Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a constant battle being played out between agency creatives and in-house creative teams, writes Don McGrath, co-founder and executive creative director at SUPERSONIC.
In-house teams were seen as the enemy, set up only to steal agency work. Stopping us from keeping control of the brand, the roll out and the large associated fees.
But times and attitudes have changed (hopefully). In-house creative teams are here to stay and with very good reason. Having a dedicated resource to create the ever-increasing number of multi-channel marketing materials needed day in, day out makes complete sense, both financially and logistically. So where once it was us V them, it now needs to be us AND them. It will only lead to better work.
For agencies, the key to working successfully with in-house teams is to remember that it’s their house and you’re a guest. We need to behave respectfully, leave any egos at the door, abide by their rules and most importantly, keep reminding them why they invited us in in the first place.
1. Keep inspiring them with ideas
This is why clients come to us. To bring fresh ideas and outside perspectives to challenge, inspire and energise their in-house creatives. Most in-house creatives work in an environment where process and numbers are king, not creativity. And all their attention and efforts are focussed on one brand within one category. By bringing out of category learnings and inspiration, seeing the bigger picture and helping in-house teams fight the good creative fight internally, we can be each other’s strongest allies.
2. Make it one creative team
The best way to get people to buy into an idea is if they feel that they own part of it. Getting agency and in-house creatives together to share, challenge (respectfully) and build on each other’s ideas can create a strong unified team spirit and give ideas extra buy in and momentum. These sessions are always best done in person in a room, but if logistics dictate otherwise, teams calls can work. Doing these regular creative sessions eliminates the ‘us v them’ mentality and helps creative teams on both sides feel empowered and supported, not threatened. Ideas that belong to everyone and that can live everywhere are a very powerful thing.
3. Get involved in the recruitment process
Whether clients are building in-house creative teams from scratch or adding to an existing team, getting involved in the hiring process has many benefits. Firstly, you’ll have an outside looking in view of what the team needs, where any gaps lie and what ideal candidates look like (you may even know people who fit the bill). Secondly, you’ll be working alongside these people, so it’s your best interest to make sure they have the skillset needed to help you work seamlessly together. And thirdly, the candidates hired will feel approved by you, helping strengthen the bond and working relationship between in-house team and agency.
4. Be as helpful as possible
This is really obvious, but it’s amazing how often this gets missed. Be there for in-house teams, get to know them, let them lean on you as and when they need to, and be as helpful as possible. Whether that means working using specific software, working within certain time restrictions or saving working files out in a way that can be easily used by everyone. Take the time to understand their internal challenges and adapt accordingly.
In-house creative teams are here to stay. So too will the agencies that embrace, empower and work alongside them.
