Rippling doesn't measure brand campaigns on direct-response metrics. Instead, creative top-of-funnel ads are designed to "implant a seed" of brand awareness. Success is measured by how these campaigns increase the efficiency and conversion rate of subsequent mid- and bottom-funnel ads shown to the same audience.

At Rippling, content creation is not a standalone, organic-only activity. The core philosophy is that almost every piece of creative, from humorous videos to customer stories, is ultimately designed to be used as fuel for their paid media engine. This ensures that brand-building efforts are maximized for reach and have a measurable pathway to impact.

For decades, ad budgets were used to force mediocre creative in front of audiences. The new model is to test many pieces of content organically first. When a post over-performs, use paid media to amplify that proven winner, shifting ad spend from hiding bad creative to amplifying good creative.

The modern marketing flywheel requires testing creative organically, then amplifying winners with paid media. An agency that only handles one part of this process cannot be fully accountable for results. To prove ROI, agencies must offer both creative development and media buying as an integrated service.

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.

Test all creative content organically on social platforms first. The algorithm's response (views, engagement) provides a free, data-driven measure of the creative's relevance. Only amplify the proven winners with paid media spend, eliminating wasteful ad buys on content that doesn't resonate with audiences.

Creative is no longer just a department; it's a core operational supply chain. This requires managing multiple, parallel production tracks—from internal designers, customer UGC, and paid creators to AI-generated assets—that all feed into the media buying engine for continuous testing.

Social platforms reward paid creative that looks and feels like native, organic content. Despite this, brands often silo their paid and organic teams. To maximize ad performance, the team creating high-engagement organic content should also be responsible for informing and creating the paid social creative.

Instead of separating brand and performance budgets, treat every performance ad as a brand-building opportunity. Ensure all creative is polished and educates the consumer about the product and brand, building equity with every dollar spent on acquisition.