In-house marketing, digital and creative departments used to be looked on with suspicion by many professionals who took the agency route. The view being that you went ‘in-house’ for an easy life and that the quality of creative personnel who went in-house was far lower than those who worked in agencies.
The last few years have seen that change dramatically, with such companies as Starbucks, Superdrug, Pets at Home and The Hut Group creating in-house offerings that have become incredibly attractive to the most talented marketing, digital and creative professionals out there.
Here’s a few reasons why in-house is becoming more and more attractive.
Brand ownership
It was a long-held belief that to keep the best minds interested you have to give them variety. Lately, owning a brand and seeing where you can take it journey wise has become a thing to be proud of and this is something that in-house definitely offers.
For many marketing, digital and creative professionals a sense of ownership is important, and they become emotionally invested and that investment shows in the work they produce, with many in-house teams (we’re looking at you BBC Creative) producing some of the most innovative creative work seen in years.
In addition, an in-house team can develop deeper instincts about the brands they are working from, the markets they operate in and the brand’s values and benefits to a wide range of audiences that can benefit them hugely if they then to switch to another in-house company or go down the agency route.
Seeing and contributing to the big picture
The large full-service agency model has been in decline for a while and clients have moved to smaller specialist agencies that work together collaboratively, but secretly they were all trying to land grab, so projects got muddied by politics.
The in-house model removes the politics aspect and allows a singular focus on different skill sets coming together to achieve a common goal. This means that marketing, creative and digital professionals can learn from each other in a collective environment that enhances their own skillset and sees them develop and grow into fully rounded marketing and advertising professionals.
It also means that everyone in the process has a clear understanding of the strategy and purpose of a project and can see the results of their efforts. You also gain some unique business and industry insights that you’d never get in an agency as you’d have exposure to buyers, analysts, researchers who influence heavily the activity of other departments.
Money, benefits and career progression
In the majority of cases, working for an in-house department can offer slightly higher salaries and if you work for a large in-house organisation, it can offer a wider range of additional benefits such as gym membership reductions (and in some cases on-site gyms) as well as money off social and wellbeing activities and additional pension contributions as well as extra holidays.
Traditionally higher salaries in agencies have always come with a sacrifice in the home life. One thing still stands true is that working in-house offers better opportunities to receive a work/life balance.
There are also arguably better chances of promotion in-house as many large organisations operate to a strict annual review programme. The chances to work at different sites and gain experience from other departments is also plentiful… especially if the in-house operation is part of an international organisation.
If you are interested in working in-house for a company in marketing, creative or digital then give us a call on 0161 477 3221. Or if you’re looking to recruit for your in-house team, email Julie at julie@creativeresource.co.uk or Phil at phil@creativeresource.co.uk