Why In-House Agencies Need Outside Help

Updated: 23/07/2020

72 % of corporations now have an in-house agency.

78% said they have a clear mission BUT they confirmed that there is often a disconnect with the broader marketing team.

42% of corporate marketers admitted they were unaware of their in-house agency's mission.

The rise of in-house agencies isn’t always motivated by a desire to cut costs. Instead, we are noticing a need for ownership of all marketing activities. Uber now has an in-house ad tech team that implements its own strategy, buying, and optimisation. Lego, Intel, Revlon, T-Mobile, Duracell and Unilever are just a few other names that have taken more control or have set up their own in-house agency.

But just because it’s a trend, does that mean that every brand should jump on the In-house agency bandwagon? Absolutely not.

You could have the best team in the world but you can't expect amazing people to be amazing at everything in digital.

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Here’s why (some) in-house agencies fail.

We’ve tasted both sides as professionals and we’re going to give you the brutally honest truth based on our experiences. Yes, there are pros and cons to both, but we won’t bore you by giving you a typically balanced perspective on ‘what works’. You can get that insight from Google. Instead, we’re going to share with you how the external agency model helps to fuel an expert’s level of growth as a creative. And guess what? Where there is creativity and originality, there is a campaign that delivers top results and ROI. In-house creatives need support from the outside world.

What happens when you bring experts in-house? Do you restrict their capability to expand?

Here’s the deal, experts need to be exposed to the constant changes that are taking place within the industry, in order to remain ‘experts’. They need to absorb the shifts, changes and emerging trends that are affecting multiple areas of their industry. They crave freedom. Our past experiences in-house always meant whilst the closeness to the brand’s narrative and the understanding of the story of the company are valuable, we’ve been restricted in the development part of the creative journey. Ideas would receive push-back before they even came out of playtime.

"While in-house agencies may be powered by institutional knowledge, closeness and creative prowess, more often than not, they are simultaneously tied to following practices and decision-making hierarchies that truthfully, limit their ability to contribute more fully."

While in-house agencies continue to grow, research suggests there is a disconnect between their popularity and these departments fully realizing their potential. Why? In-house agencies often lack the support that an external agency would receive.

So why should you work with an external marketing agency?

• When working with an agency, you have exposure to a wider team of experts in their field. Agencies have specialists in all things digital, from PPC and Paid Social wizzes to a team of SEOs with content and advanced technical skills. In-house teams have direct access to these specialists with expert knowledge to help support them with their digital efforts.

Interested in what services an external agency can offer? Find out here

• There is no brushing over the fact that working withan agency is cheaper than hiring a team of in-house specialists with the same expertise. Agencies work with retainer hours, meaning you get an allotted amount of time per service, for a fixed price. Essentially, you can hire a team of digital marketing experts at the cost of one person in-house, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than hiring multiple new team members on a monthly salary.
• We’ve experienced first hand how corporate marketing teams lean heavily on work that is produced internally. A lack of budget and time is common, as well as the amount of preparation that would go into creative collaborations compared to external agencies. Meaning in-house teams are often strapped for time and money to bring ideas to life. Outsourcing takes this pressure off. ​

See which clients we've helped grow.

External agencies and in-house marketers are stronger when working as one.

As brands consider their digital strategy, they shouldn't rule out outside help.

The world of digital marketing is broad and your in-house team members will have their own strengths within digital. It simply makes no sense to make your 'social media guy' figure out Paid Search and terms to bid on, as this removes them from what they were hired for in the first place, and what they are truly good at doing.

Brands just can't do it alone; they need the agility, freedom and objectivity that external partners can bring to the table. So let your Content Manager, just manage content. Let your PPC guy just focus on your performance marketing and get support for what you don't know.

With your amazing team and a strong relationship with an external agency, your brand will reach new heights, new audiences and exponential growth.

Interested in learning more about how we can help support your in-house team and transform your digital output? Get in touch with us today.