Well, it’s (finally) 2021. As we crawl carefully, still masked, out of the shadows of 2020, there is still much unknown. One trend I’m trying to understand is which way the external agency vs. in-house team pendulum will swing. Some suggest that the multilayered crisis that was 2020 now has in-house teams shrinking due to the economic implications. The answer to this is to outsource marketing and creative to agencies, and save employee salaries, while giving companies the ability to flex the work – and the budget – up or down as needed. Things being what they are these days, the ability to quickly pivot your dollars and your direction is critical.
But, I’d argue that there are compelling reasons and opportunities to work with an outside agency beyond the fiscal remedy. Even companies that continue to maintain an in-house team can benefit greatly from working with an outside agency: to support an overloaded team, deliver a shot of creative adrenaline or stir up habitual thinking with a new perspective.
Agencies are idea engines.
Seems like a no brainer, right? Isn’t that what they’re hired to do? Yes… but it’s not necessarily just a matter of higher skill or more time on their hands. It goes deeper than that. The agency environment has a built-in, anti-complacency survival mechanism: it’s the collective staff. Nobody joins an agency so they can do the same thing every day. That forward-moving energy—to create something new, learn about a new client’s business, test a new strategy—creates thinking and ideas that benefits the client. Moreover, agencies can take greater risk with their ideas because they are not bound by the corporate structure and established patterns that can sometimes stifle internal creative teams. For instance, any agency worth its salt is going to meet your needs and bring you what you asked for as well as additional ideas that push the envelope further—sometimes much further—than expected. Hidden truth: An agency will keep innovating and evolving your work forward because that is what they are paid to do, yes. But also because they actually can’t stop themselves.
One call brings a team of experts.
Whether they are analyzing your data or building emails, your agency engagement delivers a whole team of experts that are versed and ready to respond to your business needs. The agency’s infrastructure is set up to deliver; the team is well rehearsed at working together; software and programmatic tools—everything from schedules to post-mortem tools—are in place, and their processes are time-proven. The built-in benefits extend even further beyond the agency staff when you consider their own stable of vendor relationships, such as printers, media buyers, etc.—that can support your program. And particularly germane these days? Outside agency teams are unburdened by corporate structure, and can thus respond to the marketplace and pivot direction quickly. Hidden truth: Hiring an agency is like hiring an entire senior staff of artists, strategists and project managers ready to plug in and serve your marketing program.
Agencies bring an outside perspective.
Need an objective opinion? Count on an outside agency to tell you what you need to hear, and not only what you want to hear. Agency staff make it their business to stay continually exposed to what others are doing in the industry; marketing trends and strategies; what’s working out there and what isn’t; and what is resonating with consumers. And because they are on the ‘outside,’ they are not expected—nor paid—to vote for the internally popular idea. A trustworthy agency will try and honestly guide you away from a bad idea, even if they could profit from the work. Good agency partners care about your business as much as you do. Hidden truth: Agencies only truly succeed when their clients succeed.
Does your marketing need a shot of adrenaline? Write to Michele at micheled@jschmid.com or check out our Creative Refresh special offer at https://www.jschmid.com/special-offers/creative-refresh/
Tags: agency, brand experience, Brand Expert, Branding Agency, brandingExpert, creative refresh, Creative Strategy, marketing experience, Michele Drohan