Let’s face it, there are plenty of advantages to keeping production in-house—your creative team knows the brand inside and out, they’re deeply invested in your success, and there’s no need to spend time onboarding or worrying about culture fit. Plus, you’re always up to speed on the latest campaigns. But, there is another way, in-house agencies and brands can make creative work better. Even with a great in-house team, creative production outsourcing has real merits. Here's why.
More hands
You might be thinking, "Can I outsource creative production when I have a great in-house team?" Absolutely! Think of outsourcing as a way to supercharge your existing talent. It’s not about replacing your great in-house team; it’s about giving them the extra support they need to tackle bigger projects, explore new creative ideas, and ultimately elevate the brand's output.
Your team is great. But you probably need more of them. When EKCS conducted our Modern Challenges of an IHA survey, 51% of IHAs told us they didn't have enough creative staff. Hiring extra staff can be a challenge, from salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes to hardware, software, and the added hassle of finding freelancers, aligning them with the brand and keeping their hours within budget.
More skills
While you may well have a fantastic in-house team, it’s not realistic that your employees are always going to have the creative production skills you need, especially given the speed at which digital production, AI, and automation are evolving. The Great Resignation has seen skilled workers leave their jobs in droves on both sides of the Atlantic. This has resulted in some in-house agencies losing key expertise. Outsourcing provides access to a wider talent pool.
Avoid burnout
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the word ‘burnout’ as an ‘occupational phenomenon. So, there it is. Burnout is real, and it costs your in-house agency money. According to a Flexijob report, 75% of workers have experienced burnout. Therefore, in-house agency leaders need to prevent and address burnout effectively. Overwork culture can be harmful to the wellbeing and productivity of creative teams. It often results in a diminished ability to think creatively. We’re talking about high staff turnover and lower creative productivity.
Create time
We kill time. We lose time. For in-house creative teams, there is never enough time in the world. As the English wordsmith William Penn once said, "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst." Production is just that. It is a time-consuming process that can drain capacity and divert your employees’ focus from more exciting creative tasks. An in-house agency team can only do so much. With a time-critical campaign or company rebrand, there are often not enough hours in the day. Wouldn't it be great to save time?
Boost creativity, without headcount
Wouldn't it be great to increase creative output without increasing headcount? Offshoring creative production isn’t about handing over huge elements of work. Many in-house agencies operate a hybrid model when it comes to creative production outsourcing. Outsourcing should only account for a small portion of your budget, perhaps 5-15%, but having it on hand will come in handy at some point
Learn more
To learn more, download our free e-book, Breaking the Cycle of Overworked Creative Teams. You can discover more about making creative work better in LA on October 8th at Creative Operations Los Angeles 2024. Join EKCS’s Michael Storey and David Bevan as they challenge the status quo and explore the future of design operations and AI. This talk is not about answers; it’s about asking the right questions to push beyond conventional thinking and discover innovative strategies for success. Don’t miss this opportunity to redefine creativity and make creative work better. Use the code EKCS100 to save $100 off the price of registration.
