There was a time when working with an agency meant stepping into a world of slick pitches, three-martini lunches, and a whole lot of overhead. But today’s marketing leaders are navigating a much different reality … and losing the bar cart is the least of it. Today, leaders are simultaneously handling rapid shifts in technology, AI disruption, leaner teams, and pressure to do more with less. Add in economic uncertainty, and decision makers are looking for agency solutions that aren’t one-size-fits-all, and that understand that a dynamic environment needs a team who can partner (and pivot) with them.

That’s why some brands are increasingly turning to creative partners who offer something different: flexibility, transparency, and teams that feel like an extension of their own. Here’s what to look for in an agency model that can meet the moment, and scale with you through whatever comes next.

Talent You Know And Trust

We’ve all been there: The pitch dazzles and emails are answered seconds after you’ve sent them. But once the kickoff is set up, your day-to-day contacts can be a rotating set of staffers, while the senior leaders who won your business are nowhere to be found. Rather than diving into work, the first few weeks of a project are spent trying to figure out who’s responsible for what, while trying to effectively communicate your needs. Several months into the project, you’ve barely seen any deliverables.

A modern agency should give you access to the actual team that’s executing the work: Specialists you know by name, with deep expertise who understand your space and your goals, and who can take the brief or project and immediately understand what’s expected. This team includes the mix of people who assure that communications and creative are effectively covered, including dedicated points of contact, specialized skill sets, and fresh voices who aren’t afraid to share what they’re seeing in the marketplace and how your brand can cut through the noise.

Custom Teams Built Around You

A team that covers all bases doesn’t mean an inflated team. The right partner will build your team based on your goals, challenges, and existing internal resources. Whether you need a full content production engine, a UX sprint team, or just one whip-smart copywriter to plug into your brand studio, you should be able to scale up or down without renegotiating your entire contract. It’s about hand-selecting the right mix of talent for the jobs in your queue and having the flexibility to pivot — with the resources ready for whatever you may need.

Flexibility and Transparency

AI is transforming how we create, market, and measure. Economic headwinds are shifting where and how budgets get spent. In this environment, agility is essential. Your agency partner should be able to scale teams based on project flow, as well as provide niche expertise needed, such as AI content integration. And even as they integrate tech into deliverables, the best agency partners bring a human element and clear POV to the project, offering opinions, learnings, and unique perspectives while serving as collaborative support for your internal team.

This collaboration means anchoring the partnership in transparency and accountability. With increased scrutiny on budgets, CMOs and marketing leaders need clear, measurable ROI on every dollar spent. This includes real time reporting to show time and resource utilization, strategic visibility into where talent is being deployed and who is driving results, as well as a pricing system where you’re only paying for the time you’re actually using, rather than being locked into an opaque retainer.

A Team That Works Together To Drive Results

The best creative partners don’t just deliver assets, they build momentum. They integrate into your systems, learn your voice, and get to know your stakeholders. And when it makes sense to convert a contractor into a full-time employee, the right model should make that easy. Because sometimes the best person for your team is already part of your team. An agency that can provide top-tier talent and celebrate when it’s a match for full-time conversion is one who has your best interest in mind, rather than a separate agenda that creates a moat between you and the talent that understands your business best.

At Creative Circle, This Is the Model

We’ve built our agency services with today’s marketing realities in mind:

– Top-tier talent with specialty skill sets and proven experience

– Custom-built teams designed around your exact needs

– Flexible models that scale with you, and evolve as your strategy shifts

– A people-first approach that blends seamlessly into your internal team

– Transparent pricing and reporting to help you stay in control

About Creative Circle

💡 At Creative Circle, our human recruiters identify the right candidates and teams, for your marketing and creative projects. We ensure your pain points are solved with top tier talent, backed by deep industry experience. Whether it’s building creative teams, expanding your capacity with the right contractors, or filling that one critical role, we make sure you exceed your goals and drive meaningful results.

About the Author: Anna Davies is a Creative Circle freelancer who specializes in personal finance, investing, fintech, and startups. She has worked with WeWork, Happy Money, and Haven Life —plus Fortune 500 companies such as Goldman Sachs, American Express, Citi, and Chase. Davies has also collaborated and ghostwritten for multiple New York Times bestsellers.

In today’s fast-paced business environment, hiring managers are constantly seeking ways to streamline their recruitment and hiring processes while still ensuring they find the best candidate for the job. One tool that is becoming more prevalent in the hiring process is the Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

Optimizing Efficiencies with an ATS

Did you know the average job posting receives 250 resumes? But less than 25% are seen by human eyes, and hiring managers spend less than 60 seconds reviewing each one.

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software tool used by businesses to manage and streamline the recruitment process to find the best possible matches more quickly and enhance the client and candidate’s experiences. When used correctly, it can streamline the recruitment process by efficiently managing large volumes of resumes, ensuring that no potential candidate is overlooked.

Despite its efficiency advantages, hiring managers still need to ensure they’re looking at the big picture of hiring and leverage a combination of an ATS, other recruitment tools, and human relationships to maximize their hiring success. Here are some tips to help you optimize your hiring process.

Tips for Hiring Managers

Connect with Candidates Personally

As you work with your trusted recruiting partner who is helping you get candidates past the ATS stage, make time to connect with that candidate on the phone or through a video chat. Even a quick 15–20-minute call can make all the difference.

“It’s really hard to value people’s personalities and work ethic straight from a resume. So really do what you can to take the time to speak with that individual. If they’re checking off, you know, seven of the 10 check boxes, we encourage you to have that conversation.” – Cameron Little, tenured Creative Circle Recruiter.

Take the time to speak to a candidate and get to know them as a person.

Enter the Search with an Open Mind

When going into your search for a candidate, keep an open mind and consider transferable skills, or candidates who have experience in adjacent industries.

“There’s a lot of candidates who can bring value to your company versus really trying to focus on finding the perfect candidate. So, I think obviously the skills and the experience need to be relevant, but I think with the when you’re prioritizing those transferable skills, you can find a lot of great people out there.” – Cody Pickett, tenured Creative Circle Recruiter.

Enter your search with an open mind and consider transferrable skills to expand your talent pool.

Find the Balance

Relying solely on technology can result in missing the nuanced insights that human interactions provide. By integrating ATS alongside human relationships with industry professionals, recruitment partners, and the candidates themselves, managers can cast a wider net to better inform their decisions.

This holistic approach ensures that hiring managers not only identify the most qualified candidates but also those who will thrive and contribute positively to the organization.

We Can Help

We’re your trusted partner during the hiring process. Creative Circle’s employees come from the creative industry themselves, so they understand your unique challenges and needs. Here are all the roles we place across freelance, full-time and managed service’s needs, including:

Let’s get started.

About Creative Circle

The future can be unpredictable, and current economic conditions have created some significant uncertainty. Many creative and marketing teams face the daunting challenge of budget constraints and cuts. Consequently, businesses across various sectors are feeling the pressure. For many, it is time to tighten their belts, but at what cost?

With resources limited, organizations find themselves rethinking their strategies and seeking out creative solutions that enable them to thrive despite financial limitations. Are these challenges sounding familiar? Read on to discover ways to protect your talent planning, key initiatives, and project implementations.

Understanding the Impact of Budget Cuts

According to the CMO Alliance’s CMO Insights Report 2025, the impact of current economic conditions on revenue varies by organization size. While 33% of enterprises report experiencing revenue challenges, a staggering 83% of startups feel the squeeze.

Budget cuts can reverberate throughout an organization, affecting staffing levels, project timelines, and overall business operations. Creative teams, in particular, find themselves forced to do more with less, jeopardizing the efficiency, originality, and effectiveness of their output. This makes it vital for companies to engage in strategic talent planning, ensuring they can mitigate the risk.

Doing More with Less: Creative Staffing Solutions You Can Implement Now

For CMOs, resource constraints have become the standard rather than the exception. Marketing budgets as a percentage of total company budgets have fallen to 10.1%, down from 13.8% in 2022. Creativity in hiring, outsourcing, and enhancing operational efficiency is not just a competitive advantage anymore—it’s often a necessity. So, here’s where teams are turning…

Freelance Talent

One of the most effective strategies to navigate budget cuts is to tap into freelance talent. Hiring freelancers allows organizations to maintain flexibility and achieve significant cost savings. By engaging freelancers on a short term or project basis, teams can scale their workforce up or down based on need without the long-term commitment required for full-time hires. And there’s no shortage of great freelance talent—with so many people opting to freelance, companies have many choices in nearly every field. About 64 million people worked as freelancers in 2023, and an estimated 86.5 million will be freelancing by 2027 — more than half the total U.S. workforce.

Looking for freelance talent? Here are some of the most in-demand freelance roles right now.

Creative

Marketing

Agile Project Teams

Agile Project Teams allow businesses to adapt quickly to changing priorities or seasonal demands while optimizing resource allocation. By assembling teams tailored to specific projects, organizations can leverage diverse skill sets and drive creativity in problem-solving.

These agile teams can often be assembled into a dedicated studio or flexible benches of talent for needs like overflow production, ad-hoc projects, special projects or unique capabilities.

Here are the key roles that are often critical in establishing and maintaining agile project teams or studios:

Use Technology to Your Advantage

Harnessing the right tools can dramatically improve team efficiency. Remote and hybrid working solutions have proliferated, and leveraging platforms that facilitate communication and project management can enhance productivity. Slack, Trello, and Asana streamline workflows and provide visibility into project progress, enabling teams to remain connected regardless of location.

Leverage a Subject Matter Expert

Engaging with subject matter experts (SMEs) is a strategic way to optimize spending while maximizing impact. SMEs bring specialized knowledge that can enhance project outcomes without the need for permanent hires. Assess when there’s a need for specialized expertise and consider bringing in these professionals on a consultancy basis, allowing your teams to stay nimble while producing high-quality work.

Here are common initiatives where creative and marketing leaders leverage consulting expertise:

Justifying the Investment & Proving Value

According to a survey by Gartner, “proving ROI with analytics” is a top three challenge that hinders tech marketers’ ability to demonstrate success. This can make it difficult to communicate with stakeholders and secure investments. The key is to quantify the impact on business objectives by directing eyeballs to the data.

By first establishing foundational “building blocks” for metrics, data, processes, technology, and resources, you can continuously monitor, optimize, and showcase the marketing activities that align with your business objectives, as well as the talent driving these initiatives. Recognizing the importance of measurement in this way will allow you to better communicate the impact of your creative and digital efforts.

Depending on your industry, product, and target audience, choosing the right metrics will vary. Nevertheless, aligning your metrics with key objectives and formulating a strategy for your data collection will help you showcase progress toward strategic goals (such as revenue and customer growth) more successfully.

Remember, standardized processes, the right technology and tools, and a clear plan for measurement are your foundational building blocks.

Does your organization need help proving its ROI back to stakeholders? Try leveraging key roles such as a marketing analyst, digital marketing manager, SEO specialist, marketing operations manager, performance marketing manager or customer insights manager.

What’s the TLDR?

While budget cuts pose a challenge to creative and marketing teams, they also encourage innovative thinking and resourcefulness. Creative Circle is here to support businesses during times when budgets are tight, and progress is required. We’re here to provide top talent that can be deployed as freelancers, full-time staff, subject matter experts, or as a part of agile project teams. We offer flexible staffing solutions that cater to constrained budgets while helping to demonstrate the value of creative work back to the business and its stakeholders.

Creative Circle, a leading marketing and creative services company, announced today that they have won the Best of Staffing Client and Talent 5 Year Diamond Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates for five consecutive years. ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients and candidates.

Creative Circle received satisfaction scores of 9 or 10 out of 10 from 70.2% of their clients and 78.3% of their placed job candidates, significantly higher than the industry averages of 45% and 30%. On average, clients of winning agencies are more than 1.5 times as likely to be completely satisfied, and candidates who have been placed by winning agencies are 1.6 times as likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided, compared to those working with non-winning agencies.

“Our guiding principle is to deliver a uniquely outstanding experience for our clients and candidates,” said Creative Circle President Matt Riley. “That’s what drives us every day — whether we’re designing a flexible solution for a client’s unique marketing and creative needs, or guiding a jobseeker through a stressful job search to help them land an assignment that’s right for them. I’m so proud to see the consistent efforts of our salespeople, recruiters, and support staff recognized in these Diamond Awards.”

Here’s what just a few hiring managers and jobseekers had to say about their experience working with Creative Circle in 2024:

“I can always rely on them to deliver the talent we need, exactly when we need it — they truly make my life so much easier!” — Dana G., Head of Marketing & Communications at a manufacturing firm

“Highly responsive service and always good candidate options to review; they took the time to understand our business and invest in learning about each open role to then curate suitable candidates… In all, they make recruiting easy and seamless, and their digital portal makes management and communication simple.” — Phil S., Managing Director at a creative agency

“I have had a great experience with Creative Circle. You get amazing opportunities, communicate quickly, and get interviews set up fast, as well as payment when approved for projects — you just make the entire process easy, which is so much less stress and hassle than many other recruitment agencies.” — Sophie B., communications writer

“I have always had a great experience with Created Circle and love working with them. Decent assignments and fair compensation, shepherded by good people. What more could you want?” — David M., 3D artist

“I am pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Best of Staffing awards,” said ClearlyRated’s CEO, Baker Nanduru. “Creative Circle has set itself apart for exceptional service and client experiences. Congratulations on your remarkable accomplishments. Winning these awards once is an accomplishment, but five times is a milestone.”

About Creative Circle

Creative Circle is a marketing and creative services company. Our strength comes from our talent community, and our power lies in leveraging this network to provide flexible solutions for our clients — from Fortune 500 companies to boutique agencies and budding startups. Creative Circle is part of ASGN Incorporated (NYSE: ASGN). To learn more, visit creativecircle.com.

About ClearlyRated

ClearlyRated helps B2B service firms gain actionable insights to stop client issues from becoming lost revenue, expand their business with existing clients, and attract new ones to grow their business. Learn more at https://www.clearlyrated.com/solutions/.

About Best of Staffing®

ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing® Award is the only award in the U.S. and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service quality based entirely on ratings provided by their clients, placed talent, and internal employees. Award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on ClearlyRated.com—an online business directory that helps buyers of professional services find service leaders and vet prospective firms with the help of validated client ratings and testimonials.

In a way, live shopping — a host on screen, holding up products during a limited time only sale — seems reminiscent of an analog past, when drowsy shoppers would lounge on the couch, flicking between QVC and HSN.

But now, thanks in part to influencers who have forged an intimate connection with their fanbase, live shopping has become big business. In China, it’s “transformed the way people buy and sell.” Yet, in the West, adoption has been slower—until now. With live shopping app Whatnot reaching a staggering $5 billion valuation and major players like TikTok, Amazon, and Walmart investing heavily in the space, it’s clear that live shopping isn’t just a trend—it’s a retail transformation. Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia and marketing expert, has predicted that live shopping on social media has the potential to disrupt multiple industries.

How Is Live Shopping Different Than Targeted Advertising?

Live shopping rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, often with influencers taking advantage of the moment to improvise and sell their own lines or hosting DIY sales from their own closets or homes. The trend took off in China at that time, as brands partnered with influencers for high-tech, fully staged live shopping shows. Today, brands are becoming a trusted partner and producer in live shopping events, turning these moments into a key part of the marketing funnel.

Unlike a static shopping interface, live shopping blends entertainment, real-time engagement, and e-commerce into a single experience. Instead of browsing static product pages on their own time, consumers can engage in live shopping, which allows for:

Real-time interaction – Shoppers can ask questions, get live demonstrations, and see products in action before making a purchase.

Entertainment value – Engaging hosts, dynamic content, flash sales and gamification, such as quizzes or flash deals based on a certain behavior, are all ways to keep consumers hooked.

AI-driven personalization – Platforms like Shein and Temu use AI to tailor recommendations, offering a highly personalized shopping experience.

The TikTok Effect: Bridging East and West

While live shopping in the US has yet to reach China’s scale, TikTok has played a pivotal role in its growing adoption. The platform has helped introduce live shopping to Western audiences, though the trending format is expanding beyond social media-exclusive spaces. Retailers and brands are integrating live shopping into their own ecosystems, leveraging influencers, interactive features, and exclusive drops on their owned and operated platforms to drive sales.

Live Shopping Success Stories

1. Walmart Live

Walmart has pioneered shoppable livestreams across TikTok, YouTube, and its own app. By focusing on niche audiences—beauty enthusiasts, tech lovers, and fashion shoppers—the retail giant has driven targeted engagement and increased conversions. Not only does Walmart Live partner with trusted influencers, but they also collaborate with legendary talent, like Dolly Parton, for marquee shopping events.

2. Amazon Live

Amazon has seamlessly integrated live shopping into its ecosystem, particularly around major events like Prime Day. By using trusted creators and brand ambassadors, including A-listers like Jennifer Hudson and Martha Stewart to demo products in real time, Amazon has turned shopping into a tune-in event.

3. L’Oréal

L’Oréal has found success with tutorial-based live shopping, using AR try-ons and interactive demos to educate and convert consumers. For example, L’Oreal surpassed $1 million in sales on TikTok Shop’s Super Brand Day in the UK, surpassing expectations, and has also rolled out live shopping experiences throughout the globe. Hyper focusing on local markets can also be key for brands to optimize engagement, capitalize on cultural touchstones or moments, and utilize influencers with a large regional following.

Considerations for Brands Exploring Live Shopping

Brands looking to enter the live shopping space can consider the following strategies:

Find the right platform: TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Live offer built-in audiences, while brands can also host events on their own platforms. High-touch, immersive content is great for industries like beauty, fashion, cookware, and home goods, where demos and try-ons can help consumers fully understand the item.

Create event-driven moments: Limited-time deals, exclusive drops, and flash sales create urgency and drive immediate purchases.

Maximize interactivity: Live Q&As, polls, and real-time reactions turn passive viewers into active participants.

Leverage influencers: Partnering with trusted creators adds credibility and boosts conversion rates, particularly with micro-influencers who have highly engaged audiences and who excel at playing host and brand ambassador.

Repurpose live content: Brands can save and repackage livestreams for on-demand viewing, social media cuts, and subscriber content to extend reach and engagement beyond the live event.

The Future of Live Shopping

As AI and e-commerce technology continue to evolve, live shopping is poised to become a core component of the retail experience. The brands that embrace this shift—combining real-time engagement with interactive, high-quality content—will be the ones that not only stay relevant but thrive in the new era of digital commerce.

Creative Circle helps brands navigate this shift, connecting them with top-tier talent to build immersive commerce experiences or consult on the appropriate strategy. From social media optimization and video production to interactive content design and platform efficiencies, Creative Circle’s network of creative professionals ensures brands have the expertise to stay ahead in an evolving e-commerce landscape.

Looking for the talent who can help you execute a live shopping strategy? Businesses diving into live shopping opportunities are incorporating these roles to power their project teams:

Producer: Manages the technical aspects of the live stream, including camera work, lighting, and sound, ensuring a smooth and professional broadcast.
Content Creator: Develops the script, talking points, and visual content for the live event, ensuring the presentation is engaging and informative.
Social Media Manager: Promotes the live shopping event across various social media platforms, engages with the audience before, during, and after the event, and monitors feedback.
E-commerce Manager: Oversees the integration of the live shopping platform with the brand’s e-commerce site, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for viewers.
Marketing and Data Analyst: Tracks and analyzes metrics from the live shopping event to measure success and identify areas for improvement.
Marketing Strategist: Develops and implements marketing strategies to maximize reach and engagement for the live shopping event

Creative Circle has a network of over 1 million creative and marketing experts who can help operationalize online retail shopping experiences for your brand. Let’s get started.

Today’s job market is consistently evolving across all industries, and finding the right talent to support your team is paramount. Sam Funt, Senior Account Manager at Creative Circle, offers valuable insights on adapting to the changing landscape, and urges hiring managers to be more flexible when looking for talent.

Here are three pieces of advice to maximize your talent pool and avoid putting candidates in boxes:

Don’t overly rely on traditional hiring methods. Instead of focusing on candidates’ years of experience, focus on the actual experience and skills they bring to the table.
Don’t make assumptions. This can include making assumptions about someone’s work ethic, temperament, or ability to assimilate into a team based on age, young or old.
Do consider hybrid work. Does the candidate actually need to be on-site five days a week, or can they work a hybrid schedule?

This advice from Sam serves as a timely reminder for hiring managers to review their strategies and embrace a holistic approach to talent acquisition. By setting aside preconceived notions and removing the boxes we may unintentionally put applicants in, organizations can not only broaden their talent pool but also foster a more inclusive and dynamic workforce.

For additional 2025 hiring predictions, catch the full recording of our latest webinar here.

In the past two years, AI innovation has swept through all facets of the marketing world, from hiring to deployment. While AI has always run in the background, now it’s become front and center, raising potential for efficiency and innovation — alongside concerns and frustrations. Employers who prioritize the intersection of human potential and technology will not only keep pace—they’ll lead.

Integrating a Human Touch in Talent Recruitment

Tech tools were supposed to make it easier and more efficient to hire best-in-class talent. And yet, both talent and employers still face frustrations over applicant tracking systems (ATS) which are used by nearly all Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn and Reddit boards are full of stories from talent and recruiters alike, frustrated that the best talent can sometimes be overlooked, including a viral story of a manager whose own resume was rejected by the ATS, leading him to realize a code error was auto-rejecting all applicants.

Relying on applicant tracking systems alone can also open employers to vulnerabilities: AI platforms can raise bias, fairness, and equity concerns, with one hiring platform even facing a lawsuit alleging the platform’s AI-based hiring tools are discriminatory. And candidates too, can use AI tools to enhance and tailor their resumes for positions they might not be qualified for: According to one 2023 survey conducted by resume services company Standout CV, nearly three-quarters of job candidates would consider using AI tools to “embellish their resumes.”

To address these challenges, organizations should invest in hybrid recruitment models that blend AI efficiency with human oversight. This helps to ensure fairness, reduce errors, and align hiring practices with organizational values.

Having a Strong Tech POV for Maximum Results

Generative AI has significantly disrupted and impacted creative work, from ideation to execution, and the results have hit mainstream conversation. For example, an AI-made update of a classic holiday Coca-Cola commercial generated controversy, and AI integration into the popular Spotify Wrapped has also drawn mixed reactions. Ultimately, the outcome still matters, and the most successful teams in the future will likely be the ones that can integrate AI tools to boost efficiency and innovation, while using a human touch to ensure projects align with core values.

There’s also the concern over “non-authorized AI use;” Creatives who are bringing AI tools into the office without disclosure or approval, raising concerns over privacy, copyright, and more. One 2024 report published by LinkedIn and Microsoft found that 78% of workers — especially those at small and mid-size companies — are bringing their own AI tools into work, and more than half of them are reluctant to admit to using it, due to concerns that doing so might make them seem replaceable.

Employers can mitigate these risks by developing clear guidelines on how and when AI tools should be used. This not only fosters transparency but also empowers employees to leverage AI responsibly for better results.

Building a Holistic Tech-Integrated Strategy for Everyday Tasks

Tech tools can be invaluable — but it’s key that all parties feel confident using them to enhance the KPIs and goals of the department. While AI potential has only increased, new data from Slack’s Workforce Index Study has found that there has been stagnation in AI adoption, partially due to lack of training.

Marketing departments also face the problem of too much tech, not enough talent. One 2023 study found that marketers only use about one-third of their stack, partially due to a skills gap within their teams.

To bridge this divide, organizations can continue to prioritize ongoing training and bring in outside experts to maximize the stack.

Looking forward, thoughtful tech adoption can parallel alongside robust talent development. By fostering a culture of innovation and integration, employers can transform AI and tech tools into catalysts for creativity, efficiency, and growth.

hand pointing forward towards 2025 graphic

Talent and Tech: The Path Forward in 2025

Our new report, Finding the Human Edge: Where Talent Meets Technology, explores key trends at the intersection of talent and technology. With more tech advancements on the horizon, it’s clear that AI and human talent are complementary. The companies who are poised to succeed will be prepared to integrate AI efficiencies alongside human innovation.

At Creative Circle, our human recruiters identify the right candidates and teams for your marketing and creative projects. By forging transformative relationships, we ensure your pain points are solved with top-tier talent, backed by deep industry expertise. From building creative teams to evolving marketing strategies and maximizing tech stacks, we help you exceed your goals and drive meaningful results.