In a world where marketers are constantly seeking effectiveness, the swing towards in-house creative teams seems to be a power move. In the US, 82% of brands that are members of the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) have an internal creative department, representing a 4% increase on 2018’s figure.
The ANA says that the popularity of in-house creative teams worldwide is growing – as are their workloads and the expertise they’re attracting. It reports that more than 20% of ads aired during the Super Bowl were created in house, including the Dunkin’ Donuts production featuring Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
But in-house creative teams rarely operate without any external assistance. Instead, top brands often adopt a hybrid model whereby their own marketers work closely with agencies, giving them the best of both worlds. Champions of this approach say it not only maximises brand guardianship, efficiency and cost-effectiveness; it also improves the quality and diversity of creative ideas.
Territorial behaviour has no place in this model – it’s not a competition. The two components are equally valuable
True partnership is the key to a successful hybrid relationship, according to Toby Horry, brand marketing and content director at tour operator TUI Group. This starts with a broad collaborative approach and zooms into specific ways of working, he says.
With every hotel in the group requiring photos, videos and descriptions, TUI’s volume of content is “absolutely enormous”, Horry notes. “If we were to outsource all that work, the cost would be prohibitive. We’ve always had a significant in-house team, partly to help create content but also to manage it.”
TUI’s team works in lockstep with Leo Burnett (part of the Publicis Groupe), its lead creative agency since 2020. The company has also begun working with WPP’s EssenceMediacom at strategic points in various campaigns. This includes shoot days, where teams collaborate to capture distinct types of content for different channels and formats.
“We won’t just shoot a TV ad. We shoot for YouTube and TikTok and we get stills. It becomes something of a military operation to ensure all the teams get what they need,” Horry explains. “It’s a much more joined-up way of thinking.”
No hierarchy for creativity
Like the travel industry, the online retail sector requires “a vast volume of content, produced really rapidly”, says Jessica Myers, CMO at The Very Group. Of her company’s 250-strong marketing function, 140 people are in its creative team. They were “integral to discovering the right chemistry and cultural fit” during Very’s 2023 pitch process, when the firm chose The Gate as its lead creative agency.
“The agency is a natural extension of our creative team. They literally sit together at key points in projects, building a strong rapport,” Myers says. “Ideas can come from anywhere – there’s no hierarchy.”
She recalls presenting work to Very’s leadership team with creatives from her own department and The Gate by her side. This enabled both to gain “a true understanding” of the business.
The two teams share everything, having set up integrated tech stacks and streamlined processes for scheduling, communication and the transfer of large digital files, along with tools to capture feedback and enable creative collaboration at all stages of a project.
“We have considered every key point to ensure that things feel seamless between the teams,” Myers says. “We haven’t got it right every time, but getting into the trenches together like this is a great way to build trust, so that we can be open and honest about what did or didn’t work.”
This test-and-learn approach is especially effective when everyone is in listening mode and keen to foster the relationship. Myers believes that running an internal team alongside an agency offers benefits including specific industry knowledge, fresh creative thinking and deep insights into consumer behaviour.
“Collaboration helps us to make bold decisions,” she says, citing Very’s bold Christmas ad featuring animated flamingos. “All the data from the insight The Gate pulled together showed us that was the answer.”
Myers continues: “A hybrid relationship set up properly for success is an excellent way to drive creativity and efficiency for the business. But, as with every relationship, you must set it up properly and work continuously on it.”
Turf wars destroy efficiency
Aviva’s 30-strong creative team works alongside external partners including Adam&EveDDB, its lead agency since 2015.
A key factor in the success of this relationship is that everyone has “clear swim lanes” when it comes to processes and operating principles, says the insurer’s group brand director, Phoebe Barter. In other words, each party knows the exact extent of its responsibilities.
“Territorial behaviour has no place in this model – it’s not a competition,” she says. “The two components are equally valuable. The arrangement works when there’s collaboration, but fails if egos get involved.”
Signs of a smooth relationship are “aligned work and a receptiveness to each other’s ideas and, frankly, no moaning on either side”, Barter adds.
To avoid descending into the kind of class system where an agency swipes all the glamorous creative activities, leaving the in-house team with the grunt work, Barter offers the latter “exciting and rewarding projects”. Aviva’s ability to attract and retain creative talent by offering high-profile work, with access to award-winning agencies, is a win-win for all concerned, she says.
Step beyond set-piece presentations
Mike Stern, managing partner at Adam&EveDDB, has worked on the Aviva account for five years. He says it’s vital to “humanise” the relationship between internal and external creatives as soon as possible by getting “the right people in the same room”.
It’s important to the partnership that “the dialogue is frequent and that the discourse is informal”, Stern says. “We can put clear operating systems and processes in place, but the ethos must be one of real collaboration. If we can all move beyond set-piece presentations, we ensure that whatever we’re creating is the best it can be.”
As the hybrid model continues to gain momentum, there’s a growing opportunity for agencies and in-house marketers to pool their expertise. By putting ego aside and working as an integrated team, both parties can become effective creative partners for the long haul – benefiting equally from the brand’s commercial success.
