Thorne's CGO wins budget for educational content by measuring its impact with brand lift studies. Instead of seeking direct conversion, they track changes in brand consideration, website visit likelihood, and future purchase intent to demonstrate the value of upper-funnel activities to stakeholders like the CFO.

Before allocating media spend, post content organically. The unaided reach and engagement it achieves serve as a direct, measurable indicator of the creative's quality and market resonance. This data turns the subjective 'art' of creative into a quantifiable metric for making ad-buying decisions.

To get budget approval for upper-funnel channels like TV, avoid positioning it solely as "brand awareness." Instead, frame it as a "performance multiplier" that will improve the efficiency and scale of existing direct response channels, making the investment more palatable to finance teams.

Stop guessing on creative in boardrooms. Test all content organically first and only amplify what has already demonstrated relevance with an audience, thereby eliminating wasted ad spend and de-risking media budgets.

If your creative assets aren't culturally relevant, you're forced to overspend on media to achieve impact. Truly resonant content generates organic reach and makes paid amplification more efficient, a key argument for CFOs on the value of creative investment.

Instead of allocating a small percentage of a media budget to creative, flip the model. First, budget for a robust creative content engine (UGC, creators, etc.). Then, treat paid media as the amplification layer for that content, which could lead to a 50/50 split instead of the typical 80/20.

High organic view counts on social media are a direct indicator of content relevance, not just a vanity metric. Content that performs well organically also converts better when amplified with paid media spend, because inherent relevance drives higher consideration and purchase intent, directly impacting CAC, LTV, and ROAS.

To justify creative budgets to a CFO, translate creative quality into hard metrics. Strong creative increases demand (lowering CAC), boosts retention (increasing LTV), and reduces the risk of costly cultural backlash (cost avoidance), positioning creativity as a core business growth driver.

To sell leadership on brand initiatives with indirect ROI, translate organic performance into paid media equivalents. Calculate what the millions of impressions from a viral video would have cost via paid channels. Frame it as a cost-effective way to build brand and lower overall CAC.