The temptation to move media buying in-house might feel logical. On the surface, it seems like a way to save money and tighten control. In practice, shifting this work to your own team rarely reduces costs — or headaches.
In fact, it can limit the effectiveness of your campaigns.
Media buying is about more than just filling ad spots. It’s about strategy, relationships and industry perspective, and agencies bring strengths in all three.
Agencies live media buying every day, taking calls and meetings with reps, researching new platforms, training on always-changing digital media and nurturing relationships with a broad network of connections in the industry.
That level of experience is valuable.
As my colleague Kim Johnson, digital media strategist with Amperage, points out, those years of building relationships pay dividends when it’s time to negotiate. That rapport isn’t something an in-house team can replicate overnight.
“Knowing who to call and what to ask for makes a difference,” Kim says.
Agencies also stay on top of new products and trends, separating passing fads from true opportunities, so clients don’t waste budget chasing what will fizzle out.
Remember Pokemon Go ads? Likely not, because it never came to be a thing. And we correctly advised clients to take a wait-and-see approach.
Toni Harding, Amperage media strategist, adds that agencies use their buying power to secure placements that in-house teams simply can’t. “Volume matters. Agencies get the best placement because of it,” she says.
That leverage translates into more quality impressions, better reach and, ultimately, stronger ROI.
One of the biggest misconceptions marketing leaders have is that moving media buying services in-house will cut expenses.
Buying directly from a platform rep will not save you money, particularly with broadcast TV, radio and most publications. Agency compensation typically comes from vendor commissions, not a markup to clients.
In fact, in-house teams may spend more because they lack the ability to negotiate a better price or vet vendors as thoroughly as we can.
As Toni says: “We take the calls and the meetings so you don’t have to. We negotiate the better deal. That’s the value we bring.”
For an internal team already stretched thin, the time commitment can be overwhelming.
Perhaps the most overlooked benefit of hiring an agency is perspective. Traditional and digital media buying agencies tap into insights from across industries, drawing on peer groups and lessons learned from dozens of client campaigns.
What clients lose when they move in-house is that outside perspective. We learn across categories. In-house teams have a narrower view.
Broader perspective matters when you’re making decisions about audience targeting, channel allocation or how to pivot during unexpected market changes. Agencies know the pitfalls because they’ve already navigated them for others.
“We’ve made the mistakes and already learned the lessons,” Toni says.
Ultimately, we don’t just place ads. We consult, strategize and adapt on behalf of our clients. Our media buying services team works wonders with limited budgets, adjusts plans when needed and pushes beyond a “set it and forget it” mentality.
Certainly, in-house teams can manage small-scale advertising. They can be especially effective handling community engagement tactics, for example — like banners on the outfield fence or an ad in the kids sports coupon booklets.
But for brands with growth goals and expectations of results, the strategic value of an agency is unbeatable.
So the real question isn’t whether you can do media buying in-house. It’s whether you can afford to give up the reach, perspective and expertise that an agency brings to the table.
Author Erin Earnest is Vice President of Strategy and a leading subject matter expert in branding and marketing strategy for Amperage Marketing + Fundraising.
