Direct Response Fundamentals Still Win

Episode 241: The Truth About Creative Volume, Meta's Shift, and What Still Works Episode Description

Everyone's talking about creative volume but more doesn't always mean better. In this honest, behind-the-scenes conversation, Molly Pittman and Smart Marketer's Creative Director Ben Bennett unpack the current state of paid creative in a post-Andromeda world.

From team leadership to what Meta is really optimizing for, this is the high-level conversation marketers need right now.

"You're never going to put the wrong image in front of the right person and get a conversion." – Ben Bennett

You'll learn why more assets don't equal better performance and how to feed the algorithm with the signals it actually needs.

You Will Learn

• Why creative volume is being misunderstood in the current media landscape

• What Meta actually wants from your assets (and what it ignores)

• Why the wrong kind of testing can kill your ROAS

• The myth of "scaling through background color changes"

• How to structure a creative team that can adapt and win

• Why the best creative still comes down to fundamentals of persuasion

• How Smart Marketer is evolving its agency model for better performance

Links & Resources

• Smart Marketer – smartmarketer.com

• Smart Marketer Agency - smartmarketeragency.com/

• Molly Pittman – mollypittman.com

• Instagram – @smartmarketer | @mollypittmandigital

• Omnisend – smartmarketer.com/omnisend (Use code SMART for 50% off)

Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome from Anthony: New two-part series with Molly & Ben 01:12 – Ezra shares why he trusts Omnisend for email & SMS 02:15 – Live from Danville: Meet Ben Bennett & his creative journey 04:04 – From Spanish degree to Smart Marketer: Ben's origin story 07:21 – Why understanding media buying makes better creatives 08:48 – How Meta's shift toward AI impacts your creative strategy 10:26 – The "hungry machine" problem: Feeding Meta with meaning 12:22 – The high cost of low-quality volume 14:22 – Creative testing ≠ slapping on a new background color 17:53 – What Meta actually needs: Real variation & signal 20:34 – How Ben leads his team through creative pressure & change 23:29 – Stop chasing "perfect"—start getting adaptive 25:55 – Why creative is now the currency of performance 27:59 – Integrating creative into the media buying process 30:26 – Final thoughts: Trust the fundamentals, stay fluid

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