Brand In-Housing in Action: 5 Brands That Are Doing It Right
Traditional agency relationships aren’t what they used to be. Brands are fed up with high fees, slow turnaround times, and lack of transparency in their marketing, and they are taking matters into their own hands. Over the last few years, some of the biggest (and smartest) brands have brought marketing in-house, taking control of their media buying, creative production, and data analytics to move faster, cut costs, and drive better results.
But in-housing isn’t a one-size-fits-all play. Some brands go all-in, while others take a hybrid approach—keeping agencies for strategy but owning execution internally. The key is finding the right model that works for your brand.
So, who’s actually doing this right? Here are five brands that nailed in-housing, how they pulled it off, and what you can learn from them.
Sources: Marketing Dive, AdExchanger, AdWeek, Campaign US, Digiday
Sprint – In-Housing to Move Faster & Cut Costs
Sprint took a big bet on in-housing in 2017. They built an internal digital marketing agency, hired 100+ people, and took media buying and analytics in-house to gain speed and transparency.
The Result
According to Marketing Dive:
- Digital conversions skyrocketed +99%
- Customer acquisition costs dropped 50%
- Saved $6 million per year in agency fees
How They Pulled It Off
Sprint didn’t just flip a switch overnight. They started by partnering with MediaMonks, an external consulting firm, to train their internal team and phase out agency dependence gradually. They ran a full audit of their ad tech fees and media spend, uncovering inefficiencies and cutting out the middlemen who weren’t delivering results. The key to their success? Owning their ad platforms and data, which allowed them to optimize campaigns in real-time, make smarter decisions faster, and avoid hidden agency markups.
The lesson? In-housing isn’t all or nothing—you can transition over time, bring in experts early, and take control gradually.
Bayer – Owning Digital Media Buying
Bayer took full control of its digital media buying, eliminating outside agencies for programmatic ad buying and audience targeting.
The Results
According to Adexchanger:
- Cut down ad tech vendors by 90% (more transparency, less waste)
- Gained better control over data & personalization
- Won “Best In-House Media Operations” two years in a row
How They Pulled It Off
Bayer didn’t go cold turkey on agencies. In Year 1, they ran a hybrid model, working alongside agencies to learn the ropes. This gave them time to build an internal team of 20+ experts and gradually shift control. By Year 2, they fully owned digital media buying. One of the smartest moves they made? Taking control of their ad tech logins and data—no more relying on agencies that held the keys to their platforms. By owning their media operations, Bayer improved performance, reduced waste, and ensured they weren’t overpaying for vague agency “services.”
The Lesson? You don’t need to cut agencies completely, but you do need to own your data, logins, and contracts so you’re not at their mercy.
Ally – Bringing Programmatic In-House
What They Did
Ally moved all programmatic ad buying and audience targeting in-house to save money and make faster smarter marketing decisions.
The Results
- Marketing budget stayed flat, but product acquisitions increased
- 25% more efficient in media spend every year
- Built a killer first-party data strategy for personalization
How They Pulled It Off
Ally hired media traders and tech talent to run its Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs) in-house, cutting out agency fees and improving control. Instead of relying on third-party cookies, they built a first-party data strategy—allowing them to personalize marketing without relying on unstable third-party data sources. But they didn’t in-house everything. They kept creative agencies for high-level branding while owning performance marketing in-house, ensuring that media execution aligned directly with their customer insights.
The Lesson? In-housing doesn’t have to mean doing everything yourself. Focus on the areas where you get the most efficiency (like media buying and data), and still use agencies for big creative ideas.
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) – Launching an In-House Creative Studio
When COVID hit, IHG fired its external creative agencies and built an internal creative team overnight using freelance talent.
The Results
- Cut turnaround time from weeks to days for marketing assets
- Saved millions in agency fees while maintaining creative output
- Kept the flexibility to scale up or down as needed
How They Pulled It Off
Instead of scrambling to hire full-time staff, IHG used an on-demand talent model (via We Are Rosie), giving them instant access to top creative talent without long-term commitments. They embedded creatives directly into their marketing teams, eliminating the usual back-and-forth between marketers and external agencies. To maintain flexibility, they adopted a “layer cake” approach—internal teams handled day-to-day content production, while agencies were brought in only for big strategic campaigns.
The Lesson?: You don’t have to build a massive team in-house. You can scale with freelancers and contract talent, keeping things lean and flexible.
Nestlé – The Hybrid Model Balance
Nestlé created a Global Digital Media Center of Competency (DCoC)—a hybrid in-house team made up of both internal staff and top-tier agency talent (but reporting to Nestlé’s leadership).
The Results
- Reduced ad tech vendors by 90% and improved transparency
- Took control of media planning & buying while still leveraging agency specialists
- Built a stronger first-party data strategy to future-proof against privacy changes
How They Pulled It Off
Nestlé didn’t completely ditch agencies. Instead, they hired agency experts into internal roles, ensuring they had the best talent working under their roof. Transparency was a key focus—they took ownership of contracts, data, and ad buying decisions rather than letting agencies dictate where and how their media dollars were spent. Instead of cutting ties entirely, they only kept agencies for execution in areas where they still added value, like specialized creative projects.
The lesson? A hybrid approach can be a smart move—own the strategy, but hire the best talent (internal or external) to execute it.
What You Can Learn From These Brands
Here’s what all five brands got right and how you can too:
- Start small and phase it out – Don’t rip off the bandaid overnight. Test and transition gradually.
- Own your data and contracts – If your agency holds the keys to your ad platforms, you’re not in control. Fix that.
- Hire the right mix of talent – Whether it’s full-time hires, contractors, or a hybrid approach, you need people who know how to run the tech.
- Keep agencies where they add value – Use them for creative strategy or major campaigns, but don’t let them run your day-to-day operations.
- Focus on key KPIs – Sprint, Bayer, Ally—they all had clear KPIs to prove the value of in-housing. If you’re bringing things in-house, make sure you can show real cost savings and performance lifts to leadership.
In-housing is no longer just a trend—it’s a competitive advantage. The brands that are thriving aren’t the ones waiting for agencies to optimize their campaigns or unlock their data. They’re the ones taking control, cutting out the inefficiencies, and building internal teams that move at the speed of their business.
But here’s the thing: there’s no single blueprint for in-housing. Some brands, like Sprint and Bayer, went all-in and built fully functional in-house teams. Others, like Nestlé and IHG, struck the right hybrid balance, keeping strategic agency partnerships where they still add value. The key takeaway? You don’t have to in-house everything—you just need to in-house the right things. Also, you don’t have to do everything at once, but the sooner you start owning your media, creative, and data, the better off your brand will be. The question isn’t whether you should in-house—it’s whether you can afford not to.
Bringing marketing in-house is just the first step. The real game-changer? Powering your in-house efforts with smarter, more predictive audience data. The best in-house teams aren’t just running media internally—they’re using cutting-edge audience insights to find the right customers faster, optimize ad spend, and personalize campaigns at scale.
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