In the last year, 81% of brands surveyed took responsibility for a brand campaign and 66.5% managed their own performance marketing, according to the report, which is based on interviews with senior marketing and creative leaders across global brands, including Pinterest, Uber, Citibank and Intuit.
With a growing number of brands adopting in-house creative practices, teams that began as generalists are fast becoming specialist-driven, The In-House Evolution shows. As a result, in-house agencies working hand in hand with their marketing counterparts are now reshaping how brands communicate, adapt and thrive.
The findings also confound the view that brand owners use in-house primarily to save costs. Creativity was considered the highest stakeholder priority among brands surveyed, achieving an average priority ranking of 2.2 out of five. Cost efficiency (which scored an average priority ranking of 3.3 out of five) was deemed less important than ROI (3.0 out of five) and speed (2.9 out of five).
Cultivating a hybrid ecosystem of internal and external talent is key for achieving sustained growth and creative excellence, the report reveals. Even so, finding the right partners and understanding how best to manage them remains a challenge.
Ellen Utrecht, Founder of MikeTeevee, says, "With the marketing landscape evolving at such a rapid pace, brands are seeking greater agility, efficiency and creative ownership. It's inspiring to hear first-hand from in-house creative and marketing leaders whose deep knowledge, collaborative approach and creatively impactful work are driving brands forward in an era of constant change."
MikeTeevee concludes that the company believes that the question is no longer whether in-house marketing and creative teams can compete with traditional agencies, it's how far they will go in defining the future of brand storytelling.
For more information, visit www.miketeevee.com. You can also follow MikeTeevee on LinkedIn or on Instagram.
*Image courtesy of contributor