How I get big brand ideas made without big budgets

“How did you pull that off with such a small team?” It’s not sorcery. It’s strategy.

Most of the rebrands and creative campaigns I’ve led had no agency of record, tight timelines, and very little money. But they landed. They stuck. And they shipped.

1. Get discounts. Really, just ask.

A founder I worked with once said, “Don’t ask, don’t get.” I took that to heart. I've gotten startup pricing from media giants like Channel 4 and JCDecaux just by asking the question. Be transparent about your situation and budget, you’ll be surprised how willing some are to play ball.

The worst they can say is no. The best? National reach on a shoestring.

2. Leverage your partners.

Partnerships are more than co-branding, they’re budget multipliers. At Curve, I pulled Mastercard into our creative process. Not only did they love the involvement, they funded multiple campaigns. Their backing meant bigger exposure, better assets, and faster turnaround.

3. Activate your own people.

Your employees are walking, talking extensions of the brand. Are you tapping into them?

Create assets designed for sharing: GIFs, social posts, even ghostwritten LinkedIn copy. Especially in lean times, making it easy for your team to amplify the brand costs nothing and returns big.

4. DIY. Because it’s easier than ever.

You don’t always need a big agency budget to make something brilliant. You need an idea, a plan, some resourcefulness, and a team that’s up for it. Rent photography equipment and do your own shoot. You’ll save money, yeah, but you’ll also upskill the team and feel pretty accomplished. Do your own damn voiceovers. Create your own social content. The advent of design AI tools has made it SO easy to upskill on the fly. That photoshoot? AI will tell you where to place the lights, and what setting to use on your camera. Tools are accessible and a little experimentation can go a long way.

5. No one likes snobby creatives.

Some of the best creative starts with a team chat, a scrappy prototype, or a weird suggestion from someone outside the department. (A compliance officer once sent me a piece of guerilla marketing and said, “This is cool.” She was right.)

Creative ideas can come from anywhere. Don’t be an unapproachable creative team. Be curious, open, and willing to have fun with it. That’s where the magic happens.