Fragmented creative processes, managing disparate agency workflows, and high costs
Creative teams often struggle to juggle multiple projects and tight deadlines.
This was Brad Reid's reality when he became the creative director of Springboard, an education company that helps people transition from one career to the next.
Brad had two critical mandates: completing the remaining three-quarters of Springboard's brand relaunch that was already in progress and strategizing a shift towards an in-house agency model for executing creative projects from concept to delivery.
Springboard's multifaceted organization features consumer, B2B, and university partner verticals with unique needs and audiences to connect with.
Navigating this complex landscape while leading a comprehensive brand overhaul was a significant challenge.
“When I joined Springboard, there were two contractors they primarily worked with, but the rest of the teams functioned like separate fiefdoms. Each team would engage with their own agencies or resources within their respective budgets.” Brad says.
This lack of coordination and oversight among teams working with separate agencies led to inefficiencies and higher costs.
The costs were substantial - Springboard was paying $1,700 per program partner refresh, with partners averaging 4 programs meaning $6,800 minimum in agency fees per refresh. Springboard would execute 3 partner refreshes per quarter, resulting in a grand total cost of $20,400 per quarter just for refreshes. For each refresh, the agency would produce 32 assets like static ads and videos over 4-6 weeks.
For example, Springboard was paying an agency $3,500 per program partner launch, with partners launching 3-5 programs, costing $10,500-$17,500 minimum in agency fees per launch.
Each quarter, the company would execute two launches, resulting in a total cost of $21,000-$35,000 for launches alone.
As a veteran in the fast-paced world of advertising, marketing campaigns, and branding, Brad was accustomed to the intense pace. He needed to handle a high volume of creative work for university partner launches and campaigns in a cost-effective and streamlined manner.
Given these costs, Springboard wanted to change how they worked creatively and make it sustainable, and to do this, they needed extra help.
Brad evaluated the tradeoffs of various hiring strategies. He briefly considered onboarding interns but quickly dismissed the idea.
"With an intern, you really need to babysit," Brad remarked, acknowledging that while interns could provide an affordable option, the substantial hand-holding, and mentorship required would only compound his team's existing bandwidth challenges.
Another option he considered was hiring more experienced, mid-level, or senior candidates. However, Brad had reservations about their long-term commitment to projects primarily involving templated work for university partner launches and brand guideline implementation.
"They may leave really quickly, and they may not be in it fully to really make the connections between an audience and brand guidelines," he explained.
More seasoned talent accustomed to higher-level creative work might view such roles as temporary stops before moving on, lacking Springboard's required dedication.
With budget limitations and a critical need for resources devoted to execution, neither the intern nor senior hire routes seemed like an optimal long-term solution.
