Brands as publishers

Most marketing teams are under pressure to do more, faster. It’s tempting to bring everything in-house, especially when it comes to creative. And in some cases, that makes sense.

A content-savvy marketer embedded in the team can help speed things up, stay close to what’s happening, and keep the engine running.

But there’s a limit to what can (or should) be done internally.

What in-house gets right

Building internal capability can make things easier, faster and more connected.

Done well, it allows for:

• Quick turnarounds on simple or repeatable work

• Day-to-day content that doesn’t need briefing

• Closer alignment with internal teams and schedules

It’s especially useful where there’s a consistent volume of similar outputs, like social Reels, weekly product shots, internal comms or updates. For these types of tasks, having someone in-house can be faster and often more cost-effective.

But it comes with trade-offs.

Where it starts to fall short

Hiring strong creative talent into permanent roles is difficult. Many prefer the flexibility of agency or freelance work. And even when you do find someone great, you’re limited to their particular skillset.

Most internal hires are generalists. They can do a bit of everything, but may not have the depth or tools to handle more specialist or complex work.

Time and cost are also factors. A campaign edit that might take an external team 10 hours could take a week internally, simply because the person is stretched or working solo.

The result:

• Bottlenecks or inconsistent output

• Creative fatigue or over-reliance on one person

• Gaps in quality or capability when things get busy

That’s when the model starts to creak.

A more flexible approach

We’re not here to replace internal teams. We work alongside them, helping them do more with the right support in place.

For some brands, that means acting as an external production department. For others, it’s providing extra capability during busy periods or when something bigger needs to be delivered.

That might look like:

• Producing content toolkits or creative libraries that support months of marketing

• Running shoots while internal teams focus on day-to-day delivery

• Editing and adapting campaign creative into multiple formats

• Building out systems or workflows that help internal teams produce better content

What to keep in-house, what to outsource

In-house:

• A generalist or marketing content lead who understands the business

• Someone who can brief, coordinate, and work with specialist partners

External:

• Creative production (video, photography, animation, design, editing)

• Campaign delivery, larger shoots, or brand creative

• Systems, structure and strategy that support ongoing output

The wrap-up

You don’t have to choose one or the other. The most efficient teams are hybrids. They keep the core capability inside, and bring in outside support when it’s needed most. That's where Department comes in.