Life in Adtech: Leading StackAdapt Users to Creative Success

In our blog series “Life in Adtech” we’re showcasing the different ways in which StackAdapters are driving innovation in adtech, and creating a progressive tech culture. From using modeling and data to create advanced algorithms to building stylish and robust user interfaces, everyone at StackAdapt is contributing to evolving the StackAdapt platform and providing the best product and service to our clients.

This month features Carolynne Wong, one of StackAdapt’s Creative Strategy Team Leads. Carolynne shares her journey into adtech, what her role entails, and how the Creative Strategy team is supporting StackAdapt users. 

Can you share a bit about your journey into working in adtech, and what attracted you to this field? 

After graduating from school, my first job was as a designer and coordinator at a corporate company. I was responsible for building landing page assets for the website, and I also got to come up with promotional campaigns for online sales. 

When I was ready for my next career move, I knew I wanted to continue in the digital space, but I was looking for a position where I could work with a variety of brands to really grow my skills. 

I was hired to join StackAdapt’s Creative Strategy team back in 2019. It was my first experience working in adtech. To be honest, I never expected to work in programmatic advertising, but I’m so grateful to be here!

What is the main focus of the Creative Strategy team at StackAdapt, and what are your main responsibilities on the team?

The Creative Strategists help clients make the most out of their creative approach on the StackAdapt platform. We walk them through what mix of channels will best suit their campaign, we explore the fine details of why creative should look a certain way, and we recommend what platform integrations to include in the ads to collect unique campaign insights. 

Once we’ve established a plan, Creative Strategists will coordinate the development of ads with our internal Production Designers and Motion Specialists. We oversee all of the moving parts when it comes to creative execution, and we’re in constant communication with the sales, production, and the StackAdapt Platform Quality team before we send creative back to the clients for review.

As a team lead, how do you contribute to the success of the team as well as campaigns run on the StackAdapt platform?

I am one of three team leads from the Creative Studio! As a Team Lead, I will jump in to support the team in all sorts of ways, from troubleshooting ads on the platform, to providing design feedback, and insights for campaign strategies. And just like Creative Strategists, Team Leads work with the Sales team, and have a dedicated portfolio of clients who we help develop creative campaigns that best suit their brand and budgets. 

Along with client support, Team Leads contribute to many internal projects that focus on the future state of the team. We are constantly looking for ways to improve our work processes, data intake, and training opportunities to ensure the team continues to grow, is set up for success, and supports the ongoing momentum of StackAdapt.

What does creativity mean to you, and how do you inspire creativity on the team? 

I see creativity as a form of communication. There are countless ways people like to express themselves creatively, whether that is through art, cooking, music, writing, you name it! Creativity allows you to bring whatever has been on repeat inside your head, out into the real world.

My team likes to share design inspiration during our team huddles, adhoc brainstorm sessions, or in one of our many group chats. Sometimes we showcase our own work to the team, and other times it’s showing off the cool creative pieces we see in our day to day.

What advice would you give someone looking to work in a leadership role in the creative field? 

I think knowing how to create a comfortable working environment is an important trait for a leadership role in the creative field. A setting where others can share their honest opinions is so important to a team’s development, and so I always do my best to foster a safe, inclusive space during brainstorming and feedback sessions.

I’m also a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due. Especially in a leadership role, I think it’s very important to provide that recognition and show appreciation for your teammates!

What is the most rewarding part of leading a team of Creative Strategists at StackAdapt?

This position has a great deal of personal interaction, and having the chance to build so many positive relationships, both internally and externally, is what I find most rewarding. 

I started on the Creative Studio team when we were just a group of 5 people in our Toronto office. Now we’ve expanded globally and our team has grown to over 40 members! We’ve changed so much since 2019, and it’s so amazing to see how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time.

Interested in joining StackAdapt? See our open roles and apply here.

In each new addition, we will be highlighting our teams and employees in our “Life In Adtech” series—stay tuned for more!