Comments on: Corporate: Learning From Your Design Colleagues

By: LCody

LCody — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:59:07 +0000

As the inhouse “agency” for a Fortune 500 Global Organization, our group banded together to overcome the perception that we can only handle low-level, production heavy projects. We make a point of reaching out to internal clients to ask how we can help make them, and our products successful. We also make sure they understand the benefit of working with the inhouse team over outside agencies is the level of vested interest. If they aren’t successful, neither are we. It requires a lot of proactive effort, but in order to be viewed as consultants, you need to prove you can be strategic partners. This means taking the time to understand what the goals and objectives are for every project. You need to deliver creative and rationales behind what you create to demonstrate how it measures up against the objective. You need to be willing to go above and beyond. This includes consistently using creative briefs. Didn’t get one at the job start? Then knock your client’s socks off by putting one together for their approval. Prepare professional presentations, meaning present in person, not via email! Go out and learn about your competition and proactively send insights to your clients with ideas and suggestions. If you want to be treated like an agency, you need to act like one.

By: admin

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:58:40 +0000

Indeed, Will. In a perfect world, the inhouse design group should be seen as THE EXPERTS on the organization’s brand. Partnerships with outside agency can indeed be a positive relationship, an opportunity to bring an outside perspective which is never a bad thing. What I like about what you said is that inhouse groups should perform at a high-level that affords them the privilege of using outside assistance when they believe it is the best interest of the brand not because the organization places more value on the talents of an agency. Let’s get folks talking!!

By: Will Nash

Will Nash — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:55:43 +0000

This was very informative and it would be nice to hear from other inhouse groups. A great point that Jeni addresses is the need to investigate and truthfully answer whether or not one has the capabilities to give the client what they need. Being able to over deliver to the client the first round of business and keep them coming back for more is a definite plus. I also believe that the quantity of task that an inhouse group receives should not negatively effect the quality of work they produced. I think it is cool to have the option to outsource when your team is busy not because your team is incapable.