Overview

Saxo Bank is a global leader in online trading and investment, serving customers in 170 plus countries from a single platform.

Saxo's in-house creative studio produces thousands of localized digital ads across 13 markets and multiple channels. Growing complexity called for a single, governed workflow. Stackdrop built it.

Our role: A Transformative Partner

We turn scattered tools into cohesive workflows on low code. For Saxo, we used Retool and engineered integrations to centralize work, reduce manual steps, and close feedback loops in one screen.

The Challenge

Chasing approvals in chats and boards. Brand rules lived in documents instead of the flow of work, so local desks sometimes changed colors or copy outside guidelines. One-off market requests pulled time away from reusable templates. Launches slipped and teams missed market windows.

Signals you might recognize

• Fragmented path: IDs and assets copied across tools, approvals scattered

• Brand rules out of flow: guidelines not enforced where work happens

• Bespoke pull: one-offs slow the Global Toolbox and delay reusable speed

Our Approach

We started by watching real submissions end to end. Together with Saxo we mapped the journey, named the friction points, and framed them as testable opportunities. Within days we shipped clickable Retool prototypes so stakeholders could comment inside the app. Weekly playbacks set priorities based on what unblocked the team next. When tooling choices came up, including Bannerflow or Zuuvi and the role of Podio, we benchmarked options against Saxo goals and recommended a path that avoided lock-in.

"They observed how we actually work and removed the bottlenecks in order. Each week the process got simpler." Jonas - Head of Creative Automation at Saxo bank

The Solution

We built Launch Pad, a Retool application that gives creators, designers, reviewers, and admins one place to move an asset from Draft to Live. A Campaign by Market dashboard makes status clear. We integrated directly with Bannerflow to preview and adjust creatives without leaving the app. Embedded Bynder picks pulls approved assets into submissions. Bi-directional sync with Podio keeps tasks, assignees, and due dates aligned.

Brand rules are set once in an admin view and enforced through role-based flows. When Saxo migrated to Zuuvi, an integration layer allowed the swap without breaking user flows. We then extended the scope with data and insights. Tickets across marketing teams used analytics that show performance trends and operational gaps. NLP tagging groups campaigns by theme. Smart alerts notify the right owner when reviews stall. The schema allows new channels and AI-assisted optimizations to plug in over time.

"Launch Pad gave us a single place to work. We stopped hunting assets and approvals and started shipping on time." Kirsten - Marketing Operations Lead.

What Saxo measured

Saxo set a clear objective: an 80 percent reduction in time to market and self-served intraday deliveries for most requests. Their internal agenda focused on four questions: Is Launch Pad faster, how much are we producing, which markets are using it, and who are the most active users. They also tracked fast-track etiquette so Launch Pad handled standard work while bespoke requests stayed in the regular Podio queue. This kept the walkway clear and the program moving in one direction.

Results

Saxo's internal analysis of Social and Display shows that average total time to market fell from 36 days to 19 days. The median fell from 18 days to 6 days. Assets are ready for review about 4x faster and time to job complete improves by 47% on average and 68% at the median.

Program metrics tell the same story. Fixed creative platform costs are down about 40 percent and variable CPM is down about 62 percent. Time to review is about 2x faster on average and 5x faster at the median. Scale increased with control. There are 123 templates in use, more than 600 submissions, and more than 3,300 formats produced, delivering 550 million+ impressions and about 740 thousand clicks. Adoption is broad. Five markets meet the usage threshold and three super users drive self-serve. In one week, 21 percent of Brand and Design Podio tickets were Launch Pad related. Compliance costs fell. ESMA disclaimer updates for Social dropped sharply by templating the change once. Legacy preview links remain available at no extra cost, which supports audits.

"Status is visible, reviews move on schedule, and the team spends time creating instead of reconciling systems." Jonas - Head of Creative Automation at Saxo bank

What changed

Saxo's creative operation now runs on a single governed layer. Teams can see work, act on it, and apply brand rules in the same place. Low code at the UI pairs with engineered integrations at the core. The team can add channels, update templates, and change tools without replatforming.

Why it worked

We observed the work, embedded governance into the flow, and used an integration layer that kept options open. Low code allowed fast iteration. Engineering discipline kept the platform reliable at scale.

At Stackdrop, we combine deep expertise with a commitment to listening first and building collaboratively. Whether you're consolidating scattered tools, automating complex workflows, or unlocking data-driven insights, our approach accelerates your path from problem to solution, simplifying operations and driving faster, smarter results. Want to streamline your workflows? Schedule a call with us today