In today's fast-paced world, businesses and individuals are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase productivity and efficiency. One area where this is particularly true is in the field of creative work.
Whether it's graphic design, video production, or content creation, there is always a need to produce high-quality work quickly and efficiently. That's where creative automation comes in.
In this article, we'll take a look at what creative automation is and the top 7 creative automation tools that will work for everyone from small business owners looking to create marketing materials or a large agency working on complex projects.
What is creative automation?
Creative automation is the process of using technology, such as AI-powered software, to automate the creation of digital content, such as graphic designs and social media posts.
With creative automation, designers can create a single design or template and generate multiple variations of it automatically based on the inputs provided, allowing them to produce high-quality content at scale with less time and effort.
Creative automation solutions can improve efficiency, consistency, cost-effectiveness, A/B testing capabilities, and flexibility in the design process.
6 Top creative automation tools
Here are some of the best creative automation tools whether you’re a startup or a large enterprise.
1. Hunch
Hunch is an all-in-one automated creative production tool designed for performance marketers working with independent agencies or brands. The platform allows you to create thousands of personalized and tailored creatives using your feed data and second and third-party sources, streamlining your advertising process.
Ready-to-Use Templates
Choose from a variety of ready-to-use image and video templates to design visually appealing ads without overextending your design team. Hunch also enables dynamic creative optimization, allowing you to combine ad elements to create the perfect combination that resonates with your target audience.
Campaign Management
Unlike many creative automation tools, Hunch offers campaign management directly on the platform. This feature is a valuable addition, as it allows users to manage both creative automation and campaign management in one place.
Optimization Goals and Personalized Customer Journey
Customize and set optimization goals for your campaigns using advanced rules and triggers. Hunch helps you create a personalized customer journey by delivering the right offer to the right person at the right time.
Best For
Performance marketers working with independent agencies or brands will find Hunch to be an ideal solution.
Pricing
Hunch offers a "Software with a Service" model starting at €2,000 per month, including a 3-month trial period. During the trial, plans come with 3 image templates and 2 video templates created by their design team. Additional designs can be purchased on demand. Hunch also provides creative end-to-end solutions for paid social campaigns, with customized options available upon contacting them.
Main Features
- Automated Creative Production
- Automated Campaign Creation
- Dynamic Video Templates
- Dynamic Image Templates
- Dynamic Video Campaigns
- Multiple Ad Platforms Integration
- Creative Testing
- Automated Workflow
- 1M+ Feed Catalogs
- 3rd-party Data Integrations
- Review Tool
- Creative Export
- Product Insights
- Reporting Capabilities
2. Celtra: creative production suite
Celtra is a creative production suite designed for creative teams and marketers looking to streamline their production process. The platform focuses on turning design concepts into media-ready assets seamlessly, making it the ideal choice for established brands, media publishers, and creative agencies that desire self-serve enterprise software.
Familiar Tools and Multiple Formats
Celtra's studio features tools that are similar to or mimic ones that most designers are already familiar with. The builder supports multiple formats and offers responsive design thinking, allowing you to resize assets as needed. Users can also create videos using static assets when no source footage is available.
QR Code Preview Function
The platform includes a preview function that enables users to scan a QR code and review assets on their smartphones, providing a quick and convenient way to assess creative work.
Platform Focus
While earlier versions of Celtra included creative ad serving and decisioning, these features have been deprecated. The platform's focus is now solely on the production of creative assets.
Best For
Established brands, media publishers, and creative agencies seeking self-serve enterprise software will find Celtra to be an excellent solution.
Pricing
Pricing for Celtra is available on request.
Main Features
- Advertising Management
- Collaboration Tools
- File Sharing
- Project Management
3. Bannerflow: automate banner ads
Bannerflow is a creative automation platform designed for designers and marketers, focusing on ad creation and versioning capabilities in its Production Studio product. The platform aims to provide a reliable, robust, and easy-to-use solution for multi-national companies looking to enhance their display ads globally.
Production Studio
Many users prefer using Bannerflow's Production Studio over Adobe, as it offers a more tailored approach to building templates. However, it's important to note that Bannerflow does not provide prefabricated templates or built-in DCO capabilities, requiring integration with other adtech solutions.
Owned Environments
Unlike some other creative automation platforms, Bannerflow supports use in owned environments, such as onsite or in-app, adding versatility to its offerings.
Production Capabilities
The platform only provides CTR-based optimization, which may be limited compared to other solutions. Additionally, some features like feed customization and advanced retargeting may incur extra fees.
Best For
Bannerflow is ideal for multinational companies looking to improve their display ads on a global scale.
Pricing
Pricing for Bannerflow is available on request.
Main Features
- A/B Testing
- Ad Inventory Management
- Ad Optimization
- Audience Targeting
- Banner Management
- Campaign Analytics
- Campaign Management
- Commenting/Notes
- Conversion Tracking
- Cross Channel Attribution
5. RevJet: ad experience platform
RevJet presents itself as an ad experience platform tailored for enterprises. This powerful solution is ideal for brands familiar with the SaaS pricing model, although advertisers accustomed to the CPM model may not find it as suitable.
Automatic Self-Optimizing Performance and High-Velocity Content Production
RevJet sets itself apart from other creative automation tools by focusing on automatic self-optimizing performance tools and high-velocity semi-automated content production. This emphasis results in a smoother user experience and improved efficiency for marketing teams.
Solutions Across Channels
The platform offers solutions by strategy and channel, catering to social, TV, display, native, video, mobile, and even audio advertising. RevJet's comprehensive approach ensures that you can manage your campaigns across various platforms seamlessly.
Streamlined Workflows and Collaboration
RevJet helps you effortlessly navigate workflows and collaboration by automating almost all aspects of the process. This automation leads to increased efficiency and better team coordination.
Video Offerings and Limitations
While RevJet has many strengths, its video offering may not be as robust as those found in leading creative automation tools. This limitation is worth considering when evaluating the platform's suitability for your needs.
Best For
Enterprises looking for a SaaS-based tool will find RevJet to be a great option.
Main Features
- Dynamic Audience & Creative
- Marketing Intelligence
- Enterprise Business Process Management
- Automatic Experimentation
- High-Velocity Creative Production
- Forever Memory and Measurement
Pricing
RevJet's pricing is available upon request, making it suitable for enterprises seeking a tailored solution. Explore RevJet's ad experience platform and discover how it can improve your advertising workflow and campaign management.
6. SundaySky: video platform
For performance marketers looking to create tailored video ads, SundaySky offers a comprehensive solution. Focused on helping you craft personalized, interactive video experiences, the platform boasts a robust set of features that cater specifically to the video ad market.
Self-Serve Experience and Video-Powered Experiences
Users can choose the self-serve experience, which excludes media buying, or leverage the platform to create "video-powered experiences." SundaySky's versatility makes it a go-to choice for marketers seeking to enhance their video ad campaigns.
Shopify Advertising App
A standout feature of SundaySky is its Shopify Advertising App integration. Once connected to your Shopify app, SundaySky automates the selection of your best-performing products, creates multiple tailored videos for individual shoppers, and distributes these ads on popular sites like CNN and MSNBC.
Tailored Video Content and Limitations
While the platform excels at creating tailored video content for various use-cases, it may underperform in other channels such as display. Nonetheless, its intuitive design and ease of use make launching new campaigns a breeze.
Integration and Personalization
SundaySky allows integration of first, second, and third-party sources, as well as data from other apps, to personalize creative assets for specific audience segments or individual viewers. To optimize your messaging, you can measure viewer engagement and impact through analytics and AI insights.
Best For
Performance marketers seeking to create tailored video ads will find SundaySky to be an ideal solution.
Main Features
- Dynamic Templates
- Creative Themes
- Color and Font Configurations for Your Brand
- Animations
- Advanced Text-to-Speech Narration Capabilities
- Music Tracks
- Sound Effects
- Partner Integrations
- AI-Powered Reporting
Pricing
SundaySky's pricing is available upon request. Discover how SundaySky's video platform can help you create engaging and personalized video ads to drive better results for your marketing campaigns.
7. Adacado: DIY advertising
Adacado is the perfect solution for those who want to launch dynamic ad campaigns or execute media buying quickly and efficiently. With a history as an early mover in the DCO space, Adacado shifted its focus to a DIY approach, allowing users to set up and launch campaigns in just five minutes using a credit card.
24x7 Chatbot Support
The platform offers a 24x7 chatbot for assistance, sending usage data and feedback to the team. Tools like ad building, versioning, and distribution make it easy to handle basic use-cases, while vertical-specific templates remove the guesswork.
Limitations for Complex Use-Cases
Although Adacado is ideal for simple campaigns, it may not be the best option for more complex use-cases. Reporting capabilities are not as advanced as some users might want, and the platform supports fewer channels compared to other options.
Best For
Brands and agencies looking to execute simple use-cases will find Adacado to be an excellent choice.
Main Features
- Pre-built Ad Templates
- Complete Campaign Control
- Schedule in Advance
- Drag-and-drop Design Editor
- Daily Billing & Analytics
- Simplified Audience Targeting
- Real-time Reporting
Pricing
Adacado offers many features for free, while more advanced functionalities require payment. Explore Adacado's DIY advertising platform to streamline your ad campaign creation and management for simple use-cases.
Wrapping up
Creative automation has revolutionized the way we approach creative tasks, providing an efficient and cost-effective solution to repetitive design work. With the advancement of technology, we have seen a rise in the number of creative management tools in the market, and each tool comes with unique features to suit different design needs.
If you want to check out how Artwork Flow’s creative automation tool can help your organization, sign up for the free trial or demo.