How Are Marketers and In-House Creative Teams Working Together?

March 7, 2019

This article is included in these additional categories:

Advertising Trends | Business of Marketing | Creative & Formats | Internal Collaboration

Briefing external partners can be a tricky business, particularly when deliverables are of a somewhat subjective nature. But for marketers working with creatives, the working relationship appears to be undergoing some positive improvements despite ongoing challenges, per the results of a report [download page] from InSource and inMotionNow.

Almost half (47%) of survey respondents (primarily in-house creatives) agree that the relationship between creative and marketing has improved in the last year – a percentage significantly higher than those that disagree (17%). Likewise, 51% agree that collaboration between these two teams is effective, with a figure less than half of that (22%) disagreeing with this statement.

But despite this more positive picture, only 45% of creatives say that team morale is high, with 3 in 10 (31%) claiming the opposite.

What Challenges Do Creatives and Marketers Face in Collaborating?

Respondents for the survey were asked to list various challenges on a seven-point scale, with 7 being the most challenging. The average figures indicate workload pressures may be behind the somewhat low morale, with the top two challenges being the speed at which creative teams are expected to work (5.44) and the volume of demand for creative work (5.35). Being a strategic contributor in meeting organizational goals (4.36) was also listed as a considerable challenge, as was communicating with clients and meeting expectations (3.86).

The challenge of effective communication has been highlighted on other research, where 28% cited a lack of detail on creative briefs as their top challenge. A similar picture emerges in this study, as just 20% agree that creative briefings in their organization are complete and comprehensive, compared to almost three times that amount (58%) who disagree.

Indeed, providing sufficient information at project kick-off appears to be correlated with a whole host of positive indicators. Those 1 in 5 who do say they get enough detail are 23% more likely to have high morale and 17% more likely to say that collaboration between marketing and creative is effective.

About the Data: The data is based on a survey of more than 500 respondents working at in-house creative and marketing roles, 70% of which are in creative. 51% of the total hold management positions and respondents come from a range of company sizes (13% working for firms with <$10 million revenue, 17% at $11-100 million, 38% >$100 million, 32% unsure).

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