<div class="gn-article"><div class="gn-hero gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-hero__image"><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/687a235da6861294eec73166/69fa7084515b0cc8d6e171c6_adobestock-876443907-670fd6bd733a0324658201-690aa7674061b080661706.jpeg" alt=""></div> <div class="gn-hero__head"> <span class="gn-kicker"><span class="dot"></span>Network</span> <h1 class="gn-title">Member Blog: The In-House vs External Agency Debate: Are You In Or Out?</h1> <div class="gn-meta"> <strong>The GO Network</strong> <span class="pip"></span> <span>1 November 2025</span> <span class="pip"></span> <span>4 min read</span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="gn-body"> <p class="gn-lede gn-reveal">One of the major pulls of in-house agencies is the prospect of saving time, money and creating greater efficiencies. But is it really better for your bottom line? And will you really save time in the long-run?</p> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">01</span>A timely debate</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">You don't need to look for long online to see there's endless discussions about whether cost savings go much further than just beyond the first year.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Similarly, in our ever-changing, fast-paced industry there's always demand for quicker, faster, speedier turnarounds. The common misconception is that IHAs have the edge in that regard, but when internal priorities clash, it's often a case that IHAs find themselves up against the same 'client' challenges as agencies.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">And whilst bigger creative agencies may have bigger teams, don't be fooled into thinking bigger means faster. In our experience, bigger means layer upon layer upon layer to wade through. Understandably all that results in frustration with your big network agency.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">02</span>The objective vs subjective debate</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">According to the most recent Up To The Light report, "95% of clients with an in-house creative resource still see the value in using external agencies for particular challenges."</p> <p class="gn-reveal">These are the transformational changes where agencies can deliver a fresh objective perspective on strategic insights and creativity. Working on one brand can easily lead to one point of view.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">We recommend engaging with an agency during the early strategic planning stages of new projects. This really is where you're going to see the value of everything they have to offer, whatever your brand or business challenge, chances are the right agency partner will have seen it before, many times over.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">It's precisely this lens, this knowledge and this access to an experienced multi-specialist team that'll turn the dial on your well-intentioned internal efforts, making your next marketing challenge, product launch or campaign a measurable success.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">03</span>The talent debate</h2> <blockquote class="gn-blockquote gn-reveal">"Building an in-house creative agency from scratch can feel a bit like entering an empty room for the first time and not knowing where the light switch is."<cite>Zach Kitschke · CMO, Canva</cite></blockquote> <p class="gn-reveal">Finding, hiring and keeping creative talent isn't easy. Creative souls are inherently restless, which is where the variety of agency life feeds them. It has long been argued that the in-house life is 'cushier', but in recent years, the allure of work/life balance has drawn many an agency stalwart to go in-house.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Large network agencies are notorious for relentlessly driving their talent to work long hours, so it's no wonder many are jumping ship to IHAs.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">That said, everything is a compromise and time will tell if the life of a single-brand creative is fulfilling enough creatively to keep and retain the best creatives in-house.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">04</span>Let's get more creative with this debate</h2> <div class="gn-stats gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">39<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of chief marketers said in-house marketing teams lacked inspiration.</span></div> <div class="gn-stat"><span class="gn-stat__num">95<em>%</em></span><span class="gn-stat__label">of clients think great creativity has the power to differentiate their brand.</span></div> </div> <p class="gn-reveal">Harvard Business School states that "One of the main hindrances to a business's growth is cognitive fixedness, or the idea that there's only one way to interpret or approach a situation or challenge. Cognitive fixedness is an easy trap for in-house teams to fall into, it can be tempting to approach every situation similar to how you have in the past."</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Sometimes it works. Take Specsavers in-house creative team for example, it now includes top creatives from the likes of The&amp;Partnership, adam&amp;eveDDB and VCCP, who are all working on the brand's award-winning work.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">Whilst Specsavers' move in-house has been a big success, it comes with a hefty price tag (conceptual creatives don't come cheap) and isn't often a recurrent theme across the industry. Just think about the Kendall Jenner TV spot for Pepsi from their IHA in 2017. That blew up for all the wrong reasons.</p> <aside class="gn-quote gn-reveal"><q>Most of us have experienced wow moments. We just haven't taken time to think deeply about them.</q><cite>Michael Hyatt</cite></aside> <p class="gn-reveal">Creativity gives you the space to work smarter instead of harder and agencies often have a wider experience to draw upon. They've worked with multiple brands across multiple markets and can bring all that knowledge and learnings to every client. Let them spend the time thinking, rather than doing.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">This might sound counter-productive, but trust the process and you'll see the real value of your agency partner.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">05</span>The political debate</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">A short point, but an important one. We're talking internal politics. In this year's Up To The Light report, one of the most common benefits cited by participants for using an external agency is that an agency 'will challenge more'.</p> <p class="gn-reveal">A third party has permission to challenge, share their experience and consult objectively, even when it might not be what senior stakeholders want to hear. With that in mind, the right agency partner can be additive to shaping the change you and your team believe is best for the brand. Lean on their bipartisan expertise, diplomacy and authority.</p> <div class="gn-divider gn-reveal" aria-hidden="true"></div> <h2 class="gn-reveal"><span class="num">06</span>Takeaways you'd find hard to debate</h2> <p class="gn-reveal">The blurring of talent and cross-pollination between in-house and external agencies can only be a good thing for the industry as a whole. The more we appreciate the challenges and pressures on both sides, the more effectively we can work together for the good of the brands we're building.</p> <aside class="gn-callout gn-reveal"> <div class="gn-callout__label">What this means for you</div> <h4>The case for keeping external agencies in the mix</h4> <ul> <li><strong>Fresh perspective.</strong> These are the transformational changes where agencies can deliver a fresh objective perspective on strategic insights and creativity.</li> <li><strong>Engage early.</strong> We recommend engaging with an agency during the early strategic planning stages of new projects.</li> <li><strong>Challenge culture.</strong> A third party has permission to challenge, share their experience and consult objectively, even when it might not be what senior stakeholders want to hear.</li> <li><strong>Creative edge.</strong> Agencies often have a wider experience to draw upon, having worked with multiple brands across multiple markets.</li> </ul> </aside> <p class="gn-reveal">Henry Ford once famously said "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."</p> </div></div>