Role overview

The Creative Strategist (CS) owns account performance and the quality of all creative output. They translate research and data into clear direction, guiding what should be made, why, and how. They support briefs, provide strategic input, and oversee execution. Their role is to monitor what worked, understand why, and continuously iterate toward better performance.

Key responsibilities

Performance Analysis & Iterative Strategy

• Monitor performance across active campaigns; identify what works, what underperforms, and why
• Translate insights into new creative direction; evolve strategy based on results, testing, and learnings
• Contribute strategic insights to performance decks and client-facing retros based on Motion report analysis

Creative Research & Concept Development

• Conduct platform, trend, competitor, and audience research
• Build and maintain client-specific Foreplay boards
• Create and evolve persona strategies; connect audience insights to hooks and content decisions
• Support the development of hooks, content concepts, and directional briefs for UGC and statics

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Deliver creative direction to CPs through clear strategic input and examples
• Join brainstorms and kickoffs to align on execution
• Coordinate with Paid Media Managers to integrate KPIs and learnings into creative
• Stay synced with PMs on project timelines, scope limits, and deliverables
• Participate in CP/CS retros to align on quality and improve creative direction over time

Creative Quality Ownership

• Flag off-strategy or underwhelming content early
• Support CPs with execution feedback, ideation support, and clarity on what success looks like
• Ensure strategic direction is well understood and consistently applied throughout production
• Maintain alignment between briefs, deliverables, and final output across the account

Sales & Pitching

• Assist with defined deliverables for pitches, such as strategy and pitching

Deliverables

• Research & strategy decks
• Client-specific Foreplay boards
• Creative brief direction to CPs (hooks, statics, concepts, etc.)
• Iterative briefs or creative direction updates to CPs
• Sync notes or Looms from CP retros to build Learnings Library
• Performance insight/analysis on campaign recaps/reports
• Clearly defined deliverables for pitches

Owned outcomes for the role (KPIs)

• Creative output that performs Content consistently meets or exceeds performance goals, based on a clear, repeatable feedback loop of insight action iteration
• Strategic clarity across briefs CPs, PMs, and clients understand the “why” behind every deliverable. Strategy feels thoughtful, precise, and adaptable
• Alignment across functions Paid, CP, and PM are always in sync with creative direction. Everyone knows what’s needed, by when, and why
• Clear ownership of quality CS sets the bar for creative alignment and execution. Gaps are caught early and addressed proactively
• Strong research backbone Foreplay boards, persona work, and strategic decks show depth and platform fluency—not guesswork
• Supports holistic team growth Consistently shows a collaborative spirit and contributes proactively to the upskilling and growth of junior team members
• Conceptualizing strategy that pushes the envelope Raises the bar when leading strategy, including on pitches, performance creative accounts, and other instances where they own high-level strategy rather than relying heavily on what’s been done before

What this role does not own

• Project timelines or task management (PM)
• Client relationship (AM)
• Client communication (PM)
• Paid media strategy or execution (PMM)
• Scope negotiation or SOW definition (AM-owned)
• Large-scale and/or rote creative execution (CP)
• Pitches (AM)