Campaigns are live systems. They run through trafficking portals, scheduling engines, and dynamic rules. They have logic.
I run campaigns where delivery is as much about the plumbing as the art.
Where I start
Clarify the process. What transitions, who is responsible for each phase, and what “completed” means. If the transfer isn’t apparent and managed, it isn’t legitimate.
Write the rules. Triggers, schedules, data inputs. If the rules aren’t written down, they’re just folklore.
Build the runbook. Content matrices and QA steps. The goal is a system that can be repeated by anyone in the room, and heroics are a sign of a broken process.
Run the stress test. Not just “does it load,” but “how does it behave.” We look for the edge cases and the data failures before the public sees them.
Protect the technical hinges. Creative, media, tech, and data speak different languages. I ensure the logic is preserved when the content meets the platform. Translation is part of delivery.
Minimise the friction. Change control and compliance are necessary. The goal is to keep them from stopping momentum.
The aim is a system that ships reliably, even when people are tired.
Evidence
Examples are anonymised to respect client confidentiality.
Children configuring a digital bedroom
Colours, objects, layouts: hundreds of viable combinations. We defined the logic in a prototype before we built the assets. We tested every path, every combination.
The system behaved. No one had to scramble at go-live.
Brand enforcement as a blocker
Global client with a brand team that reviewed everything. I set up a weekly review starting at the wireframe stage, before any design was locked.
Approvals stopped being a late-stage blocker because we didn’t wait until the end to ask.
Delivery model as a black box
Major account where trust was eroding between the agency and the client. No one could see how work moved between specialists or where it was at any moment.
I built a shared workflow view: one version of the truth that everyone could see. The relationship held firm because the chaos stopped.
Rights issue 48 hours before launch
I managed a bespoke interactive build for a seasonal launch. Late in the process, a rights issue surfaced for the image of a London black cab.
I contacted the licensing body directly, negotiated a one-time usage fee, and had clearance in 48 hours.
If your campaign runs through a platform and no one can map the workflow end-to-end, you have a hidden single point of failure.