What is a creative in the context of digital advertising?

In the context of digital advertising, a creative refers specifically to the actual content or materials used in an advertisement. This can include various elements such as image files, videos, or snippets of code that are assembled to create the ad that will be displayed to the user. Creatives are designed to capture attention and convey messages in engaging formats, thus playing a crucial role in the overall effectiveness of an advertising campaign.

While the other options relate to components of digital advertising, they do not encapsulate the concept of "creative" as defined within the industry. An ad server, for instance, is a technological tool used to store, serve, and track advertisements, while a type of impression describes the instance when an ad is fetched and displayed to a user. A marketing strategy, on the other hand, refers to the overarching plan that includes various tactics and learnings around how and where to advertise but does not specifically denote the actual creative components deployed.