Is In-House Marketing For You?
What exactly is ‘in-housing’? It’s putting together your own brand messaging, creating ads and basically doing yourself what you might otherwise have an agency come in to do.
There are many brands today who have either fully or partially created campaigns in-house. But does it really help?
The Agency vs In-House Debate
1) The Pros of ‘In-Housing’
One of the major reasons for brands to produce their content in-house is the turnaround time. From coming up with concepts, to execution, to changes, to meeting the release date, in-house productions are being preferred for being more time-efficient. From the point of view of cost too, having an in-house team works in favour of the brand.
There is also the notion that a team within the company would have a better understanding of the brand and the product and more access to details. Operationally speaking, there might also be better coordination between departments since everyone needed to work on the campaign is easily accessible.
In an age when time is of paramount importance and faster ROI matters more than anything else, in-house productions can go a long way in meeting the demands of a company. From conceptualizing to delivering, the process is more streamlined, free of delays and distractions and therefore, churns faster output.
2) The Pros of Outsourcing
One of the biggest risks a brand might suffer from in-housing is a lack of ideas. When all you’re involved with is the brand at hand, it might be very difficult to view it from another perspective. This means that one may also miss out on points that need to be addressed and therefore the campaigns can be repetitive and self-indulgent.
However, outsourced to an agency, a brand is thrown open to a variety of viewpoints and ideas. Since there are experts dealing with multiple products on a daily basis, there is the advantage of market insight. The sheer diversity in a creative room can do wonders for the brand. Something that an in-house team may not be able to achieve.
Then of course there is the need for infrastructure and space conducive to generating ideas. From studios, to equipment, to hiring the right kind of talent, an agency has everything that might take an in-house team quite a while to put together.
The Deciding Factors
Between having the right talent and saving time and money, how does a company make the choice between in-housing and outsourcing? It calls for a good hard look at your current state and vision for the future.
While it is true that a team built in-house will be loyal to the brand and want to put the best foot forward, not every brand can afford to maintain a team for the long run especially if you don’t churn out material very often. Then there is also the issue of networking in order to make sure the ad reaches every corner. Often, this calls for tweaks depending upon where it is released. Which means, you need to assess if your team has what it takes to see it through and whether it makes fiscal sense to maintain it all year round.
Since different brands have different needs, one cannot assume that in-housing is the future. While it may work for some, it may prove to be a pressure for others.
There is also the option of having branding experts working with the in-house team to give you the best output. Such collaborative efforts can bring you the best of both worlds.
At GroCurv, we put you in touch with experts as well as agencies. Our curated services ensure time and cost efficient turnarounds along with growth in revenue.