Is Traditional Production Cost Control Dead?
Once upon a time, traditional cost control in advertising production was built on meticulous line-item scrutiny. “Paring down costs, trimming budgets, and negotiating line by line,” says MCA’s founder Pat Murphy, who’s seen this approach first-hand over his decades of experience in the industry. Today – in a media landscape defined by volume, immediacy, and challenging budgets – that kind of approach isn’t simply outdated; it’s wholly counterproductive in an environment of scale production and more personalised.
At MCA, where the philosophy of ‘making better’ has guided its every move from the start,
“we believe the future of production management isn’t about cost-cutting—it’s
about maximizing value and delivering great creative
work,” says Pat.
The End of Cost-Centric Thinking
The single hero TVC hasn’t been the dominant form for production in a long while. It’s still as relevant as ever but it also has to come with more, and it has to exist across multiple touchpoints, which continues to fundamentally transform the production process. “Brands now require content tailored for multiple touchpoints – social media, streaming platforms, digital display, and beyond. This fragmented media environment necessitates a smarter approach to budgeting, one that prioritises efficiency, agility, and creativity rather than rigid cost reduction,” Pat explains.
What traditional cost control models fail to account for is the holistic value of production. Pat has seen how detrimental a reductive ‘cost-cutting’ framework can be to everyone involved and, crucially, the final product. “When every line item is scrutinised and squeezed, it doesn’t just affect budgets; it impacts relationships, creativity, and the quality of work. If all we did at MCA was nit-pick costs, we’d alienate the creative agencies that our clients rely on to bring their brands to life.”
Instead, MCA has worked to redefine the way production
consulting should operate whereby “cost efficiency is a by-product of
supporting outstanding creative ideas and helping our clients and their
creative partners design an optimal approach at the right point in the
process,” says Pat, dispelling any lingering ideas about what MCA’s raison d’etre is.
From Cost Control to Value Maximisation
“We work with clients and their creative partners to design projects that are efficient from the outset. Our role is no longer just about financial oversight; it’s about strategic collaboration.” There was a time when the pre-production meeting was considered the most important, it then became the pre-bid meeting and now, Pat says, MCA is working with something called ‘PAM’, pre-alignment meeting which we first designed for our client at Reckitt. We now deploy this across all our clients as a way of designing the optimal production approach as a team. This ensures that everything has been discussed, mapped, and taken a note of by the client and the creative team before coming to any final agreements.
By engaging early in the process, the MCA team is able to ensure a number of benefits that encompass everyone’s ‘essentials’, so to speak. In Pat’s words, It’s much easier to “define the right production strategy that aligns with both business and creative goals; leverage technology to streamline processes, improve cost transparency, and identify efficiencies; apply sustainable production solutions that not only reduce waste but also future-proof operations against increasing environmental regulations; and optimise the allocation of resources to ensure the budget is working harder across multiple channels rather than being constrained by legacy cost structures.” From this perspective, ‘cost control’ becomes an accidental by-product since the budget is carefully allocated to deliver what everyone is ultimately looking for: value.
"By deepening our early engagement, we can better support clients in establishing budgets that accurately reflect both their creative ambitions and commercial objectives from the outset of the campaign planning process." As Pat puts it, "this approach not only allows us to shape fundamental production strategies – such as leveraging virtual production and AI to drive efficiency and innovation – but also ensures clearer communication of the ‘right’ budget to creative partners. The result? A more seamless process that minimises misalignment, saves valuable time, and ultimately delivers greater impact."
Technology and Best Practices
Pat notes that the industry has “moved beyond simple cost audits,” adding, “AI-driven production management tools, automation, and data analytics allow us to make informed, strategic decisions in real time.”
“MCA’s Control Room platform is at the forefront of this transformation. It’s providing brands with visibility, benchmarking capabilities, and streamlined workflows that drive efficiencies without compromising on creative output.”
Additionally, sustainability is now a business imperative and no longer a ‘nice to have’. Pat points out that traditional cost control “often ignores environmental impact, but at MCA, we integrate sustainable best practices into every production decision. From reducing carbon footprint to embracing remote shoots and AI-powered efficiency tools, we help brands produce smarter, not just cheaper.” Put simply, traditional cost control is too blunt of a tool to deal with situations that necessarily require nuance and looking beyond the short-term to deliver on value.
A Collaborative Future
“Historically, production consultants were seen as cost police. An adversarial presence in the creative process,” says Pat. But today, that era is over. It’s simply irrelevant to the problems at hand. “The most effective production partners today are those who work in harmony with both clients and agencies, ensuring that creativity flourishes while budgets are optimised for maximum impact.”
By shifting the focus from cost-cutting to value creation, MCA is working not just to help brands save money but to “produce better, smarter, and more sustainable work.” The cornerstone of this process in this new era of advertising production is a fusion of “efficiency, technology, and strategic collaboration,” according to Pat.
He concludes: “Traditional cost control is dead. The future
is about intelligent production management. And at MCA, we’re leading the way.
Client references on request.”
