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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryBrand & Performance MarketingCreative Fatigue (Ad Fatigue)

Brand & Performance Marketing

Creative Fatigue (Ad Fatigue)

Declining ad performance as the same audience sees a creative too often, signaled by rising frequency and falling CTR.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Creative fatigue, or ad fatigue, is declining ad performance as the same audience sees a creative too often. It is signalled by rising frequency, falling click-through rate, and increasing costs per result. Advertisers manage it by rotating fresh creative, broadening audiences, or capping frequency before performance drops significantly.