More than half of European marketers (55 per cent) say they are too overburdened to apply their own creative input into marketing, according to The Back to Creativity Report published by Charterhouse.
Some 51 per cent of the 200 senior marketing professionals surveyed, fear they are too dependent on agencies for new ideas.
Meanwhile, more than half (53 per cent) of European marketers believe agencies hold the balance of power in their relationships, with 48 per cent saying that their department is fundamentally dependent on its agencies. However, just under half (45 per cent) say they feel ‘locked in’ to agency relationships.
Furthermore, according to the study, 77 per cent believe in-house departments should lead creativity and innovation, with more than half (51 per cent) saying the frequency of new creative ideas has decreased in the past five years.
Anthony Hawkins, business development manager at Charterhouse, says: “Many marketers feel that their job has completely changed, with third-party agencies getting all the creative tasks. Marketers have become coordinators, through no fault of their own.
“In-house marketers can reclaim creativity with simple steps like measurement of ROI, building budgets from the bottom and using brand asset management to ensure consistency across the board. Marketing departments need agency knowledge and resources, but as an extra dimension when required, rather than a permanent piece of the marketing furniture.”
