In-housing is accelerating: here’s how agencies can hold on

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/10/06/housing-accelerating-here-s-how-agencies-can-hold

 

As in-housing gains momentum, challenges and opportunities are emerging for external agencies. Here’s a look at the expectations and realities for marketers, and their unwavering desire for the big idea.

It’s pitch time for Sheetz. The popular Midwest convenience store chain is in the final stages of selecting a lead creative agency. The catch: its external agency partner has to be ready, willing and excited to work with its in-house agency.

Sheetz is looking “for really deep collaboration. We want an agency that challenges our assumptions, our points of view and comes to us with big strategy,” says Zachary Sheffield, Sheetz creative manager, who runs its in-house agency. At the same time, he wants to avoid “the arrogance and the condescension that can come from creatives and an agency.”

Sheetz has been ahead of the curve when it comes to in-housing. Its internal studio is 20 years old. Now it is expanding as it adds internal talent, in addition to its new agency partner.

They aren’t alone. A who’s who of top brands continue to bolster in-house teams, including Procter & Gamble, Walmart, PepsiCo, Verizon and Anheuser-Busch. The benefits of an in-house team? An intimate knowledge of the brand, faster output, more control and less cost—especially when it comes to production.

 

Read the full story at The Drum