Joystick Q&A: The real key to a successful campaign will always be the creative

We recently spoke to Chris Wilson, CEO of Joystick Interactive, one of our preferred production agency partners, to understand more about their business and how they use the Celtra CMP to remain innovative.

Chris Wilson CEO, Joystick Interactive

Celtra: So, tell us about Joystick.

Chris: Joystick is the secret ingredient behind the scenes of many of the ads people see every day. This is because of the great relationships we’ve built over the years with a wide range of leaders in the industry who recognize the need for specialists in creative production, who constantly evolve with the latest developments in ad tech. By knowing the best tools and technologies, as well as understanding the best practices for combining that science with the artistry of user experience and aesthetics, we ensure positive results on the campaigns we touch.

Celtra: What services do you provide and to whom?

Chris: We have more than 10 years of experience as specialists in the digital advertising ecosystem, and over this time we’ve developed relationships and partnerships with some of the top brands, publishers, agencies and ad platforms. Our core offering is mastery of digital ad experiences with a uniquely tailored creative and production process that supports the varied needs of our clients. Beyond the ad tech expertise, we also work on all the other essential pieces of a campaign such as social, websites/landing pages, video production, and apps.

Celtra: What challenges do your clients face before they begin working with the Celtra platform?

Chris: Many clients do not have the internal resources to handle the creative production of their digital ad campaigns. And in some cases they don’t have the knowledge of which ad platform is the best solution for their needs, or what tools are available within the specific ad technology. We help them navigate those choices and create a process by which their ideas can be brought to life using the various products available in the Celtra Creative Management Platform (CMP).

Celtra: What Celtra product features are you most excited about?

Chris: There are a number of product features we are excited about, such as the ability to export ads that are AMP compliant, anything that has to do with 360 video, and the ambient components. Dynamic creative is also an exciting feature that is helping our clients use data in interesting ways.

Celtra: How do you stay innovative in the eyes of your clients?

Chris: Joystick employees are constantly learning the latest products, leadership is on top of the trends and opportunities, and we work internally to explore product ideas that stand out in a crowded landscape.

Celtra: What have you learned in the process?

Chris: The main things we have learned is that even as technology changes, and features and formats evolve, the real key to a successful campaign will always be the creative.

Celtra: What's next for Joystick?

Chris: One of the coming tools that we’re currently focusing on is AI, or conversational experiences within ads. We think that allowing users to interact with a brand and choose their experience via their own words and choices really epitomizes the unique opportunity for a 2 way experience that’s not available in most other advertising mediums. This also fits nicely with data driven campaigns and provides great insight into users to further enhance that data.

Celtra: Anything else you'd like to add?

Chris: We’re excited to continue our relationship with Celtra and support the great offerings you provide to the industry. We appreciate the trust you’ve shown in us over the years and we look forward to continuing to provide innovative products and positive campaign experiences to our clients.

Chris has over 13 years in the digital advertising industry, beginning as a marketing specialist before founding Joystick. He oversees Joystick’s strategy and growth, and is a lead evangelist for the value of interactive advertising as a 2-way conversation with the audience. He builds partnerships with top clients to ensure seamless and successful campaign experiences that maximize their message. Prior to founding Joystick, he was a Senior Rich Media Marketing Specialist for DoubleClick and Director of Marketing for Klipmart.