How We Used Narrative to Increase Audience Reach by 40%: An IAC Case Study

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FROM THE WORK
Yelp: From 2 to 30 - Building a Creative Operating System at Scale
From The Work
IAC - One Lead, Three Brands: The Internal Agency Model
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AI as a Creative Co-Pilot: A Practical Guide
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The System Nobody Used
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How I Built an AI-Human Creative System (And What Actually Worked)
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Living Like Kevin: How a 25-Year-Old Film Became a $500K Revenue Campaign
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Why UX Writing is the Most Important Element of Narrative Design in Your Product
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Why Internal Brand Strategy is Your Most Powerful Growth Engine
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Why "Data-Driven" is Killing Your Creativity (And Why "Data-Informed" is the Solution)
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What the Level Design of Dark Souls Can Teach Us About Employee Onboarding
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What the Architectural Principles of Tadao Ando Can Teach Us About UX Design
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What is Creative Ops? A Practical Guide to Building a More Efficient Creative Workflow
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What is "Radical Empathy"? (And Why It's the Most Undervalued Asset in Business and Art)
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What Hiring Managers in Product and UX Really Want to See in a Creative's Portfolio
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UX Writing is More Than Microcopy—It's Narrative Design
From The Work
The Storytelling Genius of Video Game "Lore": What Brands Can Learn from Elden Ring
From The Work
The Rise of the Full-Stack Creative: Why Marketing Teams Need to Rethink Creative Roles
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The Psychology of a Perfect Pitch: How to Frame Your Story to Speak Directly to the Primal Brain
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The Perfect Creative Brief Template (And Why It Will Save Your Next Project)
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The Manifesto of the Full-Stack Creative
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The Full-Stack Triumph of Barbie: Narrative, Marketing, and Product
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The Full-Stack Deconstruction of a Hit K-Pop Group: A Case Study in Narrative, Product, and Community
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The Empathetic Leader's Playbook: How to Build Resilient and Innovative Teams
From The Work
The Complete Brand Storytelling Framework: A Step-by-Step Guide
From The Work
The Art of the Post-Mortem: A Creative Leader's Guide to Learning from Wins and Losses
From The Work
The Anatomy of a Flop: A Full-Stack Post-Mortem of Quibi
From The Work
The 7 Essential Tools for Creative Leaders: A Full-Stack Toolkit
From The Work
The 30M Impression Campaign: How Storytelling and Earned Media Turned a Brand Activation into a Cultural Moment
From The Work
The "Unreliable Narrator": A Deeply Creative Trope You Should Be Using in Your Brand Marketing
From The Work
The "Second Brain" for a Full-Stack Creative: My System for Capturing, Connecting, and Creating Ideas
From The Work
The "GTM" is Your Third Act: Applying Narrative Structure to Your Go-to-Market Plan
From The Work
The "Creative Capital" Framework: How to Allocate Your Time and Energy Like a Venture Capitalist
From The Work
The "Chief Narrative Officer": Why This Will Be the Most Important C-Suite Role in the Next Decade
From The Work
Scaling Creative Operations at Yelp: The Systems That Made It Possible
From The Work
Narrative Marketing vs. Performance Marketing: Why Story-Driven Campaigns Win
From The Work
Moonbeam: 0 to Acquisition — Building a TikTok-Style Podcast App from Beta to Exit
From The Work
Leader's Guide to Managing Freelancers and Creative Agencies
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How to Lead a High-Performing Remote Creative Team
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Avenues: The World School - Building a Global Brand System Across Two International Campuses
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How to Build a Brand Voice from Scratch: A Startup Case Study
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How to Apply Product Thinking to Your Creative Process
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How We Used User Journey Design to Boost a Creator Platform’s Retention by 30%
From The Work
How We Used Narrative to Increase Audience Reach by 40%: An IAC Case Study
From The Work
How We Drove 30 Million Impressions for Yelp’s National “Servies” Campaign
From The Work
How We Built a Creative Operating System to Increase Campaign Efficiency by 25% at Yelp
From The Work
How We Aligned Creative and Product to Build a Better Content Pipeline at Yelp
From The Work
First Principles Thinking for Creatives: How to Deconstruct Any Story or Brand Problem to its Core
From The Work
Deconstructing Haiku: How the 5-7-5 Structure Can Revolutionize Your UX Microcopy
From The Work
Creative Strategy Isn't Just for Agencies—It's a Core Business Function
From The Work
An Agile Creativity Framework: How to Run Your Creative Team Like a Product Squad
From The Work
AI as a "Creative Co-Pilot": A Practical Guide for Agencies and Studios
From The Work
A Leader's Guide to Managing Freelancers and Creative Agencies
From The Work
GTM Strategy Case Study: How We Launched a Startup MVP
From The Work
5 Enduring Lessons from a Decade of Leading Brand Campaigns
From The Work
World-Building-as-a-Service: The Next Big Agency Model
From The Work

BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Yelp: From 2 to 30 - Building a Creative Operating System at Scale
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
IAC - One Lead, Three Brands: The Internal Agency Model
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
AI as a Creative Co-Pilot: A Practical Guide
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The System Nobody Used
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How I Built an AI-Human Creative System (And What Actually Worked)
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Living Like Kevin: How a 25-Year-Old Film Became a $500K Revenue Campaign
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Why UX Writing is the Most Important Element of Narrative Design in Your Product
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Why Internal Brand Strategy is Your Most Powerful Growth Engine
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Why "Data-Driven" is Killing Your Creativity (And Why "Data-Informed" is the Solution)
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
What the Level Design of Dark Souls Can Teach Us About Employee Onboarding
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
What the Architectural Principles of Tadao Ando Can Teach Us About UX Design
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
What is Creative Ops? A Practical Guide to Building a More Efficient Creative Workflow
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
What is "Radical Empathy"? (And Why It's the Most Undervalued Asset in Business and Art)
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
What Hiring Managers in Product and UX Really Want to See in a Creative's Portfolio
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
UX Writing is More Than Microcopy—It's Narrative Design
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Storytelling Genius of Video Game "Lore": What Brands Can Learn from Elden Ring
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Rise of the Full-Stack Creative: Why Marketing Teams Need to Rethink Creative Roles
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Psychology of a Perfect Pitch: How to Frame Your Story to Speak Directly to the Primal Brain
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Perfect Creative Brief Template (And Why It Will Save Your Next Project)
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Manifesto of the Full-Stack Creative
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Full-Stack Triumph of Barbie: Narrative, Marketing, and Product
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Full-Stack Deconstruction of a Hit K-Pop Group: A Case Study in Narrative, Product, and Community
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Empathetic Leader's Playbook: How to Build Resilient and Innovative Teams
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Complete Brand Storytelling Framework: A Step-by-Step Guide
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Art of the Post-Mortem: A Creative Leader's Guide to Learning from Wins and Losses
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The Anatomy of a Flop: A Full-Stack Post-Mortem of Quibi
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The 7 Essential Tools for Creative Leaders: A Full-Stack Toolkit
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The 30M Impression Campaign: How Storytelling and Earned Media Turned a Brand Activation into a Cultural Moment
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The "Unreliable Narrator": A Deeply Creative Trope You Should Be Using in Your Brand Marketing
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The "Second Brain" for a Full-Stack Creative: My System for Capturing, Connecting, and Creating Ideas
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The "GTM" is Your Third Act: Applying Narrative Structure to Your Go-to-Market Plan
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The "Creative Capital" Framework: How to Allocate Your Time and Energy Like a Venture Capitalist
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
The "Chief Narrative Officer": Why This Will Be the Most Important C-Suite Role in the Next Decade
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Scaling Creative Operations at Yelp: The Systems That Made It Possible
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Narrative Marketing vs. Performance Marketing: Why Story-Driven Campaigns Win
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Moonbeam: 0 to Acquisition — Building a TikTok-Style Podcast App from Beta to Exit
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Leader's Guide to Managing Freelancers and Creative Agencies
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How to Lead a High-Performing Remote Creative Team
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Avenues: The World School - Building a Global Brand System Across Two International Campuses
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How to Build a Brand Voice from Scratch: A Startup Case Study
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How to Apply Product Thinking to Your Creative Process
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How We Used User Journey Design to Boost a Creator Platform’s Retention by 30%
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How We Used Narrative to Increase Audience Reach by 40%: An IAC Case Study
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How We Drove 30 Million Impressions for Yelp’s National “Servies” Campaign
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How We Built a Creative Operating System to Increase Campaign Efficiency by 25% at Yelp
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
How We Aligned Creative and Product to Build a Better Content Pipeline at Yelp
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
First Principles Thinking for Creatives: How to Deconstruct Any Story or Brand Problem to its Core
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Deconstructing Haiku: How the 5-7-5 Structure Can Revolutionize Your UX Microcopy
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
Creative Strategy Isn't Just for Agencies—It's a Core Business Function
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
An Agile Creativity Framework: How to Run Your Creative Team Like a Product Squad
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
AI as a "Creative Co-Pilot": A Practical Guide for Agencies and Studios
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
A Leader's Guide to Managing Freelancers and Creative Agencies
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
GTM Strategy Case Study: How We Launched a Startup MVP
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
5 Enduring Lessons from a Decade of Leading Brand Campaigns
BALANCE IN
MOTION FOR
A BETTER LIFE
World-Building-as-a-Service: The Next Big Agency Model
POINT OF VIEW

From The Work
In the world of performance marketing, the story is often the first casualty. The pressure to optimize for the click, the conversion, and the immediate ROI can strip a campaign of its soul, leaving behind a trail of efficient but forgettable direct-response ads. The prevailing wisdom is that you can have a beautiful brand story or you can have a high-performing campaign, but you can't have both.
This is a false choice.
During my time as a Creative Director at IAC (InterActiveCorp), a leading media and internet company, I was tasked with a challenge that sat directly on this fault line. We needed to launch and scale over 10 new branded video series for a portfolio of digital brands, and we needed to do it in a way that was both creatively excellent and ruthlessly effective at growing our audience. Failure meant not only a missed creative opportunity but a significant waste of media spend.
By rejecting the "brand OR performance" mindset and adopting a "brand AND performance" approach, we developed a model for narrative-driven performance marketing. We treated our video series not as a collection of ads, but as episodic stories, and then used performance marketing tactics to distribute those stories with precision. The result was a 40% increase in audience reach across the portfolio and a 35% boost in campaign conversions, earning recognition from major outlets like Bon Appétit. This is how we proved that a good story is the ultimate performance-enhancing drug.
We proved that a good story is the ultimate performance-enhancing drug.
The Journey
From Disconnected Ads to Episodic Storytelling
The traditional approach to video marketing is to create a single "hero" video and then bombard the audience with it. Our approach was different. We treated each campaign not as a single shout, but as an ongoing conversation.
Phase 1: The "Pilot Episode" Strategy
For each of the 10+ branded content series, we developed a core narrative concept. But we didn't go all-in on production right away. Instead, we created a "pilot episode"—a single, powerful video that established the series' tone, characters, and core value proposition.
- The Creative Process: As Creative Director, I led the strategy from ideation through production. This involved creating treatments and lookbooks, crafting campaign narratives, and ensuring every "pilot" was aligned with the specific brand's goals.
- The Key Shift: Instead of ending our pilot with a hard "Buy Now," we ended it with a narrative hook, teasing what was coming next in the series. The call-to-action was softer: "Follow along for the next episode." This was designed to convert a viewer into a subscriber, not just a one-time clicker.
Phase 2 & 3
Phase 2: The "Episodic" Distribution Model
This is where our narrative approach integrated with performance marketing. We used paid social and video platforms not to blast a single message, but to run a sequential, episodic ad campaign.
- Audience Targeting: We would start by targeting a broad, top-of-funnel audience with our "pilot episode."
- Sequential Retargeting: This was the core of the strategy. Anyone who watched 50% or more of the "pilot" was then automatically added to a retargeting pool. This pool was then served "Episode 2" a few days later. Those who watched Episode 2 were served Episode 3, and so on.
- The "Conversion" Episode: The final episode in the sequence was the one that contained the stronger, bottom-of-funnel call-to-action (e.g., "Download the app," "Start your free trial").
This model transformed our ad campaign from a series of interruptions into a welcome, serialized story. Our audience wasn't being targeted; they were being treated to the next chapter of a story they had already opted into.
Phase 3: The "Data-Informed" Greenlight Process
We used the performance data from our "pilot episodes" to make smart, strategic decisions about the rest of the series.
- We didn't just look at Click-Through Rate (CTR). We obsessed over Video Completion Rate (VCR) and Audience Retention Graphs. These metrics told us if the story was working.
- A pilot with a high VCR got the greenlight for a full "season" of episodes. A pilot with a significant audience drop-off at the 15-second mark was a signal that our hook was wrong.
- This data-informed creative process allowed us to de-risk our investment. We stopped guessing what our audience wanted to watch and started listening to what their viewing habits were telling us. We only doubled down on the stories that had already proven their ability to hold attention.
The Results
A Scalable Engine for Audience and Conversion Growth
By treating our performance marketing as a storytelling platform, we achieved a powerful synthesis of brand-building and direct-response. The results demonstrated that an engaging narrative is the most effective way to drive measurable action.
The Metrics of a Narrative-Driven Approach:
- Audience Reach Increased by 40%: The episodic model proved to be a powerful engine for growth. By focusing on retaining viewers from one episode to the next, our campaigns built a cumulative audience over time. This approach dramatically outperformed previous, disconnected "one-off" video ads, leading to a portfolio-wide 40% increase in audience reach.
- Campaign Conversions Boosted by 35%: The sequential retargeting strategy was incredibly effective. By the time a viewer saw the final "conversion" episode, they weren't a cold lead; they were a warm, engaged fan. They understood the brand's value proposition because they had been on a journey with us. This deep engagement led to a 35% improvement in conversion rates compared to campaigns that used a single, hard-sell video.
- Earned Media and Industry Recognition: The high quality of the creative and the impressive results of the campaigns earned recognition from respected outlets like Bon Appétit. This provided valuable third-party validation that further boosted the credibility and reach of our work.
The Strategic Win:
The most significant outcome was the creation of a scalable and repeatable playbook for launching and growing new content brands. We moved away from a high-risk, project-by-project approach and developed a data-informed system for building loyal audiences. This model proved to the organization that investing in high-quality, narrative-driven content was not a luxury; it was the most effective and efficient path to sustainable growth. We didn't just make ads; we built an audience asset.
Our audience wasn't being targeted; they were being treated to the next chapter of a story they had already opted into.
Lessons Learned
Three Keys to Blending Story and Performance
1. Change Your Primary Metric from "Clicks" to "Attention": In video marketing, the click is a false god. The most valuable metric in the early stages of a campaign is attention. A high Video Completion Rate is a far better indicator of a story's resonance than a high Click-Through Rate on a deceptive thumbnail. If you can hold their attention, you will eventually earn their click.
2. The Funnel is the Story: A great narrative campaign is not about slapping a story on top of a pre-existing marketing funnel. The funnel itself must be architected with a narrative structure. The top-of-funnel ad is your "inciting incident." The mid-funnel retargeting is your "rising action." The bottom-of-funnel conversion is your "climax." When you map the user journey to a story structure, your marketing becomes exponentially more effective.
3. Performance Data is Your Co-Writer: The best creative leaders don't see data as a report card from another department. They see it as a collaborative partner in the creative process. The data tells you where your story is dragging, where your audience is confused, and where your message is truly landing. Learning to listen to that data is like learning to take notes from the world's most honest and insightful producer.
This project was a definitive proof point in my career. It showed that the perceived conflict between the storytellers and the quants is a myth. The most powerful marketing isn't born from choosing one over the other, but from creating a seamless fusion of the two.

How We Used Narrative to Increase Audience Reach by 40%: An IAC Case Study

The Journey

From Disconnected Ads to Episodic Storytelling

Phase 2 & 3

The Results

A Scalable Engine for Audience and Conversion Growth

Lessons Learned

Three Keys to Blending Story and Performance