457dNodieeTech & Gadgets
“"The best baby investment you'll ever make!"⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”
301dBeardbrandBeauty & Skincare
301dBeardbrandBeauty & Skincare
219dBeardbrandBeauty & Skincare
156dThesisSupplements & Wellness
“Clinically-proven calm — in just two capsules a day”
98dThesisSupplements & Wellness
“🚨Claim $70 OFF🚨 Next 24hrs 👉”
84dUklashBeauty & Skincare
“See Results Faster ✨”
83dBarefacedBeauty & Skincare
77dBarefacedBeauty & Skincare
77dBarefacedBeauty & Skincare
76dUklashBeauty & Skincare
75dBarefacedBeauty & Skincare
71dUklashBeauty & Skincare
70dUklashBeauty & Skincare
64dHUM NutritionSupplements & Wellness
62dBeekman 1802Beauty & Skincare
62dRose Skin CoBeauty & Skincare
Days in market is measured from each ad’s first-seen date in the Meta Ad Library and re-checked daily. Mechanism labels are ours, applied to each brand’s longest-running ads.
Why before and after ads keep running
Beauty and skincare dominate this mechanism in the library, and some of its examples have run for well over a year. It is the most direct form of proof an ad can give, which is also why platforms and the UK advertising rules scrutinise it closely: the result shown has to be real and typical.
8% of the 276 long-running ads we have classified are before and after ads, across 8 brands. 7 of them have been live for more than 100 days. The full mechanism breakdown is in what makes ad creative work, and the ad creative brief guide turns it into a brief.
Want this for your category?
We’ll find the longest-running ads from your two closest competitors, name the mechanism behind each, and walk you through what we would test first.
Frequently asked
What is a before and after ad?
A before-and-after ad shows the change the product makes, side by side or in sequence, so the viewer can judge the result with their own eyes.
Do before and after ads work?
Of the 276 long-running ads we have classified across 40 DTC brands, 22 (8%) are before and after ads, with a median of 77 days live and 7 past 100 days. An advertiser keeps paying for an ad only while it earns its place, so that is a real signal.
How do I write a before and after ad?
Start from the evidence: find the longest-running examples in your own category, write down the promise, the objection and the proof each one uses, then brief one idea per ad. Our guide to writing an ad creative brief has a template.
Where do these examples come from?
From the Meta Ad Library. We record the date each ad first appeared, re-check daily whether it is still live, and label the persuasion mechanism doing the work on the long-runners.