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Five strategies to boost creativity and reduce burnout in 2025

In 2025, creative teams within in-house agencies and brands will be under pressure to deliver. The consequence of this high demand environment can be an all-too-familiar cycle of overwork and burnout. 

Overwork culture is harmful to the well-being and productivity of in-house creative teams. It often results in a diminished ability to think creatively. And what is an in-house agency without creativity? There are many ways to break the cycle of overwork and create a healthy work environment.

Here are five ways to reduce overwork and burnout in 2025

1. A stress-less work environment

When an in-house team is put in a high-stress situation (unreasonable deadlines or a chaotic studio), they risk moving into fight-or-flight mode. When people stay in this state for too long, they burn out. Can you incorporate stress reduction habits into your team’s daily workflows? 

2. Quiet time 

Encourage the use of private workspaces when creatives need to focus. If you don’t have private workspaces where your team can go to focus or decompress, use signals like ‘do not disturb’ signs when needed or schedule ‘no meeting hours’ to enable creatives to focus on elements of their job, such as ideation. What methods can you promote for team focus and 'do not disturb' time for creatives?

3. Set boundaries

Nowadays, teams are often in different locations and might work outside of traditional hours. However, the blurring of work and personal time is a source of job stress. One study has found that it is not just answering emails that increase employees’ anxiety; it is the expectation that they are available outside of work hours. To combat this, set guidelines and follow them. Could you use email scheduling so that if you're working around the clock, your team isn’t expected to either?

4. Flexible work

For a highly adaptive team, create an adaptable work environment. Give your employees flexibility by allowing them to work staggered hours. Hold one-on-one’s to understand those needs and discuss arrangements for people who are struggling with work-life balance. Take into account the individual needs of your team. Do they have a long commute? Are they neurodiverse? Do they have caregiving responsibilities outside of work?

5. Embrace creativity and outsource production

Would outsourcing creative production free up your team? Many creative leaders worry about the effect of outsourcing on staff. It’s not about trying to reduce headcount. Remember, creative production outsourcing is about enabling your staff to do more. Chances are they are consumed by production and, as a result, miss out on bigger creative projects. Creative production outsourcing can save time and enable your skilled in-house people to focus on their strengths: ideation, creativity, and design. 

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2024 unwrapped: A year-in-review

It’s been quite a year, hasn’t it? The challenges facing media companies and publishers have been multifold, from tightening budgets to political change and a competitive landscape. Despite all that, it was a great year for the creative industry. We reflect on the year’s challenges, celebrate the milestones, and look ahead to what’s next...

We’re A Great Place to Work®, again!

EKCS became Great Place to Work® in India for the second year running. Great Place to Work® is the global authority on building great workplaces.

And they should know. They have surveyed more than 100 million global employees. Our offshore team is vital to EKCS, and the award is based on the experience and opinions of colleagues working at EKCS.

And it doesn’t stop there. This year, EKCS also won the ‘Support Team of the Year’ award at The Stevie® Awards. This recognizes our team’s efforts in supporting brands, agencies, and media clients to overcome production challenges and boost efficiency.

New starters

This year we grew from a team of 500 to 600, with some exciting onshore hires in both the UK and the US. We’ve had some great new starters join EKCS. These include Saba Said, who heads up our global communications team. We’ve also had several consultants join us, and we’ll introduce you to these creative brains in the new year.

Conference creativity

Conferences were a big part of the fall. The added bonus was escaping the English winter, albeit for a few days! It’s been enlightening to meet so many industry people at the events we have attended and sponsored this year. It helps to have our people on the ground across the world who can discuss all things creative production. We attended the Association of National Advertisers In-House Agency Conference for the first time. Watching global CMOs share their beliefs and state their predictions was truly inspiring. Keeping sight of the bigger picture while staying focused on our clients’ goals will be more important than ever in 2025.

Leadership in action: Aligning minds, solving challenges, and building bonds

On that note, at EKCS we’ve been doing more joined-up thinking as to how we can better serve our clients and deliver value in the changing world of production. Our leadership summits in the UK and India brought together EKCS’ business leaders from the UK and India. These twice-yearly summits were a powerful catalyst to align leaders, develop solutions to problems, introduce new strategies, and enhance collaboration across EKCS. We would be lying if we said it was all work and no play, as we like to insert a team challenge into the mix. In true EKCS spirit, these challenges were a bit like an India vs. England cricket match—fierce and fun, but whatever the result, they brought our onshore and offshore teams closer together.

AI-driven production power

We embraced automation and engaged with AI, all of which culminated in the launch of Mediaferry AI! You might have seen some of our media coverage. This cutting-edge, cloud-based service streamlines the production process—from briefing to campaign activation—and it is perfect for publishers, brands, and in-house agencies! We’ve received great feedback from our clients, so if you’ve not seen it already, why not book your demo today? 

Resources wrapped up just for you!

This festive season, we’re sharing a little holiday gift—valuable resources to help you kickstart 2025. 

EKCS Blogs: Grab a nutmeg latte or pour a mulled wine and have a read of our collection of insights and blogs covering creative production and creative teams. 

Free Guides: Need to escape a festive full house? Take some time to download our free guides and take some time for reading. 

Inside Jobs Podcast: Inside Jobs has continued to thrive in 2024, reaching a milestone number of subscribers and welcoming a phenomenal lineup of guests. Hosted in collaboration with IHAF, these podcasts provide inspirational intel from in-house agency leaders from some of the world’s biggest brands. Subscribe here and you’ll be inspired throughout 2025! 

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Falling into focus this fall: Sharpen your creative strategy in Q4

Fall brings a natural shift—cooler air, crisper leaves, and a time to reflect. For in-house agencies (IHAs), it marks the final sprint toward year-end goals. Q4 success isn’t about pushing through; it’s about focusing your creative strategy to ensure you’re making the most of these final months.  

Align creativity with business goals 

In the rush to deliver, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Now is the perfect time to reconnect your creative output with your business objectives. Reassess your projects: are they driving the results your brand needs? Every campaign, design, and content piece should work with the goals you set at the beginning of the year.

Free your team 

Every team member needs the opportunity to unleash their full creative potential without the constraints of overwork and burnout. For in-house creative teams that are stretched thin, outsourcing creative production can offer the flexibility and efficiency needed to meet these goals without overloading internal teams. By outsourcing routine creative tasks, you free up your in-house team to focus on strategic initiatives and creativity. Teams can dedicate more time to ideation, creative work, and strategic planning, driving the business forward.

Cut the distractions

Fall is also a time to shed what’s unnecessary. Like nature lets go of the old, in-house agencies can let go of distractions. Check your processes and streamline where needed. Are there outdated workflows or unnecessary layers of approval slowing you down? Systems like Mediaferry, which allows for seamless asset management and collaboration, can help remove bottlenecks and improve team efficiency.

Collaborate smarter, not harder

In Q4, collaboration becomes critical to meet tight deadlines and maintain quality. Team collaboration is about getting people with different skills and ideas to work together toward a common goal. In Q4, collaboration isn't a nice-to-have; it's a must-have. When teams collaborate well, they get more done. Streamlining your team’s communication and collaboration efforts through digital platforms can increase productivity without increasing stress. Mediaferry’s centralized platform for file sharing, review, and approvals helps creative teams stay on the same page while speeding up decision-making processes.

Use data-driven insights

For creatives, it is easy to forget data and metrics. Q4 is a results-driven period, and data can be your best ally. Take advantage of analytics and performance metrics to refine your campaigns in real time. From tracking engagement rates to A/B testing creative assets, having data at your fingertips enables you to optimize efforts. It ensures you're making smart, impactful adjustments.

Prepare for the new year

While Q4 is about creative execution, it’s also a time for forward-thinking. Take this season to lay the groundwork for 2025. What lessons can you take from the past year, and how can you use them to strengthen your strategy moving forward?

By focusing your efforts and embracing the clarity that fall brings, your IHA can sharpen its creative edge, streamline processes, and finish the year strong.

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Making creative work better with a great in-house team

Let’s face it, there are plenty of advantages to keeping production in-house—your creative team knows the brand inside and out, they’re deeply invested in your success, and there’s no need to spend time onboarding or worrying about culture fit. Plus, you’re always up to speed on the latest campaigns. But, there is another way, in-house agencies and brands can make creative work better. Even with a great in-house team, creative production outsourcing has real merits. Here's why.  

More hands 

You might be thinking, "Can I outsource creative production when I have a great in-house team?" Absolutely! Think of outsourcing as a way to supercharge your existing talent. It’s not about replacing your great in-house team; it’s about giving them the extra support they need to tackle bigger projects, explore new creative ideas, and ultimately elevate the brand's output.

Your team is great. But you probably need more of them. When EKCS conducted our Modern Challenges of an IHA survey, 51% of IHAs told us they didn't have enough creative staff. Hiring extra staff can be a challenge, from salaries, benefits, and payroll taxes to hardware, software, and the added hassle of finding freelancers, aligning them with the brand and keeping their hours within budget.

More skills

While you may well have a fantastic in-house team, it’s not realistic that your employees are always going to have the creative production skills you need, especially given the speed at which digital production, AI, and automation are evolving. The Great Resignation has seen skilled workers leave their jobs in droves on both sides of the Atlantic. This has resulted in some in-house agencies losing key expertise. Outsourcing provides access to a wider talent pool.

Avoid burnout

The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the word ‘burnout’ as an ‘occupational phenomenon.  So, there it is. Burnout is real, and it costs your in-house agency money.  According to a Flexijob report, 75% of workers have experienced burnout. Therefore, in-house agency leaders need to prevent and address burnout effectively. Overwork culture can be harmful to the wellbeing and productivity of creative teams. It often results in a diminished ability to think creatively. We’re talking about high staff turnover and lower creative productivity.  

Create time

We kill time.  We lose time. For in-house creative teams, there is never enough time in the world. As the English wordsmith William Penn once said, "Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."  Production is just that. It is a time-consuming process that can drain capacity and divert your employees’ focus from more exciting creative tasks. An in-house agency team can only do so much. With a time-critical campaign or company rebrand, there are often not enough hours in the day. Wouldn't it be great to save time? 

Boost creativity, without headcount

Wouldn't it be great to increase creative output without increasing headcount? Offshoring creative production isn’t about handing over huge elements of work. Many in-house agencies operate a hybrid model when it comes to creative production outsourcing. Outsourcing should only account for a small portion of your budget, perhaps 5-15%, but having it on hand will come in handy at some point

Learn more

To learn more, download our free e-book, Breaking the Cycle of Overworked Creative Teams. You can discover more about making creative work better in LA on October 8th at  Creative Operations Los Angeles 2024. Join EKCS’s Michael Storey and David Bevan as they challenge the status quo and explore the future of design operations and AI. This talk is not about answers; it’s about asking the right questions to push beyond conventional thinking and discover innovative strategies for success. Don’t miss this opportunity to redefine creativity and make creative work better. 

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Fall brings a natural shift—cooler air, crisper leaves, and a time to reflect. For in-house agencies (IHAs), it marks the final sprint toward year-end goals. Q4 success isn’t about pushing through; it’s about focusing your creative strategy to ensure you’re making the most of these final months.  

Align creativity with business goals 

In the rush to deliver, it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. Now is the perfect time to reconnect your creative output with your business objectives. Reassess your projects: are they driving the results your brand needs? Every campaign, design, and content piece should work with the goals you set at the beginning of the year.

Free your team 

Every team member needs the opportunity to unleash their full creative potential without the constraints of overwork and burnout. For in-house creative teams that are stretched thin, outsourcing creative production can offer the flexibility and efficiency needed to meet these goals without overloading internal teams. By outsourcing routine creative tasks, you free up your in-house team to focus on strategic initiatives and creativity. Teams can dedicate more time to ideation, creative work, and strategic planning, driving the business forward.

Cut the distractions

Fall is also a time to shed what’s unnecessary. Like nature lets go of the old, in-house agencies can let go of distractions. Check your processes and streamline where needed. Are there outdated workflows or unnecessary layers of approval slowing you down? Systems like Mediaferry, which allows for seamless asset management and collaboration, can help remove bottlenecks and improve team efficiency.

Collaborate smarter, not harder

In Q4, collaboration becomes critical to meet tight deadlines and maintain quality. Team collaboration is about getting people with different skills and ideas to work together toward a common goal. In Q4, collaboration isn't a nice-to-have; it's a must-have. When teams collaborate well, they get more done. Streamlining your team’s communication and collaboration efforts through digital platforms can increase productivity without increasing stress. Mediaferry’s centralized platform for file sharing, review, and approvals helps creative teams stay on the same page while speeding up decision-making processes.

Use data-driven insights

For creatives, it is easy to forget data and metrics. Q4 is a results-driven period, and data can be your best ally. Take advantage of analytics and performance metrics to refine your campaigns in real time. From tracking engagement rates to A/B testing creative assets, having data at your fingertips enables you to optimize efforts. It ensures you're making smart, impactful adjustments.

Prepare for the new year

While Q4 is about creative execution, it’s also a time for forward-thinking. Take this season to lay the groundwork for 2025. What lessons can you take from the past year, and how can you use them to strengthen your strategy moving forward?

By focusing your efforts and embracing the clarity that fall brings, your IHA can sharpen its creative edge, streamline processes, and finish the year strong.

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EKCS launches Mediaferry AI to transform creative production for news publishers and media companies. With advanced automation and AI-driven tools, Mediaferry's AI streamlines ad creation, boosts efficiency and ensures brand compliance. Ready to take your digital ads to the next level? Get a free demo today! 🌐 Visit: https://lnkd.in/ek9mWybu

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Can creative production outsourcing help with creativity?

Could in-house production be getting in the way of creativity? In March 2022, EKCS asked delegates at Creative Operations London what their biggest challenges were for their team right now. In the ‘challenges for IHAs in a post-pandemic world’ survey, 27% of in-house agencies (IHAs) said ‘finding time for creative work.’ 

It was Albert Einstein who said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun." But these days, it’s all too easy to feel that there is little time to have fun, and even less time to be creative! The ability to think creatively is vital for in-house agencies and brands. Yet, so often it’s difficult, or even impossible, to harness our creativity when it is needed the most.

An EKCS poll conducted in April 2021 showed that one-fifth of IHA leaders still felt that they were mainly a production entity, running as a centralized production team over and above being creative-led. Does your artworker really want to resize print adverts or your web developer create multiple banners when they could be working on ideation and other creative elements?

Creating Time To Be Creative

Creative production outsourcing is all about enabling staff and your IHA to do more. IHAs consist of talented individuals who should always be leading creative strategy. There are so many challenges that hinder creative output when working in-house. But the key challenge is time, or lack of it. That’s why more and more IHAs are looking to outsource their creative production to an offshore partner.

What to outsource?

As American management consultant, Peter Drucker, wrote in the Harvard Business Review back in the 1980’s, “Do what you do best – and outsource the rest!” 

In-house agencies often outsource these seven areas to free up creative time. 

Digital banners

Artwork and retouching

Content localisation (social, digital & video)

Annual reports and PowerPoint 

Video editing

Post-production video editing and animation

Web / Mobile App development  

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Six Time-Saving Benefits of Outsourcing Video Production

Video content is king, thanks to TikTok and Instagram. Using video content effectively can be a game-changer for brands looking to connect with their audience and drive business results. 

In 2024, nine out of 10 businesses use video for marketing. These statistics highlight the growing dominance of video content in brand marketing strategies and the positive impact on consumer engagement and sales.  Yet, producing high-quality videos can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. It’s hardly surprising that video production is the most common service social media marketers outsource. That's where outsourcing comes in, offering many benefits that can save your organization time and money.

Efficiency and expertise

Outsourcing video production enables brands and in-house agencies to tap into a pool of experienced professionals who specialize in visual content production. These offshore production experts come equipped with the latest technology and industry best practices, ensuring your videos are high-quality, produced efficiently, and expertly edited. 

Concentrate on core business activities

By entrusting video production to an external team, your in-house staff can focus on what they do best. Be creative! This shift in focus can lead to increased productivity and better overall performance in your core business areas. It enables marketing and creative teams to concentrate on: 

strategy

content ideation

creativity 

and other tasks.

Cost savings 

While building an in-house video production team can be costly, outsourcing offers a more flexible and cost-effective solution. You avoid the high expenses of purchasing editing equipment and software, hiring full-time staff or freelancers, and training. It frees your team up. Instead, you pay for the services you need, when you need them, allowing for better budget management.

Scalability

Outsourcing provides the scalability to handle varying workloads. Whether you need a single promotional video or a series of training modules, an outsourced team can scale up or down based on your requirements. This flexibility ensures that you can meet your video production needs without the stress of managing an in-house video production project. 

Fresh production insights

Offshore video production brings fresh perspectives and ideas that can enhance your content. Their diverse experiences can help you stand out in a crowded marketplace, delivering videos that capture attention and drive engagement.

Time-saving

Outsourcing significantly reduces the time it takes to bring a video project from concept to completion. With a dedicated team focused solely on your project, you can meet tight deadlines and respond to your business demands. This agility is crucial to maintaining a competitive edge. Outsourcing creative video production is one way to do this 

Outsourcing video production is a strategic move that can save time, reduce costs, and deliver high-quality content. By utilizing external expertise, you can ensure your videos are professional, engaging, and aligned with your brand's goals. It's an investment that pays off.  For more insights on creative outsourcing and production strategies, check out our latest blogs.

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Peter Drucker said, 'Do what you do best – and outsource the rest!' Today, let's find out what projects to outsource- https://ekcs.to/4bk94Yd

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Creative Production London - EKCS

It was great to see so many of you at HS Creative Production London 2024. If you missed our session on 'Breaking the Cycle of Overworked Creative Teams,' you can download your free eBook here: https://ekcs.to/49BPmXW

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Delve into the balance between in-house creativity and outsourcing efficiency. Learn to leverage external resources to enhance internal teams, navigate hybrid approaches, and measure outsourcing success. For more information please visit here https://resources.ekcs.co/guides/how-to-do-more-for-less-with-creative-production-outsourcing

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National World’s Digital Revolution: A MediaFerry Transformation Story

About National World

The Challenges

Being one of the most prominent local media groups in the UK, National World faced the challenge of developing data-driven ad campaigns. And creating sophisticated creatives. The decline in print media and the increasing competition in digital advertising compelled National World to enhance its product offerings in print, digital, and video formats.

Advertisement

This media company needed a dependable, user-friendly, and cost-efficient solution to give their advertising clients access to their published ads. The process of locating these ads across many publications can be time-consuming and expensive.

They needed a solution that could assist in boosting engagement and returns for their advertisers. They also needed efficient methods for managing workloads, reducing admin, and enhancing  ROI.

The Solution

This saw the use of MediaFerry’s cloud-based workflow management system. National World integrated this with their billing systems, ad servers, and CRM systems, including Google DFP and SalesForce. This  enabled them to automate aspects of their digital ad trafficking, tracking, and campaign performance reporting.

Today, MediaFerry’s eVouchering system revolutionizes the way National World’s advertisers access and analyze data. With a few clicks, advertisers gain valuable insights into every publication. By logging into their publisher’s account, they can pinpoint the placement of their ads and share a link with colleagues. Agencies enjoy seamless log-in access and can view client bookings, insertion positions, and publications.  National World was able to streamline its workflow. They reduced the time and effort spent on repetitive tasks. And it improved efficiency and productivity.

The Results

Long-term partnership

10+ years of continued partnership A full-time team to support print and digital ad production, digital ad ops fulfillment, digital marketing fulfillment, high-end creative, and sales and customer support.

Workflow and production automation

System centralized order, track, proof, approval, and management of creative campaigns and assets.

Streamlined workflow management

System centralised order, track, proof, approval and management of creative campaigns and assets.

Improved customer experience

New eVouchering (tear sheets) along with a dedicated customer portal. All are integrated with a Google Chat-based chatbot that answers queries in real-time by pulling data from systems that National World uses.