DTC Ad Benchmarks 2026

Emotion scoring is computed on every ad in the library — a 15-dimension classification (urgency, esteem, empowerment, security, nurturance, authority, etc.) on a 1-10 scale. Patterns by category:

• Fashion: empowerment + esteem dominate. Aspirational + identity-driven.
• Beauty: nurturance + esteem. Softer emotional palette than fashion, with care/comfort framing.
• Beverage: engagement + curiosity. Humor and category-disruption play heavy here, especially with brands like Liquid Death.
• Wellness & health: security + authority. Trust signals are everything — credentials, science, testimonials.
• Nutrition: security + empowerment + authority. Combines safety reassurance with capability framing.
• Fitness & athleisure: empowerment + achievement. Capability and goal-attainment.
• Skincare: security + esteem. Trust + self-image.
• Footwear: security + nurturance + competence. Comfort and reliability framing.
• Eyewear: esteem + curiosity. Style-driven discovery.
• Wearable tech: curiosity + empowerment + security. Self-knowledge framing.
• Pet: nurturance + belonging. The owner-pet bond is the central emotional driver.
• Grooming: engagement + belonging + esteem. Humor + identity.
• Marketplace: urgency + curiosity + engagement. Discount-driven scarcity.

Across all DTC categories, SHOP_NOW dominates at roughly 80% of all ads. The remaining 20% splits among LEARN_MORE, SIGN_UP, and INSTALL_MOBILE_APP. Patterns:

• SHOP_NOW (~80%) — universal default for DTC.
• LEARN_MORE (~15%) — creeps up to 25-30% for high-consideration purchases like mattresses (Casper, Brooklinen), supplements (Athletic Greens, Huel), and wearables (Oura Ring, Whoop).
• SIGN_UP / GET_OFFER (~5%) — app and subscription-led products. Calm, Headspace, Noom all use SIGN_UP heavily.

If your category-leader is using LEARN_MORE more than 15% of the time, that's a signal the buying decision needs more education before purchase — and your creative should match that.

1. Find your category in the format-mix table above. That's your starting reference point.
2. Compare your current creative mix against the category. If you're 80% video in fashion (where the category averages 30-40% video), you're either overinvesting in video or you've found a wedge.
3. Pick 3-5 category leaders from the brand-list table and study their individual breakdowns — see brand pages for per-brand format-by-product, hook patterns, and emotional drivers.
4. Identify the angle nobody is testing. If every fashion brand uses sensory demo + transformation hooks, the empty space might be problem statement or concept reframe.
5. Set your test plan — start with one variant matching category convention, one variant that bends it.