Key Takeaways
- Alignment reigns supreme. Creative Ops leaders are laser-focused on forging stronger partnerships and establishing shared creative department goals—the bedrock of operational efficiency.
- Evolution is the name of the game. From upskilling talent to optimizing processes and strategically integrating AI, these leaders are driving continuous improvement.
- Influence is paramount. Demonstrating value and securing buy-in from senior leadership is crucial for accessing resources and driving organizational change.
- People matter most. Cultivating a positive and supportive work environment is a top priority, particularly during times of change and transition.
Listen: Manage Creative Operations in 2025: focus on the priorities.
The past five years have been a dogpile of responsibilities for Creative Operations leaders. Double the workload and half the staff? Sounds like an Ops problem. After all, they handle resource management and capacity planning, right? Over 3,000 brand-new MarTech platforms in 2024 and an explosion of AI tools? Must be an Ops problem. They own all our tools, right?
That’s just the tip of the iceberg when you consider how Creative Ops leaders are already managing intake, workflow, external partnerships, internal relationships, and adjusting organizational structures to match shifting business needs. While Ops leaders’ responsibilities may vary, there’s no arguing that their plates are beyond full.
So when we gathered to learn their top priorities for 2025, we weren’t sure what to expect. What we discovered from 50 leaders in our InsideOut community was that these resourceful humans are just as fabulous at prioritizing their own focus as they are at their work. Read on to hear what they aim to accomplish this year.
The alignment imperative: Creative Ops Teams are building bridges, breaking walls
Always a mission for Ops leaders, aligning teams across the organization to develop deeper partnerships with shared goals is step one. Though Creative Operations leaders are known for efficiency, they strive to bring strategy to the table and know that everyone understanding and tying their work to strategic Creative Department goals is the ultimate efficiency accelerator. But how?
In our sessions, senior Ops leaders shared that they intend to spend even more time actively bringing objectives, insights, and aspirations from the business into their own teams. The more visibility Creative Teams have to what the company considers success, the better they can align their own efforts to achieve those priorities. From baking corporate strategies into intake forms to defining metrics that mirror those of their partners, Ops leaders create synergies that generate results.
Another approach to driving clear direction across teams was prioritizing ways to stitch their work together to provide a bigger picture and show how collaboration is mission-critical. Uniquely suited for this task, Creative Ops Team leadership can utilize storytelling and visualization skills to draw partners into a greater vision where a concerted effort is vital to deliver the best customer outcomes.
The evolution equation: People + process + technology = scale
Upskilling teams was a top priority in every roundtable we hosted as we kicked off this year. However, instead of just creating training programs that “teach” new skills, Operations leaders plan to infuse learning and relationship building as a priority for every role, then reward and recognize participation and sharing. They hope to level up softer skills like critical thinking and collaboration, yielding far greater results than simply using new tools.
Beyond these adjustments, Operations leaders aim to deploy new processes that improve communication, incorporate data, and speed up delivery with AI and automation this year. In contrast to last year, where “What are we doing with AI?” was the question, this year, leaders will look at procedures and problems to identify where AI would lift results, not just look cool. They believe integration and continued exploration will lead to the best outcomes (and we think they’re right).
Ops leaders are looking to overhaul and reimagine the status quo. What does this look like? In many cases, it means introducing data at all stages for better decision-making, clearly outlining roles and responsibilities, and implementing seasonal strategies that synchronize workflows. They also intend to use process itself to support and guide work culture in ways that unify siloed teams and enhance productivity.
The human factor: Morale, connection, and well-being
Underpinning all the priorities above is a genuine care for people. Ops leaders know just how much their work (process, tools, metrics, and org design) can influence job satisfaction and employee engagement, both of which are proven to deliver better results.
Timing has never been better. A recent Gallup workplace report showed that employee engagement is at a 10-year low, citing factors including “rapid organizational change, challenges from hybrid and remote work transitions, and broken performance management practices.”
Creative Operations leaders can’t singlehandedly solve all those issues. Still, their reach across the company, exceptional communication skills, and ability to influence without authority will all come in handy. In fact, several Ops leaders in our early sessions selected boosting Creative Team morale as one of their primary areas of concern—even though it’s not their primary area of responsibility. It’s that important.
Amid frequent org structure changes, ongoing mergers and acquisitions, massive layoffs, and impossible-to-pin-down work arrangements, all staff (including Ops leaders) are struggling to reorient themselves. Prioritizing well-being seems indulgent, if not unattainable. By making space for authentic connections—or even requiring them as part of standard operating procedures—Operations leaders can be the lynchpin for regaining employee commitment.
The path forward
Given the lofty goals of those in our InsideOut community, it will not be an easy year to be a Creative Operations leader. Fundamentally, emphasis on alignment, evolution, and human connections is nothing new to these leaders, who already serve as the glue for Creative Teams. By doubling down on these key areas, Creative Ops leaders are positioning themselves to drive innovation, enhance efficiency, and empower their teams to achieve greater success. And when that happens, everybody wins.
Why do we care? Our mission is to connect leaders to find solutions. If you're a senior design, experience, or creative operations leader of an in-house team at a high-profile brand and want to connect with others who share your unique challenges, let's talk. Our InsideOut community hosts small format roundtables to support the learning and growth of our members, and we’re honored to facilitate those discussions.
About the author
Susie Hall is Aquent's Community & Customer Engagement President. In 1999 she joined Aquent as an interactive Agent. Over the past 21 years, she's led regional teams, developed a robust interactive design practice and launched Aquent's Vitamin T brand in 2011 to address the rapidly evolving digital talent needs of agencies and mid-sized companies. With 15 Best of Staffing service awards and hundreds of thousands of connections made, she brings a deep understanding of creative, design, and leadership. In 2019, Susie launched Aquent's InsideOut Design Leadership Community, connecting senior in-house design, experience, and operations leaders from high-profile brands through facilitated peer discussions based on real-world challenges.
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