Why Go In-House

Build Brand Talent, not Agency Talent.

Some impressive numbers: 64% of companies are building in-house teams, and 82% of those are focused on digital advertising according to a recent Forrester In-house Agency Forum and (IHAF) survey. In-house digital media is not the new kid on the block, so why is this movement in full throttle right now?

In-housing started as a pure cost-savings play. It’s obvious: Take your agency fees and create a less-costly in-house team. It’s true. You can shear off anywhere from 15% to 50% of an agency’s digital media fees, depending on the size of your agency relationship. In reality, though, a brand marketing exec only savors bragging rights once – the year of the transition.


So there has to be more, right?


Today, nothing surpasses performance on a marketer’s “Important List.” Brands can take fast strides toward better performance by planting in-house brand talent rather than relying on agency talent. In-house, a digital media team is nourished by closer proximity to the data, and the history, culture, goals, and workings of the business. Being part of a brand every day also nets a deeper grasp of the customer.-

With an in-house digital media team, you will benefit from:

  • Reduced agency fees
  • The ultimate accountability and control
  • Stronger connection to internal teams
  • Better control of ownership of data and tech stack
  • Deeper understanding of customer
  • Agility; ability to modify or change messaging and channel marketing quickly
  • Improved performance

Our Process:

STEP 1

Readiness Assessment and Benchmarks

No two companies are in exactly the same place, so analysis and benchmarking will help us – and you – better understand how your digital marketing protocols are working now. Libby looks at your agency’s fee structure, support staff, and tech stack (who owns what). We gather information about agency billing – direct or indirect with engines and channels – internal processes, and more. Scored and used as a benchmark, the data points the way to the most optimal and kind of talent, and how much, to bring in-house.

STEP 2

Success-Plan Development

If opportunity to improve performance beckons, not in a small way but in a significant way, we build an Objectives Key Results (OKR) success plan so all of your internal stakeholders know their roles and responsibilities. Then we schedule the transition.

STEP 3

Transition Time

Transitions are nuanced and loaded with details that have to be addressed, but they can be clean instead of chaotic. Libby makes sure that it is business as usual during the transition so there is no drop in performance. Once everything is secure, we start upgrading the status quo. With 10 years of transition management behind us, we know the ropes and the fiber of which they are made, so your company can expect a smooth climb.

STEP 4

Ongoing Strategy and Accountability

There are positions that have proven to make financial and operational sense when brought in-house. Critical to their success is the right framework for campaign performance tracking, demonstrating improvements, and quality of execution. Years of tracking and measuring digital campaigns for top brands have schooled us on how to prove the incremental successes in-house digital media staff is bringing to a brand. Depending on the size of your company, though, there are some high-level strategic and tactical positions you might not need a full headcount for. Libby provides ongoing support for these roles.

STEP 5

Staff Mentorship, Empowerment and Reviews

According to an ANA report, “Managing In-House Agency Creative Content and Legal Concerns,” 63% of the respondents cited “keeping in-house agency talent energized” as their number one concern. Digital marketers face the same challenge. Libby has all the right vitamins to keep in-house motivated: as much (or more) access to respected mentors, change-driving content, events, training, and peer-to-peer insights. So does a good paycheck that could go head-to-head with top agencies. Compensation, performance and incentive plans developed with in-house teams help keep in-house talent happy with their choice and energized.