The shift from media buying transactions into strategic creative collaborations with publisher partnerships.

New York City never stops moving, and whether they’re rushing to work, home, or anywhere else, New Yorkers rarely blink at something new — they just keep on walking. So when people pause on the street, you know you’ve really caught their attention. 

And when you get their attention and they’re lining up for you? That’s something marketers can only dream of.

The continuous flow of curious crypto newcomers and pizza lovers to Coinbase’s pizza truck, stationed in Washington Square Park, was more than just successful foot traffic. It was proof of Vox Creative's ability to convert standard media partnerships into content that connects with audiences while driving business results.

For Yosef Johnson, SVP and Head of Vox Creative, this outcome reflects years of refining publisher-advertiser collaboration. Johnson has built Vox Creative into a full-service content studio that transforms traditional media buys into strategic creative partnerships for a  multi-brand portfolio, spanning The Cut, Eater, The Verge, and New York Magazine. Coming from a traditional agency background, he understands both sides of the advertiser-publisher equation. 

His transition to publisher-side operations exposed a persistent challenge: brands approach publishers with placement expectations rather than creative partnership thinking. Johnson's solution transforms these relationships from media buying transactions into strategic creative collaborations that serve both brand objectives and editorial authenticity—delivering campaigns that break through culture while driving measurable business outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

• Publishers face ongoing challenges when advertisers arrive expecting ad placement rather than creative partnership
• Smart briefing plus team collaboration creates campaigns that serve both brand goals and audience needs
• Multi-layer campaign growth drives both cultural impact and real business outcomes

The Publisher’s Dilemma: Placement vs. Partnership

Publishers face a common challenge, where advertisers arrive expecting ad placements—seeking audience access rather than content partnership. This creates natural tension when brands want their product front and center while publishers focus on keeping the editorial quality that attracts engaged audiences.

Johnson saw this pattern during his move from agency to publisher work.

"I think sometimes an advertiser has their KPIs,” he says. “They want to make sure they're getting their brand mention, that their product is front and center… and sometimes if advertisers want to depart from what we know really works with our audience, that's where there can be a little bit of tension."

Success requires moving beyond standard media buying expectations to embrace publisher expertise in audience engagement.

Smart Briefing + Team Collaboration = Campaign Success

Johnson found that successful campaigns came from brands and agency partners who understood creative media integration. The Coinbase campaign proved this: At Giant Spoon, we provided high-level plans around crypto accessibility while trusting Vox Creative's expertise in audience engagement and content creation.

“They came with a really fleshed out brief, a POV, with that high-level framework. Then what we do in that creative strategy initial phase is say: ‘Okay, here's what Coinbase is trying to do... how can we tap into what we know our brands do well to help further the effort?’"

Publishers deliver stronger campaign results when brands provide clear direction while allowing publisher creative teams to translate goals through editorial styles that work with their specific audiences.

Four Questions to Turn Advertising Partnerships Into Cultural Content

Johnson's team builds campaigns through structured collaboration that respects editorial standards while meeting advertiser goals. The result is high-quality content that feels authentic to publisher audiences while delivering the business impact brands need.

What Makes a Brand-Publisher Match Work?

The process begins when brands share campaign goals with Vox Creative, whether directly or through agency partners. For Coinbase, the crypto brand wanted to shift thinking from "why crypto?" to "how crypto?" by showing everyday use through the Bitcoin Pizza Day connection.

The team looks at goals against their portfolio to find properties where messaging feels natural. "We look across our audience and figure out where the audience matches in terms of who they're trying to reach,” he explains. “And we align on either one of our brands, and sometimes it's multiple brands."

How Do You Build Content That Feels Native?

"By and large, I think we encourage advertisers to identify brand publishing partners that feel natural to your brand and to your products,” Johnson explains, describing successful publisher partnerships. “It doesn't feel like, ‘why is this advertiser here?’"

Content development begins with understanding what each publisher property does exceptionally well, then identifying where brand stories naturally intersect with that expertise.

For Coinbase, this meant leveraging Vox's explainer video strength for crypto education while using Eater's event coverage experience for the pizza truck activation. Each piece maintained the publisher's editorial voice while advancing brand messaging through contextually relevant storytelling.

According to the SVP Creative, that meant the team had to ask and think:

• How does this brand communicate with their audience? 
• What are things they hate? What are things they love? 
• Where do we see them really engaging? 

Once aligned, they think about how they can craft something in that voice “through that sensibility that really makes sense for the advertiser's objective."

In the end, the team built campaigns spanning Eater articles, Vox explainer videos using pizza analogies, physical food truck activations, and winner celebration content—all keeping editorial voice while advancing brand messaging.

When Should Each Piece of Content Go Live?

The timing coordination and development phase balances brand needs with editorial standards through back-and-forth collaboration. For Coinbase, this meant making sure crypto education elements served both brand goals and audience interests, while keeping the storytelling quality Vox readers expect from explainer content.

"Once the client agrees or decides on certain components of the proposal, we then move into execution, which is a whole development phase,” Johnson adds. “There are treatments, scripts, the whole nine."

Teams develop detailed treatments, scripts, and production plans while keeping audience expectations throughout brand review cycles.

How Do You Track What Actually Moved the Needle?

The Vox Creative team coordinated editorial content, video production, experiential activation, and social growth through single-point-of-contact oversight.

"There's one point of contact, and then we work to make everything come to life on the back end,” he adds. “They are then taking that and filtering it through the necessary parties, whether that be within Vox Creative—or our coordination with our editorial teams."

Launch sequences divided between online content management across Eater and Grub Street properties and Washington Square Park activation coordination.

That's how publishers can bring you breaking crypto news on The Verge, luxury shopping guides on The Strategist, restaurant trend spotlights on Eater, and cultural commentary on The Cut—weaving contextually relevant brand stories across industries from finance to fashion to food.

20M+ Impressions from One Pizza Truck

The campaign delivered 20M+ total impressions across all Vox Media properties.

When brands stop treating publishers like media inventory and start treating them like creative partners, campaigns transform from forgettable ad placements into cultural moments that drive real business growth. 

The most successful brands understand that publisher partnerships aren't about buying audiences. When you trust publisher expertise while maintaining clear brand objectives, you create campaigns that break through the noise while delivering measurable impact.