Last week we attended the AdWorld Experience conference and honestly, we didn’t quite know what to expect.
Most events these days revolve around the same buzzwords – AI, automation, the “new era of advertising” – so we assumed this would be another round of nice phrases and predictions.
Luckily, we were wrong.
What won us over right away was the practical approach.
No empty talk about the future, just real tools, testing, and insights you can apply immediately.
Even more importantly, the focus wasn’t only on technology but on:
- psychology,
- creativity,
- and the human side of advertising.
When Technology Meets Psychology
It may sound unusual, but most of the conference takeaways came down to one thing: understanding people. AI can analyze tons of data, but it still can’t feel what moves an audience.
That’s where psychology comes in: emotion, perception, motivation, and the way people react to messages.
One talk summed it up with a simple rule:
“Creativity comes first, then communication, and only then analysis.”
That’s the opposite of how we often work in practice – where data drives every decision and emotion gets lost somewhere along the way. And that’s exactly where AI still falls short: the authentic human tone.
Meta, Advantage+, and the Limits of Automation
One of the most useful parts of the conference was the deep dive into Meta Advantage+ campaigns and how to truly make the most of them.
An interesting insight: Meta is increasingly restricting manual interest exclusions to broaden audience reach which calls for a completely new way of thinking about segmentation.
The key takeaway? Creative diversification – ideally 20 to 30 visual and message variations per campaign, never less.
AI will more and more often suggest ad copy, but the message was clear: don’t follow it blindly. Human context and brand voice must remain at the core.
Creativity as the Main Driver
As much as we all love numbers, nearly every talk circled back to the same truth – creativity makes the difference.
Images, visuals, copy – these are the elements that create the biggest shifts in performance. Sometimes changing just a tone, a single word, a frame, or a rhythm can dramatically boost engagement.
One quote from the stage captured it perfectly:
“Data tells you what works, but emotion is what makes it work.”
We especially liked the idea of single-word split tests, minimalist but incredibly effective experiments where just one word changes everything.
B2B Marketing and Lead Quality
A topic particularly relevant to our everyday work was B2B lead generation.
The focus is no longer on the quantity of leads, but on their quality. And again, it all comes back to context: the goal isn’t “more,” it’s “better.”
Client Collaboration = One Team
An unexpected but essential part of the conference was the discussion about client–agency relationships. It’s not talked about enough, yet communication and trust are what ultimately determine project success.
The takeaway was simple: when everyone works toward the same goal, boundaries disappear. Transparency, clear feedback, and a shared rhythm make the difference between “just another campaign” and a true partnership.
The Technical Layer: Audits, Scripts, and Time-Saving Tools
From the technical side, we’d highlight Nils Rooijmans talk, where he walked through his Blueprint Audit Checklist for Google Ads accounts. From basics like switching the interface to English and enabling auto-tagging, to setting up scripts for automatic alerts and fixing enhanced conversion errors – his checklist (available online) is a hands-on guide anyone can apply right away.
We were also intrigued by Cursor AI – an AI-assisted coding tool (cursor.com).
It’s faster and more intuitive than ChatGPT for writing scripts and automations, making it incredibly useful for marketing teams who want more control over their tools.
Demand Gen Campaigns and New Formats
Another fascinating segment focused on Demand Gen campaigns – YouTube In-Stream, Discover, and Shorts. The key message was all about proper setup and optimization for maximum performance.
One quote kept coming up:
“The audience doesn’t change – only the formats they’re willing to listen to.”
That’s why understanding platform context, visual language, and how users consume content is more crucial than ever.
Conclusion: Between Data and People
In the end, AdWorld Experience proved to be one of those rare conferences that successfully bridges both sides of marketing – the analytical and the emotional.
Yes, there was talk about AI, scripts, automation, and tools. But just as much about people, creativity, communication, and trust.
“AI can help you work faster but only you can decide what’s worth doing.”
That’s probably the most honest conclusion after two days filled with ideas, examples, and inspiration.
Authors: Dario Dobošić, Martina Zadravec & Martin Novak
