Creative Seed Document — Reference Library

Purpose: Reference image library to feed Nano Banana as style/composition inputs before generating. Maps directly to the 10 concepts in creative_lab.md.

The principle: Nano Banana's character/object consistency is much stronger when you feed it 2-3 reference images instead of just text. Every concept brief in creative_lab.md becomes ~30% more on-brand when you attach the right references.

Workflow: 1. Open this doc + a folder for downloads (~/Desktop/military_creative_refs/) 2. Click each Ad Library URL listed below 3. Screenshot or save the creative 4. Organize into folders matching the concept (refs_winning/, refs_competitor/, refs_ugc/) 5. When generating in Nano Banana / Gemini AI Studio, attach 2-3 references + the text prompt from creative_lab.md 6. Generate 3-4 variants per concept

How Nano Banana uses reference images

Per Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana) docs and best practices:

• Up to ~3 reference images per prompt is the sweet spot for style + composition + subject
• One STYLE reference (overall look, lighting, color, mood)
• One COMPOSITION reference (where subjects sit in frame, layout, format)
• One SUBJECT reference (the person/scene type — face, demographics, attire)
• Add the text prompt with explicit instruction: "Use the style of reference 1, the composition of reference 2, the subject type from reference 3."

If you only have 1 reference, prefer style. If you have 2, style + subject. If 3, all three.

Part 1 — Military.com winning statics (your own account)

These are the validated winners from the Jun 4 audit. Download and use as STYLE + COMPOSITION references. They define what currently works for this audience.

Winner 1 — Lower-Your-Auto-Insurance_04/28 ⭐ (workhorse)

Why it works: Workhorse Auto creative. Clean static, savings-anchored copy, mobile-native layout. The visual DNA of the account.

Use as reference for: Concepts 5, 6, 7 (all Drive-On variants), Concept 8 (Spouse_FamFin)

What to copy: color palette, text hierarchy, savings claim framing ("Save 15% or More Off Your Current Rate"), composition zones.

Winner 2 — Drive-On_05/30 ⭐ (newest winner)

Why it works: Newest creative trending below account average CPL. Suggests the visual direction Lauren's team is moving toward is correct.

Use as reference for: Concepts 5, 6, 7 (Drive-On variants — direct family lineage), Concept 10 (UGC selfie — for casual/recent visual energy)

What to copy: vehicle treatment, on-road context, headline placement.

Winner 3 — Odometer_05/15 ⭐ (longest-running)

Why it works: Highest-spend single creative in the account. Driving the most volume. Has the strongest learned audience signal.

Use as reference for: ⚠️ DO NOT directly clone this. It's fatigued and being phased out. Use only for headline + copy structure inspiration — not as a visual model.

Winner 4 — Lower-Your-Home-Insurance (Inside_Icon family)

Why it works: Best-CPL ad family. Format works. Under-funded relative to Auto despite better economics.

Use as reference for: Concepts 1, 2, 3, 4 (all Home variants — direct family lineage)

What to copy: entire visual treatment. Home is where the format wins.

Winner 5 — Pickup-truck calculator (under-funded but worth studying)

Why it worth studying: Interactive/calculator hook is under-tested. The visual exists in the library — use it as inspiration for Concept 6 (DriveOn_Calc).

Use as reference for: Concept 6 specifically.

Part 2 — Direct competitor statics (the insurance aggregator auction)

These are the 5 brands you're competing against in the Meta auction. Download as ANGLE + HOOK references. Don't copy their visuals literally — copy what they're doing better than you.

Competitor 1 — EverQuote (auto)

What they run that you don't: - Spouse-angle creative — heavy testing of "Mom" / "Wife" demographic targeting (family-finance decision-maker angle) - Dollar-specificity framing — "$30/mo lower" vs your "15% or more" (more concrete, often converts better) - State-specific creative variants — "California drivers" "Texas drivers" (your account is generic-US)

Format mix: Static-heavy (~70%), some short video, savings-anchored copy throughout.

Steal for Concept 8 (Spouse_FamFin) and Concept 9 (Spouse_PCS).

Competitor 2 — The Zebra

What they run that you don't: - Illustrated brand creative — bold zebra illustrations, branded mascots, quirky copy - Conversational hooks — "Stop overpaying for car insurance" (you're more corporate) - Standout vs auction sameness — most affiliates look identical; The Zebra deliberately doesn't

Format mix: Static + carousel, illustrated style.

Steal for: None of your current 10 concepts directly — but if you want a Week 2 illustrated test, study them.

Competitor 3 — Insurify (AI quote engine)

What they run that you don't: - Product-UI-as-creative — screenshots of the quote interface itself (similar to your underfunded calculator concept) - Carrier co-branding — "Quotes from GEICO, Progressive, State Farm in 60 seconds" - Personality-based segmentation — different angles by demographic

Format mix: Carousel + short video heavy, UI-as-art style.

Steal for Concept 6 (DriveOn_Calc — direct inspiration for the calculator UI visual treatment).

Competitor 4 — SmartFinancial (UGC at scale)

What they run that you don't (and is your biggest gap): - UGC at scale — real-people-in-car-with-phone selfie aesthetic, ALL the time - Talking-head testimonials — short-form video, plain-spoken - "I just saved $X/mo" first-person hooks — direct dollar specificity

Format mix: UGC-style static + short video heavy.

Steal for Concept 7 (DriveOn_VetWork — AI-generated UGC stepping stone) and Concept 10 (UGC_Selfie — direct visual reference).

This is your closest competitor for the UGC aesthetic gap. Download 3-4 of their statics. They've A/B-tested the look you want to AI-generate.

Competitor 5 — QuoteWizard direct (LendingTree)

Structural conflict: QW is both your network and a direct competitor for the same audience.

What they run: - Similar savings-anchored hooks to your account - Broader audience targeting (no military filter) - More format diversity

Steal for: Nothing directly — this is more about awareness of who you're bidding against than copying.

Part 3 — Adjacent / military-specific competitors

These are the brands targeting your specific audience. Download as ANGLE references — these are the exact niches you compete in.

Adjacent 1 — The Military Wallet ⭐ (identity-hook proof)

The big one: Currently running "Did You Serve? You Might Save »" as an active creative angle.

Why this matters: You walked AWAY from this hook with Veteran-VO (correctly deprioritized in audit per low ROAS). The Military Wallet is doubling down on it. Two takeaways:

1. The "Did You Serve?" framing IS running under SAC (Special Ad Category) — Meta hasn't blocked it. Your prior assumption that this framing triggered sensitive-attribute detection may have been wrong (or it works in some contexts and not others).
2. They're betting on identity-first; you're betting on benefit-first. Two valid strategies. Worth A/B testing identity-first against your existing benefit-first to see which the algorithm prefers for YOUR account.

Steal for: Could be an 11th concept — Identity_DidYouServe_v1 (4:5 static). Direct competitor-validated angle.

Adjacent 2 — Veteran Life Insurance ⭐ (spouse-angle proof)

What they run that proves your spouse-angle bet: - "Protect your spouse" — spouse-protection framing - "Retirement" angle — older-vet life-stage targeting

Both are family-financial-security framings worth testing in your Auto BAU.

Steal for Concept 8 (Spouse_FamFin) and Concept 9 (Spouse_PCS) — they've proven the spouse hook converts in military-targeted lead-gen.

Part 4 — Pattern analysis (what's working across all winners)

After studying your 5 winners + the 7 competitors, the patterns that emerge:

Visual patterns

Copy patterns

Format patterns

• 1:1 dominates for feed (Insurify is outlier with carousel-heavy strategy)
• 4:5 vertical for mobile-native feed (SmartFinancial, Veteran Life Insurance)
• 9:16 mostly for Stories/Reels (low-spend across the board)
• Carousel under-used; Insurify is the outlier

Part 5 — Gaps you can exploit (what NOBODY is running well)

Identified from cross-referencing your winners with all 7 competitors:

Gap 1 — Real-veteran UGC at scale

Who runs it: SmartFinancial runs UGC (random-person UGC), but NOT real-veteran UGC. Who could: Only Military.com has the credibility + audience access to ship real-veteran UGC at scale. Your move: Concept 10 (UGC_Selfie) is the AI stepping stone. D07 task is to source real veteran UGC creators. Q3 lever.

Gap 2 — Specific dollar / monthly payment framing

Who runs it: EverQuote and SmartFinancial use specific $ figures. The Zebra and Insurify mostly avoid. Who could: Anyone — it's a copy choice, not a brand choice. Your move: Add a copy-variant axis to your Claude prompts — test "$30/mo lower" against "15% or more" head-to-head on the same creative.

Gap 3 — Spouse-angle creative

Who runs it: EverQuote, Veteran Life Insurance. Who doesn't: Military.com (zero spouse-specific creative in your library). Your move: Concepts 8 + 9 are direct attacks on this gap. Reference Veteran Life Insurance's spouse statics specifically.

Gap 4 — Mobile-native 9:16 format

Who runs it: Almost nobody at meaningful spend. Who could: Anyone with mobile-first creative thinking. Your move: This is a Week 2 / 3 expansion. Not in your current 10. But for variants, consider regenerating Concepts 3, 6, 9, 10 in 9:16 format for Stories placement.

Gap 5 — Identity-led ("Did You Serve?" type hooks)

Who runs it: The Military Wallet (with success — actively running). Who doesn't: Military.com (deprioritized Veteran-VO). Your move: Worth one 11th concept testing identity-first against your benefit-first. Use The Military Wallet's currently-running creative as direct visual + copy reference.

Gap 6 — Calculator / interactive hook fully developed

Who runs it: Insurify (product-UI heavy). Who half-runs it: Military.com (one underfunded pickup-truck calculator concept that got killed). Your move: Concept 6 (DriveOn_Calc) is the revisit. Reference Insurify's product-UI-as-creative directly.

Part 6 — Reference image collection workflow (DO THIS FIRST)

Before generating any creative, spend ~30 minutes building your reference folder:

Step 1 — Make the folders

mkdir -p ~/Desktop/military_creative_refs/{winners_mil_com,competitors_aggregator,competitors_military,gaps_ugc,gaps_spouse,gaps_identity}

Step 2 — Download Military.com winners (5 min)

For each of the 4 starred winners in Part 1: - Click the Ad Library URL - Wait for the ad card to render - Right-click → Save Image As on the creative image (or take a clean screenshot) - Save into winners_mil_com/ with descriptive filename: - 01_lower_your_auto_04-28.png - 02_drive_on_05-30.png - 04_lower_your_home_inside_icon.png

Step 3 — Download competitor aggregator references (10 min)

For each of the 5 direct competitors in Part 2: - Open the Ad Library URL - Browse to find 1-2 representative active static ads - Save into competitors_aggregator/: - everquote_spouse_angle_1.png, everquote_spouse_angle_2.png - the_zebra_illustrated_1.png - insurify_product_ui_1.png, insurify_carrier_branding_1.png - smartfinancial_ugc_1.png, smartfinancial_ugc_2.png, smartfinancial_ugc_3.png (download 3+ for UGC) - quotewizard_direct_1.png

Step 4 — Download adjacent military competitors (10 min)

• The Military Wallet:
• military_wallet_did_you_serve.png (the identity hook — high priority)
• military_wallet_1.png, military_wallet_2.png (1-2 more)
• Veteran Life Insurance:
• veteran_life_spouse_protect.png (spouse angle)
• veteran_life_retirement.png (retirement angle)

Step 5 — Use the references when generating

When you open Nano Banana / Gemini AI Studio for each concept in creative_lab.md:

For Concept 1 (LHI_Family_Porch) — attach: - winners_mil_com/04_lower_your_home_inside_icon.png (style/composition) - competitors_aggregator/everquote_spouse_angle_1.png (family-finance angle) - The text prompt from creative_lab.md Concept 1

For Concept 5 (DriveOn_Truck) — attach: - winners_mil_com/02_drive_on_05-30.png (style/composition) - winners_mil_com/01_lower_your_auto_04-28.png (brand reference) - The text prompt from creative_lab.md Concept 5

For Concept 10 (UGC_Selfie) — attach: - competitors_aggregator/smartfinancial_ugc_1.png (UGC aesthetic primary) - competitors_aggregator/smartfinancial_ugc_2.png (UGC aesthetic secondary) - competitors_aggregator/smartfinancial_ugc_3.png (third for consistency) - The text prompt from creative_lab.md Concept 10

For Concept 8 (Spouse_FamFin) — attach: - winners_mil_com/01_lower_your_auto_04-28.png (brand style) - gaps_spouse/veteran_life_spouse_protect.png (proven spouse hook) - The text prompt from creative_lab.md Concept 8

The full mapping:

Part 7 — The 11th concept worth adding (data-driven add)

Based on the gap analysis, one concept the current 10 are missing:

Concept 11 — Identity_DidYouServe (4:5 static)

Codename: Identity_DYS_v1 Rationale: The Military Wallet is actively running this hook and it's not blocked under SAC. You walked away from Veteran-VO. Test the identity-first angle at low spend ($500 first week) to see if YOUR account's algorithm prefers benefit-first or identity-first.

Reference images: - military_wallet_did_you_serve.png (the proven identity hook) - winners_mil_com/02_drive_on_05-30.png (your visual style)

Nano Banana prompt:

Photorealistic editorial photograph, 4:5 vertical format, golden hour lighting.

Scene: A man in his 30s-40s, civilian clothing (casual jacket, work boots, jeans), standing thoughtfully in his driveway next to his car (modern sedan or truck, not luxury). His expression is contemplative — like he's just remembered something or is doing the mental math on something practical. He's looking slightly off-camera-right. The home behind him is a modest suburban single-family house.

Lighting: late afternoon warm golden hour, soft from the left. Subject's face is well-lit.

Composition: subject in the LOWER LEFT THIRD of the frame. Upper RIGHT TWO-THIRDS is sky + house + driveway — clean for the headline text overlay.

Style: editorial, dignified, real. Realistic skin texture, slight stubble OK, civilian dress only.

Avoid: uniforms, dog tags, salutes, flags, military memorabilia, combat imagery, glossy commercial finish, "thinking-man" stock pose, perfect-model features.

Claude copy prompt:

Write 5 variants of ad copy for a Military.com AUTO INSURANCE Meta ad using an IDENTITY-LED hook (similar to The Military Wallet's "Did You Serve? You Might Save" framing).

HARD RULES (do not violate):
- Savings claim language: "up to 15% or more" only. Never "60%" or above 15% without substantiation.
- IDENTITY-FIRST framing is the test — acknowledging service membership before benefit. The Military Wallet's hook works.
- Be careful with sensitive-attribute trigger phrases. Use "service members" / "those who served" / "military families" — avoid the specific phrase "Are you a veteran?" if Meta's algorithm reads it as a sensitive-attribute trigger.
- No combat, PTSD, hero-worship.
- US English, sentence-case.
- Max character limits: primary 90, headline 40, description 30.

Output 5 distinct variants, formatted as:

VARIANT N
Primary: [text]
Headline: [text]
Description: [text]
CTA: [Get Quote | Learn More | See Plans]

Context: Direct test against your account's current benefit-first creative. Goal: validate or refute the identity-first angle.

Performance hypothesis: Two outcomes possible — (a) identity hook converts cheaper because the audience self-selects faster, hitting $16-19 CPL, OR (b) algorithm prefers your established benefit-first language and CPL stays at $24+. Either way, the test answers a question worth knowing.

ASSUMPTIONS & OPEN QUESTIONS

• Direct image downloads from Meta Ad Library sometimes have anti-bot protection. If right-click-save doesn't work, use Cmd+Shift+4 (Mac) for clean screenshots.
• The Military Wallet's "Did You Serve?" hook — confirmed running per the audit's competitive scan as of Jun 4, 2026. If they sunset it, the identity-test rationale weakens (but the data is still worth gathering).
• SmartFinancial's UGC style — assumed they run UGC at scale based on the audit. Confirm by browsing their Ad Library directly before downloading references.
• Veteran Life Insurance's spouse-angle — confirmed in the Jun 4 audit. Specific creative IDs not captured at audit time; you'll need to browse to find current active spouse statics.
• Concept 11 (Identity_DidYouServe) is a data-driven add. Mo's call whether to include in this week's batch or hold for Week 2. Recommended: include at $500 daily spend test in Concept 1-10 ad set as the 11th creative variant.
• Reference image copyright: Meta Ad Library images are public, but using competitor creative as direct training input vs. inspiration is a soft line. The recommended workflow uses references for STYLE TRANSFER, not asset replication — Nano Banana generates new compositions, not copies.