Does generating ad creatives with AI save money, or does it drive costs up?

We tested this on a 1,500 EUR budget. Cost-per-click jumped from 0.42 EUR to 0.68 EUR on the AI creatives. Once people sense the image is artificial, they hesitate to click; what we saved on design got eaten up by ad costs.

Don't cut the designer out entirely—shift their workflow instead. Have them isolate the raw product shot on a transparent background, then use AI tools exclusively for background composition and rapid variations. You could dial the designer's 650 EUR fee down to around 300 EUR while keeping quality intact.

imo ai looks totally fake on textured items like leather then i mean same issue with jewelry or textiles buyers think it's cheap plastic and move on.

edit: typed from phone, sorry for typos.

Did the trial images include model faces or hands? Even the slightest distortion in AI-generated limbs immediately destroys consumer trust.

Last month we ran furniture ads using purely AI-generated interior scenes. We got the clicks, but one out of every five orders got returned because the color tone didn't match the image. The money we saved on the graphic designer went straight into paying return shipping labels.

Watch these metrics closely during testing: 1) Changes in CTR, 2) Time on page, 3) Return reasons. If these three send negative signals, restrict your AI usage purely to brainstorming campaign concepts.

650 EUR for a designer really isn't that high. If you erode brand perception and drive click costs up by twenty percent, your total losses will vastly outstrip those savings.

Never have AI generate the product itself. Shoot a clean studio photo on a white background, then let AI fill in the office or street backdrop behind it. That cuts down costs without wrecking authenticity.

There is something to watch out for. Dont trust anyone who gives guarantees; there are no guarantees in this business.

i went through the same thing.

Let's separate the concepts, they're getting mixed up. Any comment made without a control group is just a guess.

Proven by experience.

Let me clarify the technical side. Processes without records never improve because you don't know what to fix.

Good luck with that.

The discussion got scattered, let me summarize. Everyone rushing into ad creatives AI gets stuck at the same point.

Of course, it varies if your situation is different.

Let me summarize the topic, since several different answers were given. Start with a small trial; don't commit to everything at once.

I'm also curious if anyone does it differently.

Let me speak from the other side; Im on the supplier side... Hasty decisions become decisions you have to fix six months later.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.

I have a question. When making decisions, write down the worst-case scenario too, not just the best.

Taking notes for two weeks yields better results than a six-month estimate. This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

you're right.. then people defend habits, not processes... tbh resistance coems from there.

if I were you, I'd go this route.

I agree.