Disposable freelancers

Are you letting your freelance creatives go too soon?

Of course I’m going to encourage you to keep freelancers employed for longer.

After all, I am one.

But if you’ll indulge me a bit, you’ll see that I also have your interest at heart.

You’ll often hear freelance copywriters and art directors complain they hardly ever see their ideas through to production.

Other people take over their projects. And the finished product – be it a TV commercial, integrated campaign or whatever – never meets the freelancer’s expectations.

Does this matter to you?

It should (I’ll explain why in a moment).

If you’re not a creative, you may think these freelancers are grumbling about nothing.

Especially if you’re the person who pays their bills.

You want to save money.

So why keep the freelancer any longer than necessary?

The answer is, because if you do, the work will be better – that is, more effective.

In my experience, the best creative work has always been managed, from conception to production, by the concept creators.

And you’ll probably find that most full-time agency creatives agree with that.

An idea’s creators have a vision which the people who take it over don’t always understand.

Also, the originators tend to lavish more love on their ideas than the people who inherit them.

Don’t get me wrong – the caretakers will probably do a professional job overseeing the production.

But, inevitably, people will make suggestions that compromise the work. And the caretakers won’t defend it nearly as passionately against interference as the creators would.

In any case the work gets messed about with. And it loses its punch.

By comparison, the originators protect their idea, keeping its integrity, crafting every detail to perfection.

Why? Because it’s their baby.

So the end result is better, more effective work.

Doesn’t it make sense, then, to let your freelancers finish what they started?