Perpetual Traffic Podcast Summary

Episode: The New Meta GEM Update + The Secret to Meta’s Andromeda Revealed with Andrew Foxwell – Part 2
Date: November 28, 2025
Hosts: Ralph Burns (Tier 11) & Andrew Foxwell (Foxwell Digital)

Episode Overview

In this pivotal episode, Ralph Burns and expert Andrew Foxwell dive deep into Meta's recent GEM, Lattice, and Andromeda updates—explaining what they mean for marketers and agencies seeking better Meta ad performance. The discussion centers on creative diversification as the cornerstone for success in Meta paid advertising going into 2026. Drawing on $8M+ of in-house creative testing, the hosts break down tactical approaches, organizational shifts, and mindset changes essential for thriving in an ever-evolving digital ad landscape.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Creative is Now the Heart of Meta Advertising

• Shift from Tactics to Strategy:
  • Button-pushing and strict campaign structures are out; thoughtful, strategic creative is in.
  • Marketers must return to being storytellers and problem-solvers—channeling “the days of David Ogilvy” ([04:45]).
• Ralph Burns:

  "Strategy now becomes, in my opinion, the most important thing...it’s becoming less so about how you manage the ad account and letting Meta do a lot of that work for you."

2. The Organizational Mindset Shift

• Org Chart > Campaign Structure:
  • Creative operations—briefing, building, tagging, post-launch analysis—are now crucial ([06:17]).
  • Andrew Foxwell:

    "Your campaign structure doesn't matter as much as your creative Org chart. You need someone who can brief, build, tag, and run post-launch performance breakdowns." ([06:17])

• Founders and account managers can no longer “do it all” sustainably; creative specialization is mandatory for scale.

3. Creative Diversification: What It Means Now

• Not Just Formats, But Messages & Perspectives:

  • Diversification goes far beyond running ads on reels vs. feeds. It’s about distinct spokespeople, stories, angles, and audience segments ([13:57], [15:08]).
  • Case in point: For a home-gym brand, five different whitelisting partners each spoke to unique customer problems—showcasing message and persona diversity ([07:00]).

• Creative Diversity Includes:

  • Message angles targeting different personas
  • Visual styles—cinematic, UGC, POV, lifestyle vs. demo
  • Changing talent/casting for broader representation (e.g., using creators of color boosted sneaker ad performance) ([17:00])
  • Testing new concepts—not just iterating on proven winners

4. Practical Creative Testing & Scaling

• Testing Approaches:
  • Large budgets (~$5K+/day): Test new ads within existing campaigns or create separate “testing” campaigns ([09:00])
  • Smaller budgets (~$50/day): Focus on simplicity, develop a small but diverse set of creatives, test organically first, and read soft metrics (video views, clicks) ([12:55])
  • Gone is the “graduation/sandbox” approach for testing and scaling; scale winning creatives in place ([11:37])
  • Foxwell’s Take:

    "The graduation method ... is horseshit. Don't do this anymore. You can still scale in place." ([10:50])

5. Creative as Targeting (Especially Post-Andromeda)

• Meta now ‘reads’ creative for targeting:
  • Niche messaging outperforms general ads—Meta’s AI finds audiences if your creative speaks specifically ([21:06])
  • “Riches in the niches has literally never been more true with Meta. The more that you can speak to a niche audience, the better off you’re going to be.” – Andrew Foxwell ([21:06])
  • Case study: Switching ad visuals/copy from “general” to “nursing” for an education company tripled conversions, then tripled again with matching ad copy ([19:44])

6. Building a Creative-First Team

• Creative strategist is now the essential hire ([25:43])
  • “Creative strategist is the number one hire in the industry this year, by far. For a good one in the US, you’re paying $100,000 easily.” – Foxwell
  • Supplement with flexible, idea-driven creatives and contract/offshore video editors as needed
  • Encourage creative thinking even among account managers—train on creative-first resources ([27:16])
• Speed and Volume Matter:
  • Fast turnaround and high output are hallmarks of top accounts. Example: 299 net-new concepts, 1,506 ads in a month for an agency spending seven figures ([30:34])

7. Mindset for Marketing Leaders & Agencies

• Build for iteration, rapid output, and data-driven creative ops
• Look for process (briefs, measurement, workflow)—not just raw “creativity” ([25:43], [27:16])
• Don’t settle for slow creative delivery; 10–20 new creatives per week is typical for high-performance accounts

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Strategy now becomes...the most important thing. We're going back to being marketers instead of button pushers.” – Ralph Burns ([04:52])
• “Meta spoiled a lot of us...you could launch a photo of a fricking red shirt and sell it on 8x ROAS, now you can’t.” – Andrew Foxwell ([07:45])
• “Creative training, not just creative testing. Train your staff...to think differently about angles, problems, and personas.” – Andrew Foxwell ([09:24])
• On testing structures:

  “The graduation method...is horseshit. Don't do this anymore. You can still scale in place.” – Andrew Foxwell ([10:50])

• “Riches in the niches has literally never been more true with Meta.” – Andrew Foxwell ([21:06])
• “Creative is the targeting. It’s everything.” – Ralph Burns ([24:28], [30:08])
• “If you want to do Meta ads, you are a creative shop now.” – Andrew Foxwell ([22:01])

Key Timestamps

• 04:45: The new primacy of creative strategy over campaign tactics
• 06:17: Organizational mindsets & the “creative org chart”
• 07:00: Example: diversifying messaging through whitelisting partners
• 09:00–11:37: Practical creative testing approaches for different budgets
• 13:57–15:08: Redefining creative diversification—beyond placements
• 17:00: Changing casting & visual style improved ad performance
• 19:44: Avatar research drives creative diversification and massive results
• 21:06: The importance of niche messaging—“riches in the niches”
• 24:28–25:43: Building a creative-first team & hiring advice
• 27:16: Structuring creative teams for agency & in-house
• 30:08-31:25: High-volume creative output: real agency numbers
• 32:14: Historical shifts in targeting and creative’s new role

Takeaways & Action Steps

• Treat creative as your primary lever for Meta ad success—establish dedicated org structures to support this.
• Prioritize both message diversity and visual variation; continual net-new concepts are critical.
• Replace obsession with campaign structure, placements, and narrow targeting—focus on what your unique creative can do in finding and connecting with new segments.
• Agencies and brands alike need creative strategists and rapid creative workflows; don’t wait “until January” to pivot.
• For smaller budgets, organic creative testing and “soft metrics” can pave the way until more budget allows rapid scaling.
• The era of button-pushing is over—the future belongs to marketers obsessed with creativity, iteration, and speed.

Resources & Connect

• Andrew Foxwell: Email | FoxwellFounders.com | Courses, community, custom-trained GPT at Foxwell Digital
• Tier 11’s Creative Diversification Package: tier11.com/cd

“Creative is the targeting right now. It's everything.”
— Ralph Burns ([30:08])