Historically, advertising production has followed a very traditional path, with a marketer hiring an agency of record who then hires a production company to undertake the primary production of a master asset, as well as the post production, versioning and adaptations of that asset, all with a single point of contact from the brand.

There are many alternative solutions available today. However, the type and volume of content produced, and speed to market, have all shifted dramatically and some marketers are wondering if the traditional production model still has a place among their content needs. If not, what does the new production environment look like?

With the increase in the media platforms, distribution outlets, and specifically social media (i.e. always-on content), the options for sourcing creative ideas have multiplied:

• Agency of Record / Independent Agency

• Crowd-Sourcing

• UGC (User-Generated Content)

• In-House Studios

• Direct to Production Partners

• Joint Ventures

• Freelance Creatives

• Reuse / Refresh Existing Creative

• Production Company Director

These new opportunities each carry unique production implications. That means advertisers need a solid infrastructure to support multiple creative sources, as well as guidelines and best practices for working across all media.  Since AOR’s typically handle many administrative functions, brands now need to address areas such as vendor contracts, payments, talent usage rights, music rights, asset libraries, etc., and that’s a daunting task for any marketing or procurement department.

So how do marketers manage all these new areas of creative and production opportunity without taxing their internal resources? Find out more in part 2 of our blog series… Content Production Strategy: Taking the Lead, coming later this month.

Looking for solutions for your sourcing, budgeting and content strategy issues? Register for the ANA’s Optimizing Ad Production Workshop September 27th in NYC, HERE.