The New Creative Team

+In the past, Creative teams didn't need to worry too much about working or teaming up with other groups. Traditional required some love with your producer if you were doing TV or maybe your media department. But in the world of digital, there's much more to making an effective, engaging and awesome piece of communication. And, it involves a lot more people.

From concept to execution, there needs to be a open communication channel between Creative, User Experience, Technology and Media. Each group plays a vital part in how the work comes together.

Creative
Big ideas, great copy, gorgeous visuals. Yes, this is still your domain. But, unless you're some how able to swing a 48-hour day, you might have trouble staying on top of the latest media and technology and user experience news, in addition to the creative world. You need to buddy up with the members of your team who should be. Your User Experience gal (or guy) will help you find what will make sense for those engaging with what you create, often adding invaluable insights. Knowing that you can trust your Tech team to jump up with a great way to get your idea to the people should make you confident. And, of course, your media team should be working with you for the best way to reach the audience and even help bring the idea to life in ways you might not have thought of.

User Experience
Usability. Requirements. These do not only apply to websites. They apply to many of the things we are now creating as communications. Banners, emails, and more all can benefit from getting your User Expierence guy involved. Higherarchy of messaging, the way in which people typically interact with the piece you are building--it all can be made better with User Experience being pulled in at an early stage.

Technology
Functionality. The "New Team" needs you to help keep abreast of the latest technology out there and provide Creatives with best ways to execute their ideas. Your invaluable input helps make the ideas come to life in ways never before imagined. Sure, that might be a bit "high-falutin'" but it is true. Tech is your baby and what you should know inside and out. What might not have been deemed possible in the past changes almost on a daily basis, and it's your job to help the team know what is possible.

Media
Placements, unorthodox partnerships, there's so much you can bring to the table for the group. First off, metrics of how prior efforts have fared help to provide the Creative team with the information to know if their ideas are really working to reach, engage, inform, etc. Without knowing how what you have done did, you cannot move forward successfully into new ventures because you have nothing to base your success off of. Then there's the myriad of vendors, all (or most) who have their own in-house creative teams as well who are ready and waiting to do your bidding (for a price, of course). You provide the information of what type of media space is available or possible. Sure, the Creative gals might have an idea that they think is impossible to pull off, but you know that XYZ Media is working on a new prototype that would make it possible. Perhaps media is even part of the idea. Bringing in the media team when the ideas are gelled, if not before they set, is always a good idea.

In a day and age when new information is breaking by the minute, it's hard for one group in the new team to keep abreast even of the topics in their "domain" (read: time), let alone other areas of focus on top of that. Now, I'm not saying that Creative should not be looking out for cool tech and media or anything like that. But, it's those who do keep up with the latest and greatest in their field of expertise that can really help you push a seedling of an idea into a full-fledged blossoming plant. This is why building the right teams is so vital. Each role is important to the other and therefore, keeping an open communication channel to share ideas, thinking and information is the best way to have a team that produces the best work possible.