The publisher said no to interactive units. We built one that loaded as a static fallback by default — and let the interaction layer hydrate only where the placement supported it.
The brief was simple on paper: a media campaign across a Tier-1 publisher with strict creative specs. Static units only. Interactive elements were not on the menu, and there was no budget to negotiate exceptions.
The build
We authored a single creative spec in Persaic that produced two outputs from one source: a static fallback that satisfied the publisher's requirements, and an interactive version that hydrated client-side when the placement environment allowed it. The static version performed at parity with industry benchmark. The interactive version, served against the same creative source on a smaller subset of placements, drove 2.4× the click-through rate.
What we learned
Don't fight publisher rules. Build creative that works inside them, then layer richness on top where it's allowed.