Definition
Ad fatigue happens when an audience sees the same creative too often and performance declines.
Example
CTR drops from 1.8% to 0.9% as frequency climbs from 2.5 to 6.0.
How to use it
- Watch frequency and CTR trends to spot fatigue early.
- Rotate new hooks and offers before CPA worsens.
- Segment by audience size; small retargeting pools fatigue faster.
Common mistakes
- Letting frequency climb without refreshing creative.
- Pausing too early without confirming that fatigue, not targeting, is the issue.
- Reusing the same creative angle across all placements.
Why this matters
This term matters because it affects how you interpret performance and make budget decisions. If you use inconsistent definitions or windows, ROAS/CPA can look "better" while profit gets worse.
Practical checklist
- Write a 1-line definition for "Ad Fatigue" that your team will use consistently.
- Keep the time window consistent (weekly/monthly/quarterly) when comparing trends.
- Segment results (channel/plan/cohort) before drawing big conclusions from blended averages.
- Sanity-check with a related calculator from the same category on MetricKit.
- Read the related guide (e.g., Frequency and creative fatigue: diagnose performance decay and fix it) for context and common pitfalls.
Where to use this on MetricKit
Calculators
- CPL to CAC Calculator: Convert cost per lead (CPL) into CAC using lead-to-customer rate (and compute targets).
- Break-even CVR Calculator: Compute the CVR required to break even (and hit a target) given CPM, CTR, AOV, and contribution margin.
- Click-through Conversion Rate Calculator: Calculate click-through conversion rate (click-to-conversion CVR) and estimate required clicks for target conversions.
- ROAS Calculator: Calculate Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) and estimate contribution profit after ad spend.
- Break-even ROAS Calculator: Estimate the break-even ROAS based on contribution margin assumptions.
Guides
- Frequency and creative fatigue: diagnose performance decay and fix it: Learn how frequency, reach, and impressions interact with CTR/CVR, when to cap frequency, and how to refresh creatives without tanking learning.