Creative Natives are fortunate to work across both in-house and agency roles.

One of the best parts of the job is talking to 100’s of candidates each month from both environments. And we often get asked which is better. Like many comparisons, Netflix vs Stan, McDonalds vs KFC, it’s not so much which is better but what you feel is right for you right now. Each have their pros and cons and we’ve listed a few below.

IN HOUSE PRO – 360 view

When you’re delivering outstanding advertising campaigns in the agency you’re often the one reporting on results of that campaign, but often the real metrics are only known by the business itself. When you’re in-house you can track and report on how many leads that came through a particular campaign translated into actual customers. Giving you more knowledge to know what works for next time and becoming a stronger marketer.

AGENCY PRO – VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

Usually when you work in an agency you’re working on several different clients. This gives you the opportunity to work on different sectors (financial services and retail). You’ll learn more about how different organisations tick and how they approach marketing but it also means your work is more varied, so you’ll never be bored!

AGENCY CON – FRIDAY AFTERNOON

What’s that, you thought you were going to the pub at 2pm on Friday afternoon?  Ha, don’t be silly.

Your client has had 4 and 1/2 days to send through a request, but instead, they decide to send it through at 11.30am, prior to their Friday lunch meeting, and they want the task completed by 5pm Friday, even though they’ll leave before then 😉

IN HOUSE PRO – KNOWING THE BRAND

Being in house offers the opportunity to live and breathe the brand.  If you choose the right business you make your mark, defining a brand strategy, pitching creative concepts and become a subject matter expert.

IN HOUSE CON – WHO GETS THE CREDIT

Those pesky sales people and Partners will say it’s all them.  They underestimate the work you’ve done on brand awareness or content you’ve generated or building a significant digital funnel to deliver qualified leads, making their job easier.

You’re often justifying your worth and ROI in house.  Internal stakeholder management and reporting are key. Don’t get sucked in, it isn’t you versus them, it’s a team effort.

AGENCY PRO – LEARNING GROUND

You’ll be battered some weeks.  Pulled in all directions.  It forces you to keep learning. But nothing hones your time management, stakeholder communication and problem solving skills more than agency life.

It gives you broad exposure to lots of marketing and advertising areas and allows you to learn about yourself and what interests you.

I’m sure we have missed a few, Creative Natives would love you to share your thoughts on what we have left off…