Fine-Tuning Collaboration: The ISO of In-House Marketing Teams
ISO in photography is about adaptability—it allows the camera to perform optimally in different lighting conditions. Similarly, true collaboration requires adapting communication and workflows to bridge the differing priorities of marketing and administration. Mis-setting the ISO in a photo leads to grainy results, obscuring key details. In much the same way, misalignment between an in-house creative team and administration results in inefficiency, rushed decisions, and unpolished work, ultimately impacting the school’s image. When ISO (collaboration) is calibrated effectively, the results are seamless, much like a perfectly exposed photograph.
The Big Typo
One of my most memorable professional failures involved an unfortunate typo on the spine of an elementary school yearbook in my first year in international schools. But the real failure wasn’t the typo itself—it was my inability to effectively collaborate with administrators and establish clear boundaries, or calibrate the projects ISO.
As with many of the other issues in this series, a creative brief would have really helped here. The project itself was no small feat—a nearly 90-page yearbook that took months of work to design and coordinate. As the sole designer, I was responsible for the layout, illustrations, and overall creative direction. However, a significant part of the project involved chasing down content—photos, write-ups, and approvals—from staff and teachers, many of whom I had been hounding for months. Deadlines had already been pushed back multiple times, and we were now working against an immovable print deadline to ensure the books were delivered by the last day of school. This meant final submissions from some contributors came in mere hours before the files had to be sent to the printer.
The rush to finalize everything led to errors slipping through. Despite proofing the files and submitting corrections, the printer accidentally used an outdated version of the spine design that included a glaring typo. Ordinarily, the printer would have reprinted the book at no cost, but it was the last day of school, we had to proceed with the flawed version.
The fallout wasn’t just the typo itself. The small school community amplified the story, as rumors and frustration spread. “His only job was that yearbook, and it still had that typo,” was one particularly stinging comment that made its way back to me. It wasn’t true—I was managing multiple high-level projects at the time, including a branding initiative for the school’s upcoming 25th anniversary celebration. Moreover, designing the yearbook wasn’t my only task. I had to chase down teachers and contributors, curate content, and coordinate every element of the project—a process that took nearly as much time as the design itself.
Optimal ISO is Situational
In photography, a low ISO minimizes noise and preserves detail, but it’s not always the best choice. ISO must adapt to the available light and the needs of the scene. Using too low an ISO in dim settings can result in underexposed shadows and lost details, just as a high ISO can lead to excessive noise, as shown in the comparison here.
Similarly, not calibrating your partnership with your in-house team can cause crucial details to fall through the cracks in major projects. Aligning communication, expectations, and workflows ensures clarity and precision—just like finding the right ISO for a perfectly exposed photo.
ISO: 12,800
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ISO: 100
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Reflection
Looking back, I see where I failed. The administrator overseeing the project was responsible for ensuring teachers and staff met their deadlines, but I never clearly communicated how crucial that role was. When he occasionally checked in, asking if I needed help, I downplayed the urgency of the situation and assured him I had it under control. In reality, I needed him to take a more active role in holding contributors accountable, but I never explicitly asked. It was my responsibility to define those expectations early on, and I didn’t.
This experience taught me that collaboration requires clarity, especially in creative projects. It’s not enough to assume everyone understands their role; it must be clearly defined and communicated. While the typo on the spine was embarrassing, the real failure was the lack of alignment and partnership. I learned the hard way that even the best design can fall apart without proper collaboration and clearly established roles.
Define the Roles
This administrator likely was giving me the space to complete the project. He did not want to micromanage, which can be another issue when roles are not clarified and calibrated for each project. Scope creep, micromanagement, and misusing marketing resources often stem from a lack of respect for roles or misunderstanding of creative processes. In-house teams: boundaries aren’t about saying “no” for the sake of it—they’re about saying “yes” to the right things. This ensures time and resources are spent where they matter most, ultimately benefiting the entire school. I am reminded of times teachers would request a professional marketing photographer to take their passport photos. This is a waist of the photogrphers time and lack of respect for hes profesionalism.
A brand Strategy can go a long way on defining the meta roles for an inhouse team. It can define its main goals and filter where time and money is best speant. And for projects, a Creative breif that clearly defines and communicates everyone’s roles, boundaries, and deliverables upfront can prevent misuse of resources and ensure mutual respect.
Support the Administrators
Remember, Creatives also need to be empathetic! Administrators often bear the brunt of public and community perception. A poorly received campaign or a mistake in messaging reflects not only on the school but directly on their leadership. School leaders juggle numerous priorities, from student welfare and teacher performance to budgeting and compliance. Marketing is often just one of many areas they oversee, and they may not have the time or expertise to dive deep into the nuances of creative processes. Administrators are focused on achieving overarching school objectives, such as increasing enrollment, improving retention, or enhancing reputation. They may see marketing as a means to these ends but struggle to connect creative outputs to those larger goals. Frame marketing efforts in terms of how they support these strategic goals. For example, explain what your brand strategy is and how it supports these goals.
Financial stewardship is a key responsibility. Administrators must ensure the school’s resources are allocated wisely and that all departments, including marketing, operate efficiently. In-House creative should be clear the return on investment for large spends and help administrators see how thoughtful marketing can reduce waste in areas like admissions or events.
Improve your In-House Collaborations:
Establish Clear Roles: Clarify how administrators and marketing teams can best support each other, ensuring mutual respect for expertise. Use tools like creative briefs to define responsibilities, boundaries, and deliverables for each project. Adopt a Brand Strategy: Ground all marketing efforts in a clear Brand Strategy that aligns with the school’s overarching goals and personality. Use the strategy as a decision-making filter to prioritize projects and manage resources effectively. Encourage Empathy: Creatives should respect broader responsibilities of administrators, their time constraints, and their need for clear ROI. Administrators can help by recognizing creative work require time, focus and an expertise they should trust their marketers have Collaborate Early: Include all key stakeholders at the start of a project to ensure alignment on goals, timelines, regular check-ins and expectations. Respect Boundaries: Avoid scope creep and misuse of resources by adhering to predefined project goals and respecting each team member’s expertise. Reinforce that marketing professionals are strategic partners, not a general service department.
Conclusion: ISO and Intentional Collaboration
In photography, ISO is about finding the right sensitivity to light, balancing exposure with clarity. It works in harmony with aperture, which defines focus and depth of field, and shutter speed, which controls the element of time. Similarly, in-house marketing thrives when collaboration (ISO) bridges the focus of Brand Strategy (aperture) with the efficiency of Time Management (shutter speed). Together, these elements ensure that your marketing efforts are clear, impactful, and aligned with your school’s goals.
When ISO (collaboration) is misaligned, inefficiencies, misunderstandings, and mistakes can blur the intended outcomes—just like a poorly calibrated photograph. But when ISO is adjusted effectively, collaboration sharpens focus, reduces wasted effort, and produces seamless results. It enables the team to take full advantage of a strong Brand Strategy and well-managed timelines, creating a cohesive approach that delivers meaningful impact.
Just as photographers adjust all three elements of the exposure triangle to capture their best shot, schools must balance Brand Strategy, Time Management, and Collaboration to ensure their marketing efforts are purposeful and successful. By adapting communication and workflows to align these three elements, schools can maximize the strengths of both administrators and marketing professionals while achieving clarity, efficiency, and alignment.
This concludes the four-part series on the exposure triangle of marketing. If you haven’t read the previous posts, you can find them here: Part One: Introduction; Part Two: Brand Strategy as Aperture; and Part Three: Shutter Speed as Timing.
Keep in mind that the advice shared throughout this series is based on general guidelines and insights I’ve gathered from my experience. My hope is that these ideas spark inspiration and provide a foundation for improving your marketing efforts. However, if you’re looking for guidance tailored to your unique situation, I encourage you to explore more about In-House Optimization. At School ID, my approach always begins with listening—fully understanding your school’s challenges, goals, and context. Every school is different, and I want to learn from your story, too, before crafting advice that’s as individual as your community.
