Pencil vs Smartly

There are a myriad of tools available that streamline content creation, but choosing the right one can be the difference between incremental improvements vs a transformed workflow.

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Pencil not only simplifies the creative process but also offers a suite of powerful features that give marketers and advertisers an edge.

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Please note that the information provided here is based on current knowledge and understanding of the platform's features. Smartly’s functionality may evolve over time, and it's recommended that you verify these details directly with the platform to ensure accuracy.

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Chat-to-Ads: Your New Creative Sparring Partner

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Pencil has combined every stage of the advertising workflow into a single, intuitive chat-based flow. It’s an entirely conversational approach to making ads. Instead of using multiple tools for insights, copy generation, image generation, ad generation and ad variations, you can now do it all in a simple chat-based flow. 

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With Smartly, which lacks a chat-to-ads feature, marketers miss out on streamlined efficiency and collaborative flexibility. With Pencil, less time is spent juggling between different platforms, so that more time can be spent creating impactful ads.

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Predictive Analytics: Understanding how your ads are likely to perform

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At Pencil, we use advanced machine-learning models to provide predictions of how your ads are likely to perform.

The Pencil Score helps evaluate your ad creatives by comparing them to a model trained on over $1 billion in ad spend data. We compare your ads to similar elements from an extensive dataset using our machine learning model. Based on this comparison, we generate a score to give you a percentile ranking that shows how your ad is predicted to perform compared to others in your industry. For example, a score of 91 means your ad is predicted to perform better than 91% of all ads for the selected metric, placing it in the top 9% of performers.

Getting predictions about ad performance allows for informed decision-making that can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates. This foresight enables marketers to optimize campaigns before they go live, ultimately maximizing ROI. Smartly lacks this level of predictive insight, making it harder for users to anticipate how their creatives will resonate with their target audiences.

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Enterprise-Friendly Terms: Data ringfencing and “No Train” policy

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Pencil was created specifically for enterprises - which means protecting each brand’s identity has always been a top priority. The look and feel and tone of voice of every brand is protected with a bespoke brand library and advanced animation language capture.

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With Pencil, you retain ownership of all aspects of your work. You can be confident that you own everything from uploaded assets to prompts to the final output. And rest assured, we work with foundation model providers to ensure your data is safe with them, too.

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What’s more, no one else benefits from your proprietary data. We use data ringfencing and a “no train” policy to ensure that you don’t have to share your data, which is beyond what Smartly offers. With Pencil, you get a bespoke model trained for you.

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Pencil vs Smartly: 
Which should marketers use?

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For brands seeking a deeper understanding of their creatives’ performance and the added benefits of a chat-based interface, Pencil is the clear winner. Chat-to-ads allows for a stronger collaborative process, which ultimately boosts creativity. Predictive analytics allows marketers to increase ROI through more informed decision making.

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