee's making.
    The speaker clicks on the "Bumblebee" row in the table.] Let's go ahead and click that group. You're going to get this pop up here on the right hand side, which is going to show you all the ads that are attached to that group.
    A pop-up window appears on the right, titled "141 ads spent contained in Bumblebee". It displays a grid of thumbnail images and videos of the ads.] I can even click into an ad. Let's go ahead and click this.
    The speaker clicks on one of the thumbnails. A new, smaller pop-up appears over the grid, titled "Creative Insights". It shows a video of a hand lighting a candle on a small table.] to showcase the video attached to that or the image or static or whatever it might be in terms of ad content. So a great way to quickly preview what that ad is. But I can also create a top performing report, which is going to go back to that first report style, showing you all the individual ads.
    The speaker closes the video preview and points her cursor to the "Create Top Performing Report" button at the bottom of the ad grid pop-up.] You'll be able to have the bar chart or any type of view you'd like to see um for this specific creator. So just again, instead of saying Bumblebee is working really well, we want to work with Bumblebee again to make more content, I can create this top performing report to then see the individual ads and see maybe which ads actually were working best from Bumblebee and which ones maybe weren't performing as well. So that way when you go to reach out to Bumblebee to make more content, you could say this is the style I want you to lean into. So, again, comparative analysis report, just allowing you to essentially create these groups or bundles to compare to one another to have that higher level analysis of what's going on between these groups.
    The speaker closes the pop-up and returns to the main "Creator Comparison" report screen.] Think of this as um you could even look at like product one, two or three, promo style one, two or three, messaging one, two, three, hook one, two, three. The sky's the limit really, anything within your naming conventions. Now, speaking of naming conventions, if you want to dive a little bit deeper into how you can essentially update your naming conventions or some different tips or tricks that we have on our side for that, head over to the next section and that's where we're going to dive a little bit more into those best tips and tricks to get the most out of Motion and the most out of your analysis.