Creative Workspace — Fix Unlinked Ads

The Creative Workspace sorts every ad under a style (Direct static, Lean Mean Machine, UGC video, and so on). Our words: style = what the ad looks like · pillar (or offer) = the deal on the ad · concept = a style running an offer (one cell of the matrix). Most ads sort themselves from their name. Some ads have names the system cannot read — they wait in the UNLINKED ADS list at the bottom of the Concepts page. This guide shows how to sort them, and how to decide where an ad belongs.

Fixing these matters: an unlinked ad is invisible in the matrix and in every style's numbers. Ten minutes a week keeps the board honest.

Part 1 — The decision: where does an ad belong?

Before clicking anything, learn the one rule:

Sort by what the ad LOOKS like. Never by the offer or the price.

The offer (starting-at price, monthly financing, warranty) is called a pillar, and the system tags pillars automatically. You only sort the look.

1. Open the ad. Click the ad's picture — the real Facebook preview opens. Watch it or look at it.
2. Ask: "How would I describe this to a stranger?" - "A note that looks handwritten" → Handwritten static - "A picture ad with the price big" → Direct static - "A fast video with music about a new unit" → Lean Mean Machine - "A real person (or AI person) on camera reading the script" → UGC video - "Looks like a normal person filmed it on a phone" → UGC - "Old unit next to new unit" → Before & After
3. Ignore the price on it. A $129-per-month direct static is still a Direct static. The financing part is the pillar — the system handles that on its own.
4. Not sure between two styles? Open both style cards on the Concepts page and read their descriptions. Pick the closer one. A defendable choice now beats a perfect choice never — links can be fixed later.
5. Looks like nothing we have? It may be a new style. STOP and use the other guide: Creative Workspace — Add a New Style, Pillar, or Variation. Check the GRAVEYARD section first — if the idea is there, it already lost. Do not re-create it.

Part 2 — The clicks

1. Open the workspace and log in with the team passcode (ask Sean if you do not have it).
2. Open the MANAGE tab (top of the page). It asks for a second passcode — the manage passcode.
3. Scroll to "Connect ads to concepts." Every waiting ad is listed with its picture, name, and client.
4. For each ad: decide where it belongs (Part 1) → pick the style from the dropdown → press save. The change is live right away.
5. Made a wrong link? Use "Fix a wrong connection" below the list: paste the ad id (hover the ad's picture on the Ads page — the id is in the tooltip), pick the right style, save.

Part 3 — Stop the problem at the source

An ad waits in the unlinked list because its name does not contain any style word the system knows (like dvg, handwritten, leanmean). When you name new ads, put the style word in the name and this list stays empty.

Data note: the workspace refreshes 4 times a day (3 AM, 9 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM Central). The "last refreshed" line at the top always tells you how old the numbers are.

Stuck? Post the ad name in the Bot Inbox channel and say where you think it belongs — or ask Sean.