How can advertising managers keep their teams motivated?

To keep advertising teams motivated, managers should blend clear, achievable goals with a culture of recognition and growth. First, set specific, measurable objectives tied to both team and individual performance, ensuring everyone understands their role in the broader strategy. This clarity fosters a sense of purpose and direction. Next, cultivate an environment of continuous learning; provide opportunities for skills development and exposure to new trends and technologies in the advertising field. This not only keeps the team at the forefront of the industry but also signals investment in their professional growth. Lastly, recognize and celebrate successes, both big and small, to boost morale and reinforce positive behaviors.

Se a equipe não sabe para onde ir, qualquer caminho em serve. Comunicar a visão da empresa de forma clara e regular ajuda a equipe a entender o propósito e os objetivos maiores, o que pode inspirar e motivar, pois todos se alinham na mesma direção. Isso cria um senso de propósito, engajamento e faz com que os funcionários se sintam parte de algo maior.

As an MD, I found that keeping my team motivated came down to clear communication about our goals, creating a positive work environment, setting achievable targets, and offering growth opportunities. Recognizing achievements and fostering a sense of purpose kept everyone engaged and focused.

Clear communication is key to any successful team, but it's especially important when it comes to creative fields like advertising. When everyone is on the same page about the vision and goals, it's much easier to come up with impactful and successful campaigns.

I believe clear communication helps align the team with organizational goals and project objectives. When team members understand the broader purpose of their work and how it contributes to the overall success of the campaign or the company, they are more likely to feel motivated and engaged. In the dynamic field of advertising, changes and adjustments to strategies or campaigns are not uncommon. Clear communication about changes and the reasons behind them helps the team understand the evolving landscape. This transparency fosters a sense of adaptability, reducing resistance to change and maintaining motivation during shifts in project direction.

As an MD, I’ve seen firsthand how crucial regular feedback and recognition are for keeping the team motivated. Offering constructive feedback helped my team learn and grow, turning mistakes into opportunities for improvement. Celebrating their wins, whether big or small, boosted morale and confidence. Personally acknowledging their efforts, whether through a heartfelt thank-you or extra perks, made them feel valued and motivated to keep delivering top-notch work.

As a Co-founder, I believe constructive feedback is a vital component of professional growth. Clear communication ensures that feedback is specific, timely, and actionable. When managers provide feedback that helps team members understand both their strengths and areas for improvement, it fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement. One should be specific about what aspects of the team member's work were successful and why. Specific feedback is more actionable and helps employees understand their strengths. As the team leader, you should be able to create a culture where team members recognize and appreciate each other's efforts. Peer recognition fosters a positive team dynamic and promotes a collaborative atmosphere.

I personally like friendly competition! A lot of times we'll find relevant brands we're working with and ensure that the brands have similar assets and are evenly matched. We'll then split up those two brands for different paid media team members and have a fun contest to see who can bring in better results. We usually set up a small prize and then we replicate the findings into the other account. I find it a great way to make it fun and keep the team motivated to continuously improve.

It's very important to empower your team through their skillset. If you are unable to improve their skillset, they will lack growth and eventually seek growth elsewhere

Empowering my team has been pivotal. Trusting their skills sparked innovation and collaboration. Encouraging risk-taking led to fresh ideas and problem solving. Providing support allowed them to thrive, fostering a motivated team eager to excel in our campaigns.

Not only encourage, but also push them and enable them to learn and develop their skillset. You have to make learning accessible to them,,and make it easy for them to learn and grow.

By fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, you not only invest in the growth of individual team members but also contribute to the overall success and innovation of your advertising team. The advertising landscape is dynamic, with trends and technologies evolving rapidly. Encouraging your team to regularly update their knowledge on industry trends ensures that your team remains innovative and adaptable in their approaches. Additionally, completing training programs or acquiring new skills provides a sense of accomplishment. This contributes to overall job satisfaction and boosts morale within the team, fostering a positive and motivated work environment.

Work/life balance is mentioned but never actually encouraged at companies. This is where the road to burnout begins, as we have a moral and ethical responsibility to protect those under our care. Companies introduce health programmes as their way to address this. This is great but it isn’t solving the problem. First - managers need to understand that their teams are just as VALUABLE as their clients. Second - that our teams are humans first. Each with their own set of unique needs and responsibilities. So work/life balance would vary from person to person. And lastly - routines and workflows should be tailored to each individual to see what works best for them, in terms of maximising efficiency, output and preventing burnout.

It's become increasingly hard to be a human at work. People are tired and have nothing more to give and yes, this also applies to managers. Emotions need to have a place at work and need to be regulated because the employee experience is often influenced and dictated by the emotional flexibility of its leaders. Managers do not need to show up with forced positivity to a workforce that can see right through it. Instead, they need to tap into their vulnerability and show their teams that it's okay to be demotivated at times because they are human and not because they are lazy and ineffective workers. This creates psychological safety to express oneself and might be all you need to motivate someone again.