The offshoring landscape has rapidly developed over the last decade, transitioning from a cost-cutting measure to a core strategic component for growth. However, some common, outdated misconceptions are still circulating.
In this article, we address the key myths about offshoring and illustrate how the industry has evolved to meet the demands of the modern, global business environment.
1. Myth: “Offshoring is only good for short, simple tasks”
Reality: Offshoring is now the solution for high-volume, complex production cycles and brand consistency.
The primary driver for modern creative offshoring is no longer just cost, but the need for scalable, standardised production excellence across all global markets. Creative BPOs handle complex, long-term requirements like:
- High-Volume Adaptation: Taking a master creative and correctly adapting it for hundreds of different media placements (digital banners, print ads, OOH).
- Specialized Production: Advanced image retouching, complex 3D asset rendering, and high-fidelity video versioning.
The longevity of these relationships proves their strategic value. The long-term partnership between BrandIMS and We Are Amnet, servicing clients including Avon and Diageo, is an example of an enduring collaboration focused on high-quality, continuous creative production. Download our case study.
2. Myth: “I don’t have the time to set it up”
Reality: Setup is an investment, but accelerated by mature Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) and integrated technology.
Setting up an offshore relationship can feel daunting, but the long-term results – scalability, cost-efficiency, and increased speed are well worth the time investment.
Today, the process is streamlined by mature BPO partners who provide:
- Ready-made infrastructure and secure remote workstations.
- Defined transition strategies that quickly integrate your brand guidelines and workflows.
- Plug-and-play technology stacks (secure file transfer, project management tools).
Once the partnership is in place, you can incorporate specialized creative skill sets into your business at a lower cost, freeing your core creative team to focus on high-value tasks, conceptual development, and local campaign strategy.
3. Myth: “Offshoring increases my risk of data breach and IP theft”
Reality: Reputable offshore partners often offer higher security and control than many in-house setups.
The fear of Intellectual Property (IP) risk is a major barrier. However, modern creative BPOs treat security and brand asset control as their primary business differentiator.
To mitigate all risk, partner with providers who demonstrate:
- International Certifications: Look for ISO 27001 (Information Security Management) and SOC 2 Type II (System and Organization Controls) compliance.
- Contractual NDAs: Full contractual obligation to protect proprietary creative files and brand assets.
- Secure Infrastructure: Creative work is done on secure, zero-trust network systems, with no ability to download or transfer files off-site, protecting your valuable IP.
4. Myth: “AI and automation will replace the need for offshoring entirely”
Reality: AI is a co-pilot, transforming the offshore production team’s role to be more strategic and efficient.
AI and automation are not eliminating creative offshoring; they are transforming it. Offshore production teams are leveraging these tools to automate low-value, repetitive tasks (like simple resizing, bulk cropping, or data tagging), which allows their highly-skilled designers and retouchers to focus on:
- Complex Creative Problem-Solving: Addressing complex colour correction or composite image challenges.
- Quality Control: Ensuring AI-generated or automated outputs meet strict brand guidelines.
- High-Touch Production: Focusing time on the final, most impactful details of artwork and video.
This partnership makes the offshore model more intelligent, efficient, and future-proof.
5. Myth: “A team in another country will be harder to manage”
Reality: Digital collaboration tools and new management models have unified the global workplace.
Keeping in touch with your offshore creative team is now as simple as connecting with colleagues in your home city.
Seamless management is achieved through:
- Visual Proofing Tools: Platforms like Workfront, Frame.io, or dedicated DAMs allow for real-time annotation and feedback directly on creative assets.
- Strategic Models like Smartshoring®: This model often includes in-country account managers who operate in your time zone, serving as a local bridge for daily quality assurance and brand guideline checks.
6. Myth: “Cultural and language barriers are a major hurdle”
Reality: Offshoring is a mechanism for scaling creative capacity, not replacing conceptual talent.
Offshoring is about acquiring new capacity and focus. It means your existing, high-cost conceptual team can focus on their strategic specialisms (ideation, strategy, client relationship). Your scalable, flexible, and lower-cost offshore production team seamlessly and consistently handles the volume-heavy disciplines, such as artwork rollout, image retouching, and localization. This strategic division of labour makes your overall creative department more profitable and faster to market.
7. Myth: “Will my team be scaled down?”
Reality: Offshoring is a mechanism for scaling creative capacity, not replacing conceptual talent.
Offshoring is about acquiring new capacity and focus. It means your existing, high-cost conceptual team can focus on their strategic specialisms (ideation, strategy, client relationship). Your scalable, flexible, and lower-cost offshore production team seamlessly and consistently handles the volume-heavy disciplines, such as artwork rollout, image retouching, and localisation. This strategic division of labour makes your overall creative department more profitable and faster to market.
8. Myth: “Offshoring means I lose creative control over my brand’s final output”
Reality: Your Strategic Offshore Partner uses rigid processes and technology to enforce control and brand governance.
A key fear for creative leaders is that sending production work offshore means losing the final touch and diluting the brand. In fact, the opposite is true. Reputable creative production Offshore Partners specialise in Brand Governance and Template Rigidity.
They ensure control by implementing:
- Locked Templates: Production teams work within strict, pre-approved design files and templates that prevent off-brand deviations.
- DAM Integration: Direct integration with your Digital Asset Management (DAM) system ensures only approved, final assets are used and distributed.
- Rigorously Defined SLAs: Service Level Agreements mandate specific quality checks and adherence to brand guidelines, ensuring consistency across hundreds of markets and platforms.
The Offshore Partner acts as a disciplined, volume-based extension of your internal governance, providing execution without creative deviation.
9. Myth: “Time difference can hamper a project”
Reality: Differing working hours are a strategic advantage, enabling 24/7 production.
Time differences enable a “follow-the-sun” model, a major benefit for creative production. This allows for:
- Overnight Production: A designer in London sends final master files at the end of their day; an offshore production team works on the 20 regional versions while the London team sleeps, ready for review the next morning.
- 24/7 Project Momentum: Ensuring critical retouching or urgent print artwork is completed without waiting for the next business day.
10. Myth: “A cheaper price means poor quality”
Reality: Cost efficiency is driven by economic factors, not exploitation or low standards.
Cost efficiency is achieved because the local cost of living, and therefore the salary structure, is lower. It is not because workers are exploited or quality is compromised. Reputable creative offshore companies invest heavily in Adobe certifications, colour management, and brand compliance training, resulting in production quality that often matches or exceeds in-house standards.
Still have more questions about scaling your creative production? Check out our FAQs and contact us to discuss your strategic scaling needs.
Watch this video to see the evolution of the modern outsourcing model in action: Reinventing the Shore – We Are Amnet
