---
title: What creative strategy is and where a new creative strategist starts
slug: creative-strategy-fundamentals
summary: The job of a creative strategist (find the highest-leverage thing, not "make more ads"), Evan Lee's three altitudes (org → team → individual), Emily Hickey's first principles (algorithm ads are a creative game, winners win, small tests) and the "what decision will this research make?" rule.
domain: marketing
tags: [ad-creative, creative-strategy, meta-ads, paid-social, fundamentals]
related: [creative-account-diagnosis, customer-research-for-ads, motivator-map-why-buy-why-believe, brand-reality-capacity-and-alignment, hook-anatomy]
sources: [yt:DqFjak694PQ, yt:ILTXC1L8te8, yt:pV0tM1gSJiU, yt:4wM-i1cxtAM]
updated: 2026-10-24
---

# What creative strategy is and where to start

## TL;DR
- Creative strategy is **not endless execution** (briefs, making ads). The job is to find what has the **highest leverage for the brand** and put all energy there.[^1]
- Work **top-down through three altitudes**: organisation (what matters most to the business) → team (volume, people, creators needed) → individual (actually making ads).[^2]
- On algorithmic platforms the targeting is solved; **creative is the competition** — the ad that drives a higher purchase rate wins the impression.[^3]
- **Winners win**: a few products, headlines, creators and formats drive most results — get 5x out of them before hunting for new ones.[^4]
- Without a stated **diagnosis** ("the why behind the roadmap") you have testing, not strategy.[^5]
- Before any research ask: **what decision will this help me make?** If none, close the browser.[^6]

## Details
**Day one as a strategist (Evan Lee, Motion).** The common mistake is making 25 ads straight away or recreating whatever the CEO sent at the weekend. Slow down and learn the business first.[^1]
1. *Org altitude* — ask leadership what the most important thing for the business is; get on the same page, because it anchors everything.[^2]
2. *Team altitude* — how much volume is needed, who does what, how many creators.[^2]
3. *Individual altitude* — only now dive into creation. Keep asking "which altitude am I operating at?" and jump up when the business needs it.[^7]
Done right, the strategist becomes the person connecting leadership with the individual work.[^2]

**The hook is the highest-leverage creative variable** in direct-response ads (Evan's bootcamp quiz answer, ahead of social proof, creator talent and editing) — see [[hook-anatomy]].[^8]

**Emily Hickey's first principles (Chief Detective, ~$1B Meta spend).**[^9]
- *Algorithm marketing is a creative game.* Meta already knows who is in market for a $300 sweater; it decides whether your ad deserves the impression, mainly by **purchase rate vs the ad next to it**. "The algorithm is the house — it takes your money either way."[^3]
- *Winners win (asymmetry).* Best products often do 60%+ of revenue; one headline (e.g. "glow" in beauty) can be a business. Brands wrongly abandon heroes out of internal boredom.[^4][^10]
- *Small-scale tests* are a metal detector for those winners — see [[motivator-map-why-buy-why-believe]].[^10]
- *Specificity (spearpoint marketing).* "A dress that looks great on everyone" sells nothing; "I'm self-conscious about my arms and wear this all day" sells. Her sound-bath friend's events filled only when positioned "for anxiety and depression".[^11][^12]
- *Brand and awareness matter* for 100-year brands.[^10]

**Strategy needs a diagnosis.** Dara Denney: a 1–2 sentence statement of the connective tissue behind everything on the creative roadmap — how to find it is in [[creative-account-diagnosis]].[^5]

**Research needs a decision.** Sarah Levinger: having lots of organised swipe files is not knowing what to do; every piece of research should change what you build, how you frame it or who you target.[^6][^13]

## Disagreements / caveats
- Evan and Emily frame the job from different seats (in-house strategist vs agency CEO) but agree: understand the business/customer before producing volume.
- "Hook is everything" (Evan) vs "messaging matters more than format/visuals" (Dara, [[iterating-on-winning-ads]]) — compatible: the hook is where the message lands.

## See also
- [[customer-research-for-ads]] · [[brand-reality-capacity-and-alignment]]
- [[paid-social-creative-testing-framework]] — app-specific testing setup
- [[people/evan-lee]] · [[people/emily-hickey]]

[^1]: yt:DqFjak694PQ @ 00:00 — Evan Lee
[^2]: yt:DqFjak694PQ @ 01:32 — Evan Lee
[^3]: yt:ILTXC1L8te8 @ 06:25 — Emily Hickey
[^4]: yt:ILTXC1L8te8 @ 07:13 — Emily Hickey
[^5]: yt:4wM-i1cxtAM @ 02:21 — Dara Denney
[^6]: yt:pV0tM1gSJiU @ 04:38 — Sarah Levinger
[^7]: yt:DqFjak694PQ @ 03:07 — Evan Lee
[^8]: yt:DqFjak694PQ @ 04:38 — Evan Lee
[^9]: yt:ILTXC1L8te8 @ 05:37 — Emily Hickey
[^10]: yt:ILTXC1L8te8 @ 07:59 — Emily Hickey
[^11]: yt:ILTXC1L8te8 @ 09:33 — Emily Hickey
[^12]: yt:ILTXC1L8te8 @ 10:19 — Emily Hickey
[^13]: yt:pV0tM1gSJiU @ 01:31 — Sarah Levinger