Elsevier Creative Services

Elsevier’s Research Marketing SVP Craig Welch founded the internal creative services team in January 2024. His reasoning was simple: nobody owned Elsevier's 140-year-old brand. With 45 external agencies worldwide, there were 45 interpretations of ‘on brand’.

As he put it, "Brands can't be rented."

Eighteen months in, the results speak for themselves. 79% of Elsevier's marketing work is now handled internally, alongside just 6 external partners. The team completed 1,243 jobs in 2025. By mid-2026, they'd already delivered 1,117.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

The bigger shift has been cultural. A brief for branded merchandise became a proper campaign. A global new product launch was brought in-house, with external agencies used only to scale the media. People across the marketing department have started writing real briefs with audiences, objectives, the lot. It's catching.

When good work gets noticed internally, it creates momentum. People see what's possible and they want in. The fact that teams now come to us rather than seeking external help tells us something has changed.

Our 12-person team works remotely across England, Scotland and the Philippines. We produce graphic design, video, podcasts, online ads, event materials, merchandise and copy. Whatever the brief, we look for the idea behind it.

It's early days. But we're enjoying this. And we think it shows.