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The economy and drive toward cost reduction continue to fuel the debate over in-house vs. outside agencies My own experience is that most healthcare and life science companies have some level of in-house capabilities. These range from a relatively small staff dedicated to specific functions, such as trade shows, media buying or collateral development, to a full-service agency that, in at least one case, built sufficient capabilities to compete for business with outside agencies. While there is little if any published metrics to support the relative merit of the different models (in-house, outside or combination), the companies I’ve come across with some level of in-house capabilities have not been uniformly successful—as measured by client satisfaction and the creative product. Usually these two factors are related, as the complaint I hear most often from marketing people about their in-house agencies is the latter’s inability to deliver viable creative solutions. Indeed, the more insightful heads of in-house agencies often realize this shortfall and proactively look for ways to supplement in-house talent and thinking.

For my colleagues who would like to elevate the output of their in-house agencies, I’d like to offer my observations, but with one caveat. I define in-house agencies as dedicated resources (i.e., a designated department) led by communication professionals, not errant product managers who are frustrated copywriters or art directors.

• Take a look at your processes. Are you able to develop effective creative briefs that provide proper direction to the team? Are you able to facilitate productive brainstorming sessions, drive an objective evaluation of creative solutions and, finally, sell your creatives to stakeholders, from risk-averse regulatory departments to senior management who sometimes bring strong personal biases?
• Refresh and expand your talent pool. Outside agencies have access to multiple creative teams that can be tapped for new perspectives and ideas. In-house agencies can do the same, by building a freelance pool or engaging an outside agency to take on the heavy lifting, such as during the formative phases of brand development. By the way, if you are serious about building an in-house agency, then you should consider hiring experienced agency professionals. Because of the relatively narrow scope of products and assignments, an in-house agency is generally not a good training ground.
• Encourage collaboration. If you do bring in outside help, don’t pit your in-house team against your outside agency, and never ask one team to “correct” or complete the work of the other. Creative ideas are as much about execution as concept development, and in fact many ideas are fleshed out, refined and enhanced during the execution phase. Hint: Don’t ask your outside agency to turn over concepts for internal execution. At best, you’ll lose their enthusiasm and good will. More likely, they will not be around the next time you need help.

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