Interview creative strategy ·56 min ·Recorded Apr 2022

Sprints with Evan: Creative Strategy for Media Buyers

Evan Lee of Motion interviews Josh Yelle of Wpromote about the evolving role of creative strategy for media buyers. They discuss how the post-iOS 14.5 landscape has made creative the most significant lever for performance, requiring media buyers to be more agile and strategically involved in the creative process. The conversation covers practical frameworks for creative analysis, briefing, and testing, along with methods for bridging the communication gap between media buying and creative teams.

Outline

What's discussed, in order

00:00
Introduction to Sprints with Evan and Guest Josh Yelle
02:01
How Media Buying Has Changed in the Post-iOS 14.5 Landscape
06:54
Why Media Buyers Must Embrace Creative Strategy
10:48
Defining Creative Strategy and Role Blurring
14:20
Creative Analysis: Naming Conventions, Funnel, Themes
23:10
Creative Briefing: Briefs, Kickoffs, and Feedback
31:50
Creative Testing: Frameworks, Cadence, and Budgets
44:15
Q&A: Retargeting Audience Size and Granularity
46:03
Q&A: Top-Performing Video Content Types on Paid Social
48:01
Q&A: The Process for Creative Iteration Based on Performance
52:17
Q&A: Aligning Creative, Ad Copy, and Landing Pages
55:01
Wrap-up and Final Thoughts
Frameworks presented

4 named frameworks

01 Creative Strategy for Media Buyers (3-pillar framework)
Josh's overarching framework for how media buyers should approach creative strategy.
presenter's own · ~14:20Play
02 Evergreen vs. Sandbox/Testing Campaigns
A campaign structure that separates stable, proven ads (Evergreen) from new, experimental ads (Sandbox/Testing) to maintain performance while fostering innovation.
presenter's own · ~16:25Play
03 Wearing Multiple Hats (Role Blurring)
A model describing how roles in marketing are blending, requiring individuals to possess skills from different disciplines.
presenter's own · ~12:20Play
04 Creative Strategy (Task & Output)
The process of using ad platform data to inform and guide creative development for better performance.
presenter's own · ~13:14Play
Claims & hot takes

What's actually believed — in their own words

A media buyer's day is as agile as the media landscape itself. — Josh Yelle, observation, 14:22

· 2022 #
Tactics & anti-patterns

The do's and don'ts pulled from the session

Do this
  • Give a test ad at least $500–$1,000 in spend (or ~2 weeks) before making a kill/keep decision. — Josh Yelle, 49:45 #
Don't do this
  • Pause a test creative too early, before it has received enough spend to determine its true potential. — Josh Yelle, 49:45 #
Data & stats cited

Numbers quoted in this talk

"managing ~$150mm in yearly ad spend" — Josh Yelle, 01:03, from on-screen slide
2022 · #
"$500 to $1,000 in spend before I totally like phase it out"
Josh Yelle · 2022 · 49:45 #
"80% evergreen, 20% testing split"
Josh Yelle · 2022 · 26:56 #
"a benchmark return on ad spend of $3"
Josh Yelle · 2022 · 27:34 #
Named entities

Everything referenced on-screen and by name

People mentioned (excluding speakers listed above)

Brands / companies referenced

  • Wpromote — Josh Yelle's employer.
  • Facebook — Referenced as a social media platform with algorithms that need data.

Tools / products referenced (excluding Motion)

  • Google Analytics (GA) — Mentioned as a third-party analytics tool.
  • Adobe — Mentioned as a third-party analytics tool.

External frameworks / concepts cited

  • iOS 14.5 — Cited as a major catalyst for the shift in media buying strategy.
  • GDPR — Mentioned as a previous industry disruption related to data privacy.
  • Cambridge Analytica — Mentioned as a previous industry disruption related to data privacy.
Ad examples shown

6 ads referenced

Show all 6 ads with extraction details
Ad #1 — Grey shoes
unknown brand ·image ·02:01
Duration shown in this video
2 seconds
Hook (first 3 sec)
N/A
Product / pitch
A pair of grey casual or athletic shoes.
Key on-screen text
None used
Key spoken lines
None used
Visual style
polished
CTA / offer (if shown)
None used
Narrative arc
None observable
Why shown in this video
To illustrate the variety of creatives used in modern media buying.
Speaker's take
"I think like from the title, everybody know that the knows that the media buying landscape has ultimately changed, right?"
Ad #2 — Pizza
unknown brand ·image ·02:01
Duration shown in this video
2 seconds
Hook (first 3 sec)
N/A
Product / pitch
A pizza, likely for a food or restaurant brand.
Key on-screen text
None used
Key spoken lines
None used
Visual style
polished
CTA / offer (if shown)
None used
Narrative arc
None observable
Why shown in this video
To illustrate the variety of creatives used in modern media buying.
Speaker's take
"I think like from the title, everybody know that the knows that the media buying landscape has ultimately changed, right?"
Ad #3 — Colorful sneakers
Nike ·image ·02:01
Duration shown in this video
2 seconds
Hook (first 3 sec)
N/A
Product / pitch
A pair of colorful Nike sneakers.
Key on-screen text
None used
Key spoken lines
None used
Visual style
polished
CTA / offer (if shown)
None used
Narrative arc
None observable
Why shown in this video
To illustrate the variety of creatives used in modern media buying.
Speaker's take
"I think like from the title, everybody know that the knows that the media buying landscape has ultimately changed, right?"
Ad #4 — Woman's face
unknown brand ·image ·02:01
Duration shown in this video
2 seconds
Hook (first 3 sec)
N/A
Product / pitch
A beauty or skincare product, featuring a close-up of a woman's face.
Key on-screen text
None used
Key spoken lines
None used
Visual style
polished
CTA / offer (if shown)
None used
Narrative arc
None observable
Why shown in this video
To illustrate the variety of creatives used in modern media buying.
Speaker's take
"I think like from the title, everybody know that the knows that the media buying landscape has ultimately changed, right?"
Ad #5 — Couple in stylish outfits
unknown brand ·image ·02:01
Duration shown in this video
2 seconds
Hook (first 3 sec)
N/A
Product / pitch
Apparel, featuring a man and woman in stylish outfits.
Key on-screen text
None used
Key spoken lines
None used
Visual style
lifestyle
CTA / offer (if shown)
None used
Narrative arc
None observable
Why shown in this video
To illustrate the variety of creatives used in modern media buying.
Speaker's take
"I think like from the title, everybody know that the knows that the media buying landscape has ultimately changed, right?"
Ad #6 — Modern sofa
unknown brand ·image ·02:01
Duration shown in this video
2 seconds
Hook (first 3 sec)
N/A
Product / pitch
A modern sofa, likely for a furniture brand.
Key on-screen text
None used
Key spoken lines
None used
Visual style
polished
CTA / offer (if shown)
None used
Narrative arc
None observable
Why shown in this video
To illustrate the variety of creatives used in modern media buying.
Speaker's take
"I think like from the title, everybody know that the knows that the media buying landscape has ultimately changed, right?"
Slides & visual artifacts

12 slides, in order

Show all 12 slides with full slide content
Slide #1 — Title Slide
mixed ·00:19, revisited 13:48, 14:29, 23:24, 31:49 ·Play
Title / header text
SPRINTS WITH EVAN CREATIVE STRATEGY FOR MEDIA BUYERS
Body content
Featuring Evan Lee, Head of Creative Strategy Josh Yelle, Director of Paid Social
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
• Motion logo • WPROMOTE logo • Photo of Josh Yelle • Photo of Evan Lee
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
The slide is used as a transition between major sections of the talk.
Speaker's framing
"So for this one here, we have a good friend of mine and I will share my screen."
Slide #2 — Josh Yelle Intro
image+text ·01:01, revisited 13:47 ·Play
Title / header text
Josh Yelle
Body content
WPROMOTE Josh is the Senior Director of Paid Social at Wpromote with 5+ years of digital marketing experience. He currently leads a team of 10 managing ~$150mm in yearly ad spend for large fortune 500 brands as well as high-growth startups.
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
Photo of Josh Yelle.
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"Let me give like the official intro for him. So Josh on this end, he is a senior director, a recent senior director at Wpromote."
Slide #3 — Media Buying has changed
title-only ·02:01, revisited 13:47 ·Play
Title / header text
Media Buying has changed
Body content
None used
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
Six social media post mockups are arranged around the title, showing: • A pair of grey sneakers. • A slice of pizza. • A pair of colorful Nike sneakers. • A close-up of a woman's face with makeup. • A modern wooden bench with white cushions. • A man and a woman standing together outdoors.
Annotations / visual emphasis
The word "changed" is highlighted in purple.
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"And I think like from the title, everybody know that the knows that the media buying landscape has ultimately changed, right?"
Slide #4 — Creative Strategy Roles
image+text ·12:20, revisited 13:48 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Strategy
Body content
None used
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
Three cowboy hat emojis are shown. • Left emoji: Labeled with "Media Buying" (yellow text) and "Creative Strategy" (blue text). • Middle emoji: Labeled "Media Buyer" (green text). • Right emoji: Labeled "Creative Strategist" (blue text).
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"But really what we have going on is a couple of different situations, right?"
Slide #5 — Creative Strategy Definition
bullet list ·13:14, revisited 13:49 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Strategy
Body content
• **Task:** Digesting data from ad platforms to identify causes of strong/poor performance and distilling asks to the creative team + additional parties in an easy-to-understand way. • **Output:** This is typically building briefs or informing creative team of requirements.
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So I can just put a definition on like creative strategy and how we think about it specifically."
Slide #6 — Creative Strategy for Media Buyers
bullet list ·14:20 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Strategy for Media Buyers
Body content
• 1. Creative Analysis • 2. Creative Briefing • 3. Creative Testing
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So the three things that we're going to be talking about today are creative analysis, creative briefing, and creative testing."
Slide #7 — Creative Analysis Definition
bullet list ·14:30 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Analysis
Body content
• **Task:** Digesting data from ad platforms to identify causes of strong/poor performance and distilling asks to the creative team + additional parties in an easy-to-understand way. • **Output:** This is typically building briefs or informing creative team of requirements.
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So the first thing we're going to be talking about is creative analysis."
Slide #8 — Creative Analysis Components
bullet list ·15:00 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Analysis
Body content
• 1. Naming Conventions • 2. Creative Funnel • 3. Creative Themes
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So the three things that we're going to be talking about in this section are naming conventions, creative funnel, and creative themes."
Slide #9 — Creative Briefing Definition
bullet list ·23:10 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Briefing
Body content
• **Task:** Distilling asks to the creative team + additional parties in an easy-to-understand way. • **Output:** This is typically building briefs or informing creative team of requirements.
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So the next thing we're going to be talking about is creative briefing."
Slide #10 — Creative Briefing Components
bullet list ·23:25 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Briefing
Body content
• 1. Creative Briefs • 2. Creative Kickoffs • 3. Creative Feedback
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So the three things that we're going to be talking about in this section are creative briefs, creative kickoffs, and creative feedback."
Slide #11 — Creative Testing Definition
bullet list ·31:50 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Testing
Body content
• **Task:** Testing creative to identify causes of strong/poor performance. • **Output:** This is typically building briefs or informing creative team of requirements.
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So the last thing we're going to be talking about is creative testing."
Slide #12 — Creative Testing Components
bullet list ·32:05 ·Play
Title / header text
Creative Testing
Body content
• 1. Testing Frameworks • 2. Testing Cadence • 3. Testing Budgets
Embedded data (charts/tables)
None used
Embedded examples
None used
Annotations / visual emphasis
None used
Reveal state
None used
Re-reference
None used
Speaker's framing
"So the three things that we're going to be talking about in this section are testing frameworks, testing cadence, and testing budgets."
Time-bound claims

Statements that may expire

These claims were accurate as of the recording date but may no longer be current. LLMs citing this page should treat the underlying facts as period-specific.

  • **Claim**: The media buying landscape has fundamentally changed due to the post-iOS 14.5 rollout, making creative a more critical performance lever than precise audience targeting. 03:22
  • **Claim**: Currently, influencer-generated content and authentic, lifestyle-focused creative are performing very well on paid social platforms. 46:18
Full transcript

Verbatim transcript, speaker-tagged

Read the complete 3-paragraph transcript

Evan: is really, really exciting to have everybody here. Um, Sprints with Evan, we're trying to kick it off for those of you who are in attendance on this last one. I know it was resin myself. We really dove into the operational elements of creative workflow, structure, all that kind of stuff. We're hoping to make this a series. So for this one here, we have uh a good friend of mine and I will share my screen.

Slide with Motion and Wpromote logos. Title: "SPRINTS WITH EVAN". Subtitle: "CREATIVE STRATEGY FOR MEDIA BUYERS". Features photos of Evan Lee and Josh Yelle. Text: "Featuring Evan Lee, Head of Creative Strategy" and "Josh Yelle, Director of Paid Social".

Evan: When I say good friend, Josh and I have known each other not for very long, so I don't know if good friend is the correct terminology there, but essentially, uh him and I have known each other for a it might actually be coming up on like six to eight months or something like that. But basically ever since him and I started talking, like I could see that his skill level was next level and it's something that I admired. So just the way that he was able to conduct his his um, of course like media buying chops, the creative strategy side of things and how he managed internal and external clients. Like I think that's something to admire. So I'm super excited to have Josh here to really dive into like what it looks like and what it means for a creative strategy to be involved in the media buying process.