Hiring creatives? If you want results, forget the cost!

Okay, maybe not forget it, but don’t let it play first fiddle.

For years, the go-to approach for procurement has been simple: whoever offers the lowest cost wins. It’s efficient, easy to justify, and works well for things like buying office supplies or hiring logistics services. But when it comes to creative work—think films, campaigns, or branded content—this mindset doesn’t just fall short; it actively works against the goals of the project.

I learned this the hard way.

Back when I worked in the UN, procurement often followed a strict cost-first approach. The lowest bidder almost always got the job, even when we were commissioning creative projects that required more than just a “deliverable.” We wanted work that could connect with audiences and drive important conversations. But how do you put a price on creativity? It felt like trying to buy art based on the cost of the canvas and paint.

Now that I’m on the other side, working in the creative field, I see just how impractical this method is. The problem? It forces communication professionals—who need to tell a story, convey a message, or spark conversations—to make do with “good enough” instead of “truly great.”

Creativity Isn’t a Commodity

Here’s the thing: creative work isn’t something you can measure with a price tag alone. It’s not like buying a laptop, where you compare specs and costs and call it a day. A creative project is about more than its production cost—it’s about the idea, the execution, and most importantly, the impact it has on people. The effect a well made production can have on the audience is magical! It can transform conversations and change the trajectory of a brand in a matter of days. But a cost-driven procurement process misses the magic entirely. It treats creative work as a commodity—ignoring the storytelling, cultural insight, and emotional depth that make it effective.

What Happens When Cost Is King? When cost is the priority, you’re setting yourself up for:

• Mediocre Results – Budget constraints lead to cutting corners, and the final product won’t resonate the way it should.
• Missed Opportunities – Creative projects need time, collaboration, and investment to align with your brand’s identity and strategy.
• Disheartened Creatives – When creatives feel undervalued, you don’t get their best work.
• Misaligned Priorities – A successful campaign isn’t about saving money; it’s about making an impact.

What’s the Alternative?

Let's flip the book: switch to value-based procurement—a model that prioritises creativity, relevance, and results over cost. This approach, widely adopted in fields like healthcare, can be applied to creative work. Success isn’t about how cheaply a campaign is made; it’s about whether it resonates, gets shared, and leaves a lasting impression.

How Do You Measure Creativity?

I get it—creativity can feel intangible. But here are five metrics that I believe can help you score a creative proposal:

1. Demonstrated Results: Past work that proves they can deliver.
2. Innovation: Outside-the-box thinking that can make your message stand out.
3. Demonstrated Skills: Pay for impactful ideas and the expertise to execute them, not just fancy equipment.
4. Understanding of the Audience: Insight that makes the work truly resonate.
5. Relevance: The ability to stay current and adapt to cultural shifts.

Together, these factors create a framework to evaluate creative potential—not just cost—so you’re hiring for impact, not savings.

Measuring the Whole Picture These factors—results, audience insight, skillset, innovation, and relevance—form a framework for assessing creative potential that measure the service you want to procure against the output you desire, potential for success, transformation, and impact—things that cost-focused procurement rarely accounts for.

A New Approach

To break free from cost-based thinking, try this:

• Balance Cost with Creativity: Use criteria that aligns with the results you envision, like the one I demonstrated above—alongside cost.
• Involve the Right People: Your communication team knows the audience best; let them weigh in.
• Be Flexible with Budgets: Allow room for the project’s complexity, always be willing to pay more for concepts that a set to deliver results and less for productions, its not abo
• Start Small: Test with a pilot project to minimize risk and clearly communicate this approach to the creatives, ensuring they’re motivated to deliver their best..
• Train Procurement Teams: Help them understand why creative work isn’t apples-to-apples with other services.

Why This Matters

At the end of the day, creative work isn’t just about delivering a product—it’s about telling a story, making a connection, and leaving a lasting impression. If we keep reducing creative work to its price tag, we’ll miss out on its real value: its ability to move people.

Shifting to a value-based approach isn’t just better for creatives; it’s better for organizations too. Because when creativity thrives, everyone wins.