Why it pays for Agencies to partner with an Animation Production House

If there’s one thing people in the animation industry do well, it’s teamwork. Creating a professional animated product is a group effort that often takes an astounding amount of collaboration and an understanding of how each individual effort fits into the larger picture as a whole.

Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that many agencies are choosing to partner with a professional animation company for their production needs instead of developing an in-house animation department.

Perhaps you’re part of an agency team who are still undecided as to how to solve your production needs in a way that will tailor to your agency’s image. Maybe you’re weighing up the cost-effectiveness of producing animated selling tools for your clients in-house. Or maybe you’re a dyslexic girl named Tina who loves playing Boggle, who was in fact looking for the website ‘ExampleTina.com.au/Bogl’. In any case, if you want to make an informed decision it’s worth your while to check out these 3 reasons why it pays for agencies to partner with a production house.

(Except you, Tina. You can probably get back to your Boggle game.)

1. saves the agency the costs of changing technologies and software subscriptions

Money, money, money. It’s too tight to mention, it must be funny in a rich man’s world, it’s a crime, and it’s what I want, according to bands throughout the 20th century. According to the business world, it’s also an important necessity in developing your agency to be the best damn agency it can be. That’s why it’s number 1 on this list.

It can be tempting to think about developing an in-house animation department as a way of keeping production profits within the company. Sure, there’s an upfront cost of purchasing new equipment and software, hiring new employees with the right skills and training in the ways of the agency. But once that’s covered it’s all profit, right?

Most likely, wrong.

Animation is a medium highly dependent on fast-changing technology. On top of the general computing costs of maintaining an operating system, reliable internet connection and security, many of the better known animation programs these days function on a subscription-based service, meaning a regular dip into your time and money to keep that software functioning and up-to-date.

Furthermore, the highly collaborative nature of animation often demands the use of a cloud-based syncing service, another potential running cost. Add on top of this the cost of keeping peripheral hardware like graphics tablets and any non-subscription software up-to-date with the latest professional standards, and suddenly your in-house animation department is costing you a lot more than you assumed with your initial investment.

The point is, if you’re an agency dealing with all kinds of clients in all kinds of mediums, do you want to be paying for technology you’re only using for every other client?
Partnering with an animation production house can solve this crisis while fostering a working relationship with another professional creative company, further expanding your agency’s networking reach.

2. lets the agency focus on client service

Maybe you’re an agency who only occasionally deals with animated projects. Maybe you specialise in offering animated services to your clients. Maybe you already have a design team and simply need an animation crew to implement their designs into a motion graphics promo. Do you want to spend all your time setting up shop as a hybrid agency/animation studio when you could be using that time sourcing more clients, developing the best service possible, and getting the name of your agency out there?

Handing the production work through to a professional animation company allows you as the agency to focus on what you do best, while allowing the animation pros to use their years of experience to create an expert product for your client. Your client now loves your customer service and loves the product you had developed, tailor-made, for them, because a specialised team was working on each aspect without impacting the time spent on the other.

3. allows for an adjustable level of creative involvement

We all hate generalisations. Yes, let’s look past the irony in saying we all hate generalisations for a second. The reason we hate this is because by the time we reach adulthood most of us know what it’s like to be lumped into a group that is absolutely nothing like us.

The same can be said of agencies. While all share the simple trait of calling themselves an agency, this is often where the similarities end. One agency is a grassroots single-person operation specialising in servicing small businesses, while another is a large multi-national agency serving companies across the globe. One requires the animation company to handle the client relationship upfront from start to finish, another wants to operate as the middle man between client and production house, another wants any work to feel and look as though it’s come straight from the agency’s spectacularly talented hands.

With so many types of agencies, how can an animation production company properly know how to serve the needs of your agency?

By throwing aside the idea of fitting you and your needs into a neat little box, and offering an adjustable level of creative involvement. Any good production company will work with you to thoroughly understand your agency’s vision and your client’s needs. Whether you need specifications down to the letter, or need someone to completely handle the creative vision to free up your time for agency work, a professional animation house should be able to cover all the bases.

In this way, partnering with a production house allows an agency to keep control of their own brand image, utilising them for as much or as little work as required.

conclusion

Saving your agency money, providing better client service, and receiving a tailored level of creative involvement are just three of the reasons it pays for many agencies to partner with an animation production house. The next step is to source the talented, professional production house that will best work for your agency. Go to Explanimate.com.au to check out the kinds of services an established production group can offer you and your agency.

(And you too, Tina. I know you’re still reading.)