In-house creative teams must prove their worth every day. While agencies often offer much-needed support and perspective, it can prove tricky when agencies enter the picture to “sell” their capabilities. Agency life may appear more glamorous than your team’s daily grind, and your team members may feel the most meaningful work is being taken from them in favor of the agency. In my career I’ve often seen internal teams become protective and defensive. In extreme cases there can be a lack of communication between in-house and agency teams that jeopardizes the success of all. The larger the in-house team, the more sensitive the situation can get. The ultimate proof of competing interests is an in-house team proudly saying they “saved the job” when they took over an assignment from an agency that after many attempts didn’t deliver the expected result. This “savior glory” is clearly not productive. [membership level=”1,2″]

Change the attitude

As an in-house creative team, you play an important role in the success of your business or organization. You are either part of the solution or part of the problem. If success means using the best expertise available, then considering outside resources is key. It is important to objectively assess the situation, admit where your strengths are and collaborate to deliver the best possible result. Partnership is almost always the better option.
Your contribution is crucial to ensuring the agency delivers to the best of their ability. There are significant benefits to be derived by leveraging agency expertise in research, advertising strategy, social and mobile media, ecommerce and emerging trends. You can become the essential hub in the process.

Top reasons for partnering

Partnering with agencies is often in the best interest of the business or organization and your internal team, so as a leader you must work to take away the fear of bringing in outside expertise and embrace the possibilities. It is difficult to do everything on your own. Beyond simply sharing the workload, there are other key reasons to further agency relationships:
1. Keeping up with a dynamic business environment
New products, new markets, new media. Business needs change fast, and the channels for creative delivery move at the same speed. When you are open to external agency partnership, you are more agile and can help select the best resource to fit any new demand.
2. “Integrated” creative excellence
Seeing the in-house creative team as the “integrators” makes you a crucial player in leveraging the high-level expertise provided by agencies. Integrated communication is key and a consistent user experience drives successful businesses. Designing a complete user experience means you are a liaison, not a subject matter expert.
3. Career development for your team
By being exposed to high-quality agency delivery, the in-house team can learn from new or different approaches or creative delivery in another field. It can also provide inspiration and education that your team members can leverage at a later stage in their career.
4. Efficient delivery
Agencies thrive by selling “new business” and will do the best to add more services when possible. Keeping an eye on not doubling the work that is done in-house happens when there is true partnership. With clear role definition there is no concern for duplicated efforts.

What a partnership looks like

“Who is doing what” can be a big question. Clarify the roles and capabilities of your team and put that in the context of the project plan. The in-house team’s role could be defined as the “brand custodian,” “owner of assets (distribution),” “internal knowledge base for creative support” or in the most optimal state the “design manager.”
The role is crucial in the briefing, review and pre-production stages. Being part of the kick-off and co-development of the creative brief, and being part of the review platform, allows for contributing knowledge, insights, and sometimes a view that helps outside creatives understand the client’s strategy and objectives better.

Providing value to the business

The in-house team will be perceived as a valuable internal creative partner if they are agile and able to support the agency delivery process. No matter what the in-house team’s role is (design, production, implementation or strategy), being a contributor, or in some cases, a leader of the agency process, the input and guidance you bring to the table is “the creative voice from the client’s side” that is needed.[/membership]
Article by Jenni Heerink, Creative Director at NewellRubbermaid – DYMO brand
Jenni is managing the internal design team of DYMO within NewellRubbermaid and is responsible for initiating, executing and distributing strategic brand design in the areas of packaging, print, web. As DYMO is a global brand, Jenni deals with global complexity and manages the delivery of designs for all regions. Before Newell Rubbermaid, Jenni spent 16 years with Philips Design, and specialized in Brand Integration Design and Shopper Experience Design.

The 2012 In-House Creative Services Industry Report is now available! Get an insider’s view into the current state of in-house creative teams, including insights like these from several creative leaders. Download a free copy of the report now at www.creativeindustryreport.com!