Being in Marketing for over 20 years I have been very lucky and had the privilege to work with some excellent creative agencies?

I have also recruited and developed and seen the benefits of a superb in house team. So which approach gets you the best result?

The answer in short is both!
Some of the most innovative and well-executed creative strategies I have been involved in came from working collaboratively. The key to success was a well-defined brief and ensuring that everyone had a clear vision of the goal. Having external perspective helps you keep in touch with innovation and new thinking. Often your brand is well documented and protected and it can really help to have an outside view, it will challenge your thinking. In house teams are much more in touch with your customer and will keep you from making silly mistakes.

The challenge in the creative process is fundamentally to provide clarity during the briefing stage of the project. A good creative team need to understand and be given a clear view on who, what, when, where and how!

• The trick to effectively managing this process is simple, good leadership.
• The project needs someone to have a vision and help everyone in the creative process, share it.

If you cannot… try and find someone who can help you!