Situationships Could Be the Solution to Strained Creative ‘Marriages’

You probably know the story of how back in 1960 the original creative cupid, Bill Bernbach, shot his arrow and made copywriters and art directors fall hopelessly in love. Creative teams have been together ever since.

I’ve worked alongside teams who’ve been described as ‘old married couples’ and teams who are actually married couples. The best ones can somehow make two brains do the work of three. But I’ve also seen pairings break down—as any marriage can—becoming strained, fractious, and monotonous. 

Perhaps new models for creative collaboration can be found ‘on the apps’. Specifically, with the rise of situationships – the relationship status that revels in hazy undefinition. Situationships fall somewhere between ‘more than friends’ and ‘not fully committed’, and according to Tinder, 49% of Aussies mention them in their bio.

Personally, I met my wife-to-be on Hinge. But professionally, I’ve been single my entire career. Far from making me a lone wolf, I look for (and relish) the type of ad-hoc creative collusion that characterises the situationship. Now, as a freelance creative director, getting into the groove with new people quickly to produce ideas is kind of the whole schtick.

If your agency is wedded to the traditional team structure, there are some easy ways to test the waters of a situationship and see if it works for you.

The formula of copywriter plus art director is tried and tested. However, as media channels multiply and every idea has to do it all, there is much to be gained from exploring unconventional, multidisciplinary teams.

I’ve worked in digital, social, advertising, and PR agencies. I’ve been paired with CX designers, publicists, content creators, and event producers. Too often, we stay in our lanes, only coming together for team reviews. But spitballing ideas with ‘non-creatives’ can yield magic – and it can be as simple as inviting them to your next brainstorm.

You come in as a junior and work your way up the ladder – that’s the system. So why would you team up with someone younger and less experienced? This type of situationship is the least common, but if you can engineer it so that a senior and junior can work together (as peers – which means no egos!), the two-way learning that happens is invaluable.

You swap cultural reference points, media habits, and connect worlds that might not otherwise intersect. In short, you break out of your bubble, which is key for landing on fresh ideas, and becoming more difficult than ever.

“With experience comes wisdom” or “Ignorance is bliss”? Both can be true—especially when combined. Agencies keep creatives on the same accounts because clients value consistency and because the information that builds up in creatives’ brains is useful. But so too are the blissfully ignorant: someone with no prior knowledge of the brand; no baggage of what has and hasn’t been suggested.

As a freelancer, I often work with creatives who've been on an account for years. Their deep understanding of the brand, paired with a fresh perspective, is a powerful combo.

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Look, I’m not a homewrecker. I'm not suggesting that established creative teams should divorce. But it’s worth exploring different team dynamics that could lead to different ideas. After all, what is an idea but existing elements in new combinations?

I’m seeing more agencies test out the situationship. It’s most successful when there’s an expectation that creativity is everybody’s responsibility. And when you build a culture that encourages experimentation.

Having a few singles—floaters—as I've affectionately heard them called, plus a good bench of freelancers, can offer epic situationships that result in brilliant work.