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Last Updated: May 20, 2026

How To Build Axon Creative

Axon creative production has two distinct workflows — iterations and new concepts — and three asset types: videos, endcards, and branding. Here's how Tierra approaches each.

Videos

Tierra produces two types of videos for Axon:

  • Iterations — variations on a top-performing asset (changing one variable at a time)
  • New Concepts — anything that isn't an iteration

Target split: 70% Iterations + 30% New Concepts.

Iterations

Goals:

  • Optimize performance to make room for account scale
  • Gather learnings on which audiences / angles perform best
  • Increase the number of creative sets launched

One variable at a time

Only test 1 variable at a time. Don't make any other edits.

How to choose which asset to iterate

  • Each Monday, identify the top spending asset in Axon over the last 7 days
  • Treat endcards as having spent half for this calculation
  • If the top spending asset has already been iterated, move to the next highest spending concept
  • If the top spending asset is itself an iteration of a previous top spender, the Media Buyer chooses:
    • Iterate it again using a different element this time
    • Skip it — move on to the next highest spending asset

Decide which asset element to iterate

Element type Common variables to iterate
Video Hook, Angle, CTA
Endcard Headline, Image

Each iteration should lean into a different audience, angle, or concept.

Include big-swing iterations

Try to include at least 1 "big swing" iteration concept that's significantly different from the others. The result should TELL us something about which audience, angle, or concept is working well.

Iteration launch cadence

  • Top spender reported on Mondays
  • Creative team builds iterations over the course of the week
  • Iterations launched the following Monday

New Concepts

Anything that isn't an iteration is a New Concept. Examples:

  • Develop a brand new ad
  • Client shares ads with Tierra
  • Dupe a competitor ad
  • Make a change to an existing video that doesn't follow the iteration process (e.g., cut by 10 sec)

When client-provided creative comes in, review for compliance (technical and policy).

Video technical requirements

Spec Value
Duration Under 60 seconds
Aspect Ratio 9:16 (Portrait) — always use 1,080 × 1,920
File Size Under 1 GB
File Types MP4, MOV
File Name DATE-CONCEPT-ITERATION-i# — date format MM.DD.YY; omit -ITERATION-i# for new concepts

For client assets, use the same naming convention. Use the date downloaded to the Tierra Drive if no other date exists.

Safe zones for subtitles and key elements

No subtitles or important video elements should ever exist in the bottom section of the ad — they get covered by the CTA button and disclaimer:

  • 5% at the bottom (CTA only)
  • 10% at the bottom (if a disclaimer exists)

If a disclaimer is required, it MUST exist on every second of the video.

Tierra creative standards (always)

  • Strong hook
  • Subtitles with legible text, on screen long enough to read
  • Quick-cut transitions without feeling overwhelming
  • End with a CTA
  • Reviewed by the Growth Strategist for QA

Endcards

Like videos, Tierra produces endcard Iterations and New Concepts with the same 70% / 30% split.

Iterations

See the video iterations section — same approach applies.

New Concepts

Anything that isn't an iteration. Examples:

  • Develop a brand new endcard
  • Client shares endcards with Tierra
  • Dupe a competitor endcard
  • Make a change to an existing endcard that's not the iteration process

When client endcards come in, review for compliance.

Safe zones (same as video)

  • 5% at the bottom (CTA only)
  • 10% at the bottom (if disclaimer exists)

Endcard technical requirements

Spec Value
File Types HTML, Image (PNG, JPG), Animated Image (GIF)
File Size Under 5MB (HTML) / Under 10MB (Image / GIF)
Dimensions Image / GIF: 1,080 × 1,920 / HTML: Responsive

Tierra creative standards (always)

  • Strong headline
  • Clear, legible text
  • High-resolution images (no blur)
  • Reviewed by the Growth Strategist for QA

Branding

Every Axon account needs these branding elements set up:

Element Spec
Brand Logo Image PNG, JPG, GIF — 1:1 square, max 10 MB, min 50×50 px
Brand Name Capped at 25 characters
Brand Description Short tagline, capped at 75 characters. New clients require 3–5 descriptions for testing.
CTA Button Label The text on the CTA button. New clients require 3–5 labels for testing.
CTA Button Color The color of the CTA button