Tips for building a great working relationship with your creative partner.

The beginning of any working relationship is an exciting and somewhat anxious time. This is particularly true for food and beverage marketers as they begin working with a new branding/design/marketing firm or consultant…a new creative partner. Everyone, both clients and creative partners, want to do their best in achieving branding and marketing goals, and building successful brands. Here are some tips to help build great working relationships with your creative partners.

Tip 1: No Secrets.  Transparency is fundamental to a successful working relationship. Clients and creative partners will be working closely together, and for creatives to do their best work, the more they know about their clients’ products, services, and business the more their efforts will closely align with branding and marketing objectives. Even seemingly obscure, minor data can be very insightful during the creative process. Creative partners should always be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and clients should be confident in sharing any and all information that may be relevant to advancing mutual branding and marketing objectives.

Tip 2: Be Honest. Always be open and honest with your creative partner. Clear the air if there are any creative differences of opinion, and openly share the good and the bad. To develop a strong branding/marketing strategy and creative concepts, all background information about the brand/products should be shared. Any issues that may arise are always easiest to resolve early on in the process so that efforts can be focused on the important tasks.

Tip 3: Ask Questions – a second or third time if needed.  Never shy away from asking the same question more than once. The creative process, marketing speak, IT related items, project stages…all of these invariably generate questions from clients. To build a good working relationship, creative partners need to make sure clients understand the terms and steps that are part of the creative process. A good working relationship is built on asking questions and understanding each other.

Tip 4: Respect One Another. Respect is a two-way street and respectful, solid working relationships generate great creative efforts. The creative process and project timelines can produce stress, but it is important for everyone to remember why they formed the partnership in the first place and respect each others role in meeting the mutually defined objectives.