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Hoover Institution

How Meta creative with a landscape or a soldier impacted email acquisition and donations

Experiment ID: #197159

Hoover Institution

Experiment Summary

Timeframe: 03/18/2025 - 04/17/2025

This experiment was conducted for the Hoover Institution, a public policy think tank dedicated to promoting ideas for a free society. The test evaluated two different types of meta ad creative for one of their content offers, Victory and the Savior Generals. We wanted to test:

Image A: A group of soldiers hiking in silhouette, viewed from behind, ascending a hill.

VS.

Image B: A smiling, bandaged soldier holding a helmet with a bullet hole — direct eye contact with the viewer.

We wanted to test to see what the impact would be on email acquisition, donations, and average gift.

Research Question

We believe that If we use a more emotionally engaging image that features a soldier making eye contact and smiling (Version B), for the Meta audience will achieve an increase in email acquisition and donations because the human-centered imagery creates a stronger emotional connection, conveys resilience and personal sacrifice, and draws the viewer into the narrative more effectively than a distant, abstract group scene..

Design

C: Control
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T1: Treatment #1
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[thumb_372-width] => 325 [thumb_372-height] => 609 [single_post_thumbnail] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10.png [single_post_thumbnail-width] => 325 [single_post_thumbnail-height] => 609 [thumb_32_32] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-17x32.png [thumb_32_32-width] => 17 [thumb_32_32-height] => 32 [thumb_48_48] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-26x48.png [thumb_48_48-width] => 26 [thumb_48_48-height] => 48 [thumb_64_64] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-34x64.png [thumb_64_64-width] => 34 [thumb_64_64-height] => 64 [thumb_128_128] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-68x128.png [thumb_128_128-width] => 68 [thumb_128_128-height] => 128 [thumb_122_67] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-36x67.png [thumb_122_67-width] => 36 [thumb_122_67-height] => 67 [thumb_153_153] => 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[thumb_272_172-height] => 172 [thumb_372_461] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-246x461.png [thumb_372_461-width] => 246 [thumb_372_461-height] => 461 [thumb_372_500] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-267x500.png [thumb_372_500-width] => 267 [thumb_372_500-height] => 500 [thumb_385_270] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-144x270.png [thumb_385_270-width] => 144 [thumb_385_270-height] => 270 [thumb_416_241] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-129x241.png [thumb_416_241-width] => 129 [thumb_416_241-height] => 241 [thumb_448_410] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-219x410.png [thumb_448_410-width] => 219 [thumb_448_410-height] => 410 [thumb_448_410_retina] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10.png [thumb_448_410_retina-width] => 325 [thumb_448_410_retina-height] => 609 [thumb_574_382] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-204x382.png [thumb_574_382-width] => 204 [thumb_574_382-height] => 382 [thumb_776_395] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10-211x395.png [thumb_776_395-width] => 211 [thumb_776_395-height] => 395 [gform-image-choice-sm] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10.png [gform-image-choice-sm-width] => 160 [gform-image-choice-sm-height] => 300 [gform-image-choice-md] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10.png [gform-image-choice-md-width] => 213 [gform-image-choice-md-height] => 400 [gform-image-choice-lg] => https://www.nextafter.com/wp-content/uploads/Treatment_1-10.png [gform-image-choice-lg-width] => 320 [gform-image-choice-lg-height] => 600 ) ) )

Results

  Treatment Name Conv. Rate Relative Difference Confidence
C: Control 1.0%
T1: Treatment #1 0.85% -15.4% 99.0%

This experiment has a required sample size of 29,665 in order to be valid. Since the experiment had a total sample size of 103,300, and the level of confidence is above 95% the experiment results are valid.

Flux Metrics Affected

The Flux Metrics analyze the three primary metrics that affect revenue (traffic, conversion rate, and average gift). This experiment produced the following results:

    0% increase in traffic
× 15.4% decrease in conversion rate
× 0% increase in average gift

Key Learnings

Results Overview

Version A (Landscape Image)

  • Reach: 51,400
  • Email Acquisitions: 516
  • Cost per Email: $8.61
  • Donations: 27
  • Cost per Donation: $164.61
  • Female Donors: $96.39 cost per donation
  • Male Donors: $196.29 cost per donation


Version B (Soldier Image)

  • Reach: 51,900
  • Email Acquisitions: 441
  • Cost per Email: $10.08
  • Donations: 28
  • Cost per Donation: $158.79
  • Female Donors: $162.07 cost per donation
  • Male Donors: $155.99 cost per donation


Key Learnings:

  1. Version A generated more email signups (516 vs. 441) and did so at a lower cost per acquisition. The clearer "FREE EBOOK" call to action and more spacious design likely made the value proposition more immediately apparent.
  2. Version B slightly outperformed in donation count (28 vs. 27) and had a slightly lower cost per donor. The emotional appeal and personal connection from the soldier’s face may have played a role in nudging more donors across the finish line.
  3. Creative tone influences outcome based on objective. Version A was more efficient for lead generation. Version B may have had marginally stronger performance for donor conversion, supporting the idea that emotional resonance matters more in the lower funnel.
  4. Creative resonance may vary by gender. Version A was significantly more effective at converting female donors, with a 40% lower cost per donation compared to Version B. Version B performed notably better with male donors, with a ~20% lower cost per donation than Version A...This suggests that creative resonance may vary by gender, with the soldier image potentially appealing more to men and the landscape image connecting more with women in this context.


Interpretation of Results:

  • Clarity beats emotion at the top of the funnel. The straightforward visual layout and “FREE EBOOK” message in Version A likely made it easier for users to understand what they were getting, which helped with email conversion.
  • Emotion might matter more post-conversion. The slight lift in donations from Version B suggests the image's human connection and storytelling potential could increase the perceived significance of the offer, nudging users toward giving.
  • Cost difference is minimal at the donation level. Though not statistically significant, the lower cost per donor in Version B is worth noting as a potential trend to explore further.


Next Testing Steps:

  1. Combine the strengths of both creatives. Test a version that uses the emotionally compelling soldier image but adds back the “FREE EBOOK” call to action in bold, high-contrast text.
  2. Test additional human-centered imagery. Try other close-up image that evokes emotional engagement (e.g., generals, veterans, sacrifice) to validate the emotional-resonance hypothesis.
  3. Test gender-targeted creative variations. Run separate ad sets targeting men vs. women, using the image that performed better for each: Use Version A (landscape) for female audiences. Use Version B (soldier) for male audiences. Measure whether tailoring creative by gender improves overall cost efficiency.

Experiment Documented by NextAfter

Question about experiment #197159

If you have any questions about this experiment or would like additional details not discussed above, please feel free to contact them directly.