"I think that we should have a television department. All the other agencies have them." Harry Crane, Mad Men.
When it comes down to advertising for TV - gone are the glory years. I think it’s fair to say we are not all able to afford our own TV department. Of course, there are still some Sterling Cooper-esque advertising agencies, with in-house TV departments to look after TV clients and subsequent advertising requirements. For agencies with a hefty roster of TV work, this makes perfect sense.
Problems can arise however, if those agencies were to lose a large TV account or the work dried up. There would still be the expense of running the department alongside staffing and associated costs, which could become a financial drain. The reality is that either the department closes, making staff redundant, or the agency tries to ride-out the period whilst trying to secure new TV accounts.
This can become a yo-yo situation for some agencies, as the cost of running the department in the downtime may need to be recovered in the better times, making agency recharge fees sometimes at a slightly inflated rate.
The Freelance Option
Agencies with ad-hoc TV business in some ways have a clearer picture of how to handle their TV production. They would not be able to justify setting up their own in-house TV department, mainly for the reasons given above, therefore they need to acquire outside production services. An obvious option would be to hire in a freelance producer. There are some excellent freelancers out there, who would be able to fulfil this function perfectly. I am sure this has worked and will work successfully for some clients.
In my experience, freelancers tend to supplement agencies with existing TV departments, hired-in to help during extremely busy periods.
As with any freelance option, there is an element of risk for the ad agency. Once contracted, the freelancer may not be experienced enough for the project in hand, they may not get on with agency personnel or client, and if they were half way through a project and fell ill or got knocked down by a bus, then where would that leave the agency and client?
The Outsourced Service
There is however, another solution – an outsourced TV department. There is a definite cost advantage for clients who use outsourced production services in conjunction with their ad agency, since they only need to charge out time/fees on a project basis. In addition, they are not looking to recover additional staffing and running costs, which they would incur, if they operated an in-house TV department.
For an ad agency, an outsourced TV department acts as an extension of the agency, offering clients security and peace of mind that their project is in safe, experienced hands.
A Working Partnership
It's all well and good me talking the talk but I guess the proof, as they say is in the pudding. Therefore, to cure your inquisitive minds, I thought I would give you a little taste of what can be achieved (on time and within budget) when you work with a production partner.
Public Sector Case Study
Tasked with a brief from the Welsh Government of challenging attitudes towards gender inequality in Wales, Access worked alongside The TV Department to produce a TV advert that formed the core of the campaign.
The programme of marketing activity, which included TV advertising, had the aim of highlighting the role of basic sexism in the spectrum of violence against women. The result was a successful film, that challenged attitudes, without judging or preaching. Most importantly, we had a happy client and a working partnership that has thrived. You can see the fruits of our hard labour here.
Leisure and Tourism Case Study
Facing stiff competition from budget airlines, we worked with the team at Access to produce a TV ad for the Steam Packet Company, one of the world’s oldest continually operating passenger shipping companies.
The ad was a great example of the Access and The TV Department partnership producing an effective low-cost TV commercial – by using an existing Isle of Man tourism video (highlighting the beauty and variety of the island) together with a one-day filming sequence of the ferry and its easy and relaxing mode of travel. TV advertising was a first for them so the ability to deliver without complications was essential, and here you can see the final piece.
Neil Armstrong is a Producer at The TV Department
The company has been operating for over 13 years and was set up to provide advertising agency support to those without an in-house TV department. The TV Department is a small, tightly knit unit comprising of two producers and a production manager, sufficient to give the total support to ad agencies regardless of production budget.
The TV Department operates as a portable unit that agencies hire in on a contract basis to give both themselves and their clients confidence that they are in safe hands, in all things TV.
