Creative Production

Beyond Delivery: Production as the Engine of Creative Effectiveness

Streamlining Efficiencies

“Creativity, scale and efficiency aren’t mutually exclusive. However, brands and agencies approach each element today in ways that needlessly generate waste, while they fail to achieve the full potential of personalised content at scale”

What does creating content at scale mean to you? Perhaps a far-flung content mill, leaning heavily on generative AI. Or maybe dialling up volume at the expense of originality? Whatever dystopian universe comes to mind, it’s almost certainly because many brands and agencies view content at scale largely as a cost-minimisation exercise.

The most effective brands, however, find a balance. They manage to marry creativity, scale and strategic investment to maximise impact. In doing so, they’ve navigated a material shift:  in process, in technology and in their content supply chain.

Developing content in an atomic and dynamic fashion avoids waste and allows quality content to be delivered at scale. It amplifies the number of variants based on switching out a component – or atom – rather than having to develop it all again from scratch. 

Atomic content requires both cultural and practical changes. Creative, Media and Production teams need to collaborate much more closely at the start of the process than they have in the past. This represents a fundamental shift in both workplace culture and day-to-day operations. 

Traditionally, Production has been solely focused on delivery, with key KPIs revolving around speed and cost efficiency. However, creating effective atomic content demands early collaboration between Production Strategists, Producers, and Creative Leads. This is because the success of a dynamic content campaign depends on the strength of its strategic foundation.

It all might sound overly prescriptive: detailed planning, templating, and process allocation early in the campaign timeline may feel at odds with the fast-moving, agile nature of today’s digital age.

But planning and preparation don’t restrict flexibility; they create the foundation for it. They enable the performance-driven mindset required for content at scale, which is largely rooted in Agile principles: test, learn, and, most importantly, optimise.

Optimisation sits at the core of atomic content effectiveness. Modern technology allows atomic content to adapt and be repurposed quickly based on real-time audience signals. However, the biggest transformation for agencies, who are accustomed to working in silos, will be mastering these platforms and structuring the work correctly to harness their full potential.

Media specialists remain the absolute experts on audience journeys and channel planning. Creative talents are the masters of idea generation and executional craft, bringing concepts to life through central assets. Meanwhile, the Production teams are becoming increasingly pivotal in the operating model, ensuring that the goal of delivering the right asset, at the right time, with the right message is truly achievable.

Striking that balance is a delicate challenge. Modern content atomisation inevitably relies on templating, but how can creatives ensure they still deliver unique and distinctive expressions? Rather than being a creative constraint, it’s an opportunity—one that unlocks endless possibilities for creative variety and the unique ability to run multiple campaigns in one.

By harnessing creative problem-solving and embracing this shift, teams can transform the challenge into a launchpad for powerful, personalised content at scale – designed not only to engage but to drive real, measurable impact.

If all of this was not enough to convince you, here is a real, urgent reason: a sustainable future in advertising depends on shifting the focus from producing more to creating better assets. In an industry driven by constant demand for content, the real conversation for 2025 should be about how we achieve smarter, more purposeful creativity, where innovation and impact go hand in hand.

How will you start?

About the Author

Paul Ward is President, Global Network and CEO, UK at Prose on Pixels.