WHAT DOES A CREATIVE LEAD DO?

Published: August 30, 2024 - The Creative Lead supports the strategic direction of the product portfolio through strategic planning, continuous improvement, and public representation. The position ensures concept validation from multiple perspectives while tracking market and trend analysis and managing user feedback. This role facilitates and plans projects, seeking efficiency improvements and moderating design phase activities.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Creative Lead

1. Creative Lead Duties

  • Service Implementation: Structure, develop, and implement services with potential to create solutions for effective video campaigns (e.g., creative effectiveness, video assets deployment, data-driven creative, and consultation for made-for-YouTube campaigns).
  • Campaign Consulting: Consult on how to build effective campaigns made for YouTube.
  • Creative Oversight: Oversee the in-house Creative Team including all design projects, from conception to delivery.
  • Brand Management: Adhere to brand guidelines and act as a Brand Guardian, ensuring they are kept relevant and up to date.
  • Relationship Building: Work closely with the Brand and Marketing teams, building strong relationships.
  • Photoshoot Management: Create photoshoots, managing all resources involved and the post-production to deliver high-quality assets.
  • Digital Media Library Management: Implement and manage a Digital Media Library to ensure global and local teams use the relevant assets and respond to external partners' needs.
  • Brand Communication Consistency: Ensure consistency of brand communication throughout different consumer touchpoints, supporting the team in delivering excellent materials across Digital, PR, Retail, Training, and Merchandising touchpoints to create unique customer experiences in retail and online.
  • Creative Efficiency Improvement: Improve creative quality efficiencies through smarter team working practices.
  • Project Scope Definition: Take part in establishing the scope, specifications, and requirements for each job.

2. Creative Lead Details

  • Strategic Planning: Support the Marshall product managers to create the strategic direction of the product portfolio, including roadmap and project prioritization.
  • Continuous Improvement: Seek to improve ways of working and collaboration on an ongoing basis.
  • Public Representation: Represent design in media events and launches, presenting products and design strategy internally and externally.
  • Concept Validation: Ensure concepts are validated from user, commercial, quality, functional, feasibility, and cost perspectives, and align the team with target groups, commercial priorities, and a user-centric approach.
  • Market Analysis: Keep track of competition and understand market positioning.
  • Trend Analysis: Track and understand fashion and lifestyle trends related to target consumers.
  • User Feedback Management: Keep track of user feedback and prioritize actions accordingly.
  • Project Facilitation: Help facilitate project kick-offs and cross-disciplinary workshops.
  • Project Planning: Plan projects and prioritize activities according to project ambitions and timelines.
  • Process Efficiency: Seek efficiency improvements, including tools, working procedures, and overall design processes.
  • Design Moderation: Plan and moderate concept and design phase activities (Design sprints) with the PM.

3. Creative Lead Responsibilities

  • Guideline Update: Update and improve the guidelines with new trends and terminology.
  • Writing Standards: Ensure the highest writing standards are consistently met within timelines.
  • Content Review: Review product content to ensure precise grammar and details as per brand requirements.
  • Data Analysis: Analyze relative data to enhance copy, drive SEO, and deliver an engaging user experience.
  • Content Evaluation: Evaluate current content for revisions to enhance customer experience.
  • Coordination: Coordinate with buyers/suppliers to understand key product or brand information and communicate it effectively to customers.
  • Team Brainstorming: Conduct regular brainstorming sessions with the team to share ideas and update guidelines before content creation.
  • Training Organization: Organize seasonal training for the team with sports brands to stay updated on new sports technologies.
  • Content Writing: Contribute to writing content as needed based on workload.
  • Creative Leadership: Lead all content and creative activities from concept to execution across multiple channels, including paid social, organic social, web, email, display, out-of-home, and more.
  • Brand Storytelling: Help define the Threadheads brand through creative storytelling.

4. Creative Lead Job Summary

  • Campaign Execution: Work closely with the Marketing team (Digital, Brand, Product Marketing, Social Media) to produce and execute engaging creative campaigns and marketing communications.
  • Project Oversight: Oversee all creative projects from start to finish, ensuring deadlines are met and projects are signed off before presentation.
  • Team Management: Build, scale, and manage an in-house team of creative writers/copywriters and designers, including establishing creative processes and standard procedures.
  • Brief Management: Work cooperatively with brief owners/stakeholders to ensure clarity in briefs and efficient management of production timelines.
  • Trend Evaluation: Evaluate trends, assess new data, and stay updated with the latest marketing techniques.
  • Strategy Implementation: Create, conceptualize, and implement communication strategies based on business requirements, including copy, layout, and formatting.
  • Brand Standards: Shape brand standards and create procedures to ensure all outputs are brand-appropriate.
  • Quality Control: Take responsibility for the creative philosophy and maintain the highest quality standards across team members and agencies.
  • Workflow Supervision: Supervise the department's daily workflow, assign project workloads, and monitor deadlines and budgets.
  • Project Tracking: Ensure all projects are prepped, processed, and delivered while keeping track of the progress of each output.

5. Creative Lead Accountabilities

  • Project Leadership: Design and lead multiple design projects from conceptualization to completion, delivering market-ready assets in an agile environment under the direction of the Art Director.
  • Design Systems: Create visual design systems that scale effectively and are easy to use and maintain, ensuring adherence to brand and stylistic guidelines.
  • Deadline Management: Adhere to calendar deadlines, collaborate with team members and key stakeholders, and present design solutions.
  • Creative Interpretation: Understand creative briefs and translate industry trends and marketing tools into innovative, effective designs.
  • Concept Presentation: Present design concepts with strong verbal and visual execution, clearly communicating the design vision.
  • Brand Alignment: Work closely with the creative leadership team to integrate brand vision, design language, and product vision into marketing efforts.
  • Market-Driven Design: Develop and implement design solutions and concepts to capture new markets, increase consumer demand, and drive MQLs.
  • Innovation: Present new ideas and out-of-the-box marketing solutions to build brand awareness.
  • Collaborative Work: Work independently and collaborate with cross-functional teams of copywriters, developers, marketers, and outside agencies/contractors.
  • Visual Detail: Maintain a sharp and innovative eye for visual detail, innovation, and forward-moving plans to help drive conversion revenue.
Relevant Information
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