Keep a record linking each published creative to its product facts, offer, destination, and approved version. When a source changes, find the affected assets, decide whether to pause or revise them, and review the replacement. Updating the landing page alone does not update the promise inside a video or carousel.
Start with change triggers, not a vague cleanup date.
| Change | Assets to inspect | Immediate question |
|---|---|---|
| Feature renamed or removed | Demos, captions, screenshots, setup carousels | Does the creative show an action users can still take? |
| Offer expires or changes | Ads, closing cards, captions, destination pages | Is the offer still available on the stated terms? |
| Brand terminology changes | Voiceovers, subtitles, images, localized versions | Which visible or spoken references need replacement? |
| Destination moves | Post links, ad links, QR codes, embedded URLs | Does the viewer still reach the intended information? |
A periodic review is useful, but a known material change should trigger its own check. Assign someone to pass release and offer changes to the person responsible for published creative.
Build a small impact register.
For each asset, record its ID, approved version, relevant product or offer source, destination, publishing locations, and owner. Add the date it was last checked and the event that should trigger another review. Keep drafts separate from items actually published.
For example, fictional asset SCHED-03 demonstrates a shared calendar view and links to a setup guide. A change to the supported calendar list should trigger a review of SCHED-03, its localized copies, the caption, and the guide. It need not trigger a rewrite of an unrelated brand introduction.
One product change. Four different decisions.
Fictional worked example. A software product changes its export action: it now exports the tasks in the current view, rather than every task. The team must inspect the actual published and scheduled versions before deciding what to do. These invented assets and decisions are teaching examples, not Aitoma product capabilities or client results.
| Asset and location | Decision | What the owner must verify |
|---|---|---|
| AD-EXPORT-01 v02 Published paid-social video | Pause | The voice, captions and closing card promise “all tasks.” Pause the affected placement while those components are corrected. Review v03 and confirm the placement uses that exact export before resuming. |
| CAR-EXPORT-02 v01 Scheduled organic carousel | Revise | Correct slide 3 and the post caption. Inspect every slide and the destination, then confirm the scheduler holds the reviewed v02 file before publication. |
| BRAND-INTRO-01 v04 Published brand introduction | Keep | The reviewed video, caption and destination contain no export promise. Record that finding and retain v04; the shared brand alone does not make this asset affected. |
| DEMO-ALL-01 v01 Embedded help walkthrough | Retire | The whole walkthrough depends on the removed action. Remove the obsolete embed, update its referring page, and assign a new demonstration. Replacing a caption would not fix the central explanation. |
Download the blank impact register (CSV) or download these four worked records (CSV). The files open in a spreadsheet; no account is required. The worked records deliberately leave replacement verification unresolved. They are not a completed approval log.
Use one row per asset and placement when the action differs.
A video can appear in an ad, an organic post and an embedded player. Each location may need a different action and owner. Add a separate row when a replacement or pause must be confirmed independently. A corrected source file does not prove every live copy has changed.
Record the decision first, then the replacement version, required checks and verification evidence. Leave the final date and verification fields open until someone has checked the actual destination or placement. Keep the earlier approval as history. Do not overwrite it with the new version’s decision.
For language variants, link the affected records to the worked localization record. For export and destination checks, use the creative handoff guide. An impact register tracks work; it does not pause ads or update posts automatically.
Choose between keep, revise, pause, and retire.
Keep the creative when the changed source does not affect its meaning. Revise it when a bounded update restores accuracy. Pause a placement when it contains an inaccurate material offer or capability while the replacement is prepared. Retire a piece when its central explanation no longer represents the product.
Record the reason for the decision. “Old file” is not enough to decide whether a piece is unusable. A two-year-old brand story may remain accurate; a video exported yesterday can already be wrong after a release change.
Check the complete replacement package.
- Update the spoken line, on-screen text, and captions when they describe the same changed fact.
- Recheck timing and layout after replacing text or audio.
- Verify localized versions against the revised source.
- Confirm the destination and any redirects work on a phone.
- Record the new approved version and where it replaced the previous one.
The ability to edit an already published post or ad varies by platform and placement. Check the actual account interface before choosing a replacement process. Preserve the old asset record for understanding historical results.
Separate maintenance from performance optimization.
Correcting an inaccurate claim is an accuracy task, even if the old creative performed well. Changing the opening to test a new message is a creative test. Log them separately so the team can understand why an asset changed.
When comparing results before and after a revision, note other changes such as audience, spend, placement, season, or product availability. A revised export alone does not establish what caused a performance difference.