A senior creative team that plugs into your performance team.
A senior creative team that plugs into your performance team.
A senior creative team that plugs into your performance team.
We don't replace your media buyer. We feed them creative that wins.
We don't replace your media buyer. We feed them creative that wins.
We don't replace your media buyer. We feed them creative that wins.
Performance creative comes down to two things — the people doing the work, and the methodology they apply.
Performance creative comes down to two things — the people doing the work, and the methodology they apply.
Performance creative comes down to two things — the people doing the work, and the methodology they apply.
Lean has spent over a decade as an extension of growth-stage performance teams — managing $1B+ in media spend across 127 clients, with average client tenure of 4.5 years. Across that work, the same two things have consistently separated creative that wins from creative that doesn't: who's doing it, and how. We've packaged the team and the methodology behind that engine and made them available as a standalone service.
Lean has spent over a decade as an extension of growth-stage performance teams — managing $1B+ in media spend across 127 clients, with average client tenure of 4.5 years. Across that work, the same two things have consistently separated creative that wins from creative that doesn't: who's doing it, and how. We've packaged the team and the methodology behind that engine and made them available as a standalone service.
Lean has spent over a decade as an extension of growth-stage performance teams — managing $1B+ in media spend across 127 clients, with average client tenure of 4.5 years. Across that work, the same two things have consistently separated creative that wins from creative that doesn't: who's doing it, and how. We've packaged the team and the methodology behind that engine and made them available as a standalone service.
01 The people
01 The people
01 The people
The team you get shapes the creative more than anything else. Here's who you work with and how they show up.
The team you get shapes the creative more than anything else. Here's who you work with and how they show up.
The team you get shapes the creative more than anything else. Here's who you work with and how they show up.
WHO YOU GET
WHO YOU GET
WHO YOU GET
Senior team.
Not a training ground.
Senior team.
Not a training ground.
Senior Creative Director with a performance marketing background
Senior designer dedicated to your brand
Motion designer
Senior Creative Director with a performance marketing background
Senior designer dedicated to your brand
Motion designer
Senior Creative Director with a performance marketing background
Senior designer dedicated to your brand
Motion designer
Every person on your account has years of performance creative behind them. No juniors. No rotation.
Every person on your account has years of performance creative behind them. No juniors. No rotation.
Every person on your account has years of performance creative behind them. No juniors. No rotation.
HOW THEY SHOW UP
HOW THEY SHOW UP
HOW THEY SHOW UP
Same team every week.
Elbow-deep in your persona.
Same team every week.
Elbow-deep in your persona.
Embedded in your Slack. Each designer manages 3 brands, not 30. Their persona knowledge — what customers scroll, the visual codes they respond to — shapes the design before the brand book opens.
Embedded in your Slack. Each designer manages 3 brands, not 30. Their persona knowledge — what customers scroll, the visual codes they respond to — shapes the design before the brand book opens.
Embedded in your Slack. Each designer manages 3 brands, not 30. Their persona knowledge — what customers scroll, the visual codes they respond to — shapes the design before the brand book opens.
WHAT THEY BRING
WHAT THEY BRING
WHAT THEY BRING
The creativity of a brand team.
The analytics of a performance team.
The creativity of a brand team.
The analytics of a performance team.
Their compensation is tied to your campaign performance — not salary, not billable hours. When campaigns win, they win. When they miss, they feel it before you do.
Their compensation is tied to your campaign performance — not salary, not billable hours. When campaigns win, they win. When they miss, they feel it before you do.
Their compensation is tied to your campaign performance — not salary, not billable hours. When campaigns win, they win. When they miss, they feel it before you do.
WHAT THEY HAVE ON THEIR LINE
WHAT THEY HAVE ON THEIR LINE
WHAT THEY HAVE ON THEIR LINE
Skin in the game.
Not billable hours.
Skin in the game.
Not billable hours.
Their compensation is tied to your campaign performance — not salary, not billable hours. When campaigns win, they win. When they miss, they feel it before you do.
Their compensation is tied to your campaign performance — not salary, not billable hours. When campaigns win, they win. When they miss, they feel it before you do.
Their compensation is tied to your campaign performance — not salary, not billable hours. When campaigns win, they win. When they miss, they feel it before you do.
02 The methodologye
02 The methodologye
02 The methodologye
How the work gets made — the signals that feed it, the cycle it runs through, and the speed it all moves at.
How the work gets made — the signals that feed it, the cycle it runs through, and the speed it all moves at.
How the work gets made — the signals that feed it, the cycle it runs through, and the speed it all moves at.
INTERNAL SIGNALS — THE MAIN DIFFERENTIATOR
INTERNAL SIGNALS — THE MAIN DIFFERENTIATOR
INTERNAL SIGNALS — THE MAIN DIFFERENTIATOR
The data most agencies never get to see
The data most agencies never get to see
Sales calls, CRM, surveys, support, full-funnel performance (ROAS per concept). Data nobody hands typical vendors — we get it because we work like in-house. Where the deepest hypotheses come from.
Sales calls, CRM, surveys, support, full-funnel performance (ROAS per concept). Data nobody hands typical vendors — we get it because we work like in-house. Where the deepest hypotheses come from.
Sales calls, CRM, surveys, support, full-funnel performance (ROAS per concept). Data nobody hands typical vendors — we get it because we work like in-house. Where the deepest hypotheses come from.
EXTERNAL SIGNALS
EXTERNAL SIGNALS
EXTERNAL SIGNALS
Your audience and your market
Your audience and your market
What your customers say unprompted — Reddit, G2, app reviews, forums. What competitors are running — ads, positioning, pricing. Breakthrough work from industry leaders as inspiration for the next hypothesis.
What your customers say unprompted — Reddit, G2, app reviews, forums. What competitors are running — ads, positioning, pricing. Breakthrough work from industry leaders as inspiration for the next hypothesis.
What your customers say unprompted — Reddit, G2, app reviews, forums. What competitors are running — ads, positioning, pricing. Breakthrough work from industry leaders as inspiration for the next hypothesis.
THE CYCLE
THE CYCLE
THE CYCLE
We own the full creative cycle — brief through postmortem
We own the full creative cycle — brief through postmortem
Strategy, design, and the learnings that shape the next round — surfacing what your persona actually needs. Sometimes that contradicts your positioning. That's the whole point.
Strategy, design, and the learnings that shape the next round — surfacing what your persona actually needs. Sometimes that contradicts your positioning. That's the whole point.
Strategy, design, and the learnings that shape the next round — surfacing what your persona actually needs. Sometimes that contradicts your positioning. That's the whole point.
THE SPEED
THE SPEED
THE SPEED
Up in 10 days. The loop in days, not weeks.
Up in 10 days. The loop in days, not weeks.
10 days from contract to live creative. The loop moves in days, not weeks: hypothesis to creative, signal to insight, kill to scale. We match your team's pace.
10 days from contract to live creative. The loop moves in days, not weeks: hypothesis to creative, signal to insight, kill to scale. We match your team's pace.
10 days from contract to live creative. The loop moves in days, not weeks: hypothesis to creative, signal to insight, kill to scale. We match your team's pace.
What this looks like
in practice
What this looks like
in practice
What this looks like
in practice
A win we delivered for an EdTech client (anonymized).
Same methodology you've been reading about, applied to one concept journey — from signal to refined hypothesis to result.
A win we delivered for an EdTech client (anonymized).
Same methodology you've been reading about, applied to one concept journey — from signal to refined hypothesis to result.
A win we delivered for an EdTech client (anonymized).
Same methodology you've been reading about, applied to one concept journey — from signal to refined hypothesis to result.
Lean University
Lean University
Lean University
Agentic AI
Agentic AI
Agentic AI
Agentic AI
Agentic AI
Agentic AI
HEAD OF
HEAD OF
HEAD OF
EST. 2026
EST. 2026
EST. 2026
This title didn’t exist 18 months ago.
It could be yours.
This title didn’t exist 18 months ago.
It could be yours.
This title didn’t exist 18 months ago.
It could be yours.
2.5 week course
2.5 week course
2.5 week course
Claim it →
Claim it →
Claim it →
01 Signal spotted
01 Signal spotted
A competitor's angle nobody else was using
A competitor's angle nobody else was using
Our competitive monitoring caught a competitor running an angle no one else in the category was using: visualizing the prospect's future job title after completing the course.
Our competitive monitoring caught a competitor running an angle no one else in the category was using: visualizing the prospect's future job title after completing the course.
02 Hypothesis
02 Hypothesis
Tested on the client's shorter foundational courses
Tested on the client's shorter foundational courses
The bet: visualizing career impact would drive higher-intent leads at the top of the funnel.
The bet: visualizing career impact would drive higher-intent leads at the top of the funnel.
03 Signal spotted
03 Signal spotted
CTR spiked above anything else we'd run
CTR spiked above anything else we'd run
Top-of-funnel signal looked strong. On the surface, this looked like a winner.
Top-of-funnel signal looked strong. On the surface, this looked like a winner.
04 The miss
04 The miss
Conversion downstream told a different story
Conversion downstream told a different story
Leads weren't closing. High CTR, low conversion rate. The CTR was an attractive trap — we'd been ready to declare it a winner.
Leads weren't closing. High CTR, low conversion rate. The CTR was an attractive trap — we'd been ready to declare it a winner.
05 The actual insight
05 The actual insight
The claim was bigger than the product could deliver
The claim was bigger than the product could deliver
Reading against the channel and conversion data, the gap became clear: a short foundational course promising CXO-level career impact felt overstated. The angle resonated — but the match was wrong.
Reading against the channel and conversion data, the gap became clear: a short foundational course promising CXO-level career impact felt overstated. The angle resonated — but the match was wrong.
06 Refined hypothesis
06 Refined hypothesis
Applied the same angle to the longer, more advanced courses
Applied the same angle to the longer, more advanced courses
Where the career-level impact claim was credible. Same hook, different course depth — and a believable match.
Where the career-level impact claim was credible. Same hook, different course depth — and a believable match.
07 The win
07 The win
Cohort hit its targets. CPL dropped 30%. ROAS rose proportionally.
Cohort hit its targets. CPL dropped 30%. ROAS rose proportionally.
The full cohort hit its targets, driven by this concept. The methodology in compressed form: signal spotted → hypothesis tested → first test missed → insight extracted → hypothesis refined → win.
The full cohort hit its targets, driven by this concept. The methodology in compressed form: signal spotted → hypothesis tested → first test missed → insight extracted → hypothesis refined → win.
The point. Not every hypothesis works. The first test failed. But the process — signal → hypothesis → test → learn → refined hypothesis → win — is what separates iteration from spaghetti-on-the-wall. Volume of ads without thought hurts performance almost as much as not testing enough. The cost of a thousand random variants is just as real as the cost of testing too slowly — it just looks like activity instead of waste.
The point. Not every hypothesis works. The first test failed. But the process — signal → hypothesis → test → learn → refined hypothesis → win — is what separates iteration from spaghetti-on-the-wall. Volume of ads without thought hurts performance almost as much as not testing enough. The cost of a thousand random variants is just as real as the cost of testing too slowly — it just looks like activity instead of waste.
What clients say
What clients say
"
The team is incredibly responsive and attentive — it genuinely feels like they work solely for us, which is rare in a client-agency relationship. They consistently push our creative, test new approaches, and in doing so have kept us ahead of the market. They own the full process — concept through to design and technical execution. They're a core part of our team now.
- Tayla Withers
Product Marketing Manager, FourthRev
Unlike other agencies, Lean operates like an in-house team.
The real value has been their understanding of our business and willingness to challenge our thinking. When our creative needed a refresh, the team brought angles we hadn't considered and opened up new avenues for growth.
- Raymond Schneider
Head of Performance Marketing, Kindred
Lean's creative team has been a huge unlock for Kindred.
"
They've taken the time to understand our business and products, and consistently deliver performance-driven creative that aligns with our brand. For startups looking to experiment with new channels without overspending,
- Nate Eames
Creative Director, Freed
They offer a strong balance of quality, flexibility, and value.
"
The team always presented us with different options to choose from — all excellent but different. When something works you double down. We look forward to continue leaning on the Lean design team.
- Spencer Penn
Founder & CEO, LightSource
The most important thing was getting an output we loved with minimal effort from our side.
"
"
The team is incredibly responsive and attentive — it genuinely feels like they work solely for us, which is rare in a client-agency relationship. They consistently push our creative, test new approaches, and in doing so have kept us ahead of the market. They own the full process — concept through to design and technical execution. They're a core part of our team now.
- Tayla Withers
Product Marketing Manager, FourthRev
Unlike other agencies, Lean operates like an in-house team.
The real value has been their understanding of our business and willingness to challenge our thinking. When our creative needed a refresh, the team brought angles we hadn't considered and opened up new avenues for growth.
- Raymond Schneider
Head of Performance Marketing, Kindred
Lean's creative team has been a huge unlock for Kindred.
"
They've taken the time to understand our business and products, and consistently deliver performance-driven creative that aligns with our brand. For startups looking to experiment with new channels without overspending,
- Nate Eames
Creative Director, Freed
They offer a strong balance of quality, flexibility, and value.
"
The team always presented us with different options to choose from — all excellent but different. When something works you double down. We look forward to continue leaning on the Lean design team.
- Spencer Penn
Founder & CEO, LightSource
The most important thing was getting an output we loved with minimal effort from our side.
"
Companies we've shipped this work for
Companies we've shipped this work for
Companies we've shipped this work for
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Companies we've shipped this work for
Companies we've shipped this work for
Companies we've shipped this work for
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Ad creative
Static ads
Motion graphics
Short-form video
UGC-style video
Landing pages & web
User Research and Analysis
Landing pages
CRO variations
Microsites
Sales enablement
Email templates
Sales decks
One-pagers
Long-form content
Ebooks
White-papers
Case studies
Brand & specialty
Infographics
Illustrations
Data visualization
Channel-specific
LinkedIn Ads
Meta Ads
TikTok Ads
Google Display
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Performance creative shipped inside our full-service retainers, across verticals where this methodology fits — B2B SaaS, EdTech, healthcare, marketplaces, and B2C services.
Who we don't serve
Who we don't serve
Being explicit about exclusions saves everyone time. We're not a fit for:
Being explicit about exclusions saves everyone time. We're not a fit for:
→ DTC ecommerce with physical products (production complexity we deliberately avoid)
→ Companies under $10M ARR (different stage, different product)
→ Enterprise above $50M ARR (different motion, longer cycles)
→ Pre-revenue startups (need spend signal to feed the methodology)
→ Anyone wanting full-funnel including media buying — that's our full-service retainer, happy to refer
→ DTC ecommerce with physical products (production complexity we deliberately avoid)
→ Companies under $10M ARR (different stage, different product)
→ Enterprise above $50M ARR (different motion, longer cycles)
→ Pre-revenue startups (need spend signal to feed the methodology)
→ Anyone wanting full-funnel including media buying — that's our full-service retainer, happy to refer