In-house 'boom' as COVID-19 'enhances' brand's internal capabilities

COVID-19 has led to a "boom" in brands leaning on their own in-house capabilities, says one of advertising’s biggest governing bodies.

ANA CEO Bob Liodice argues that the global pandemic has "enhanced the in-house environment for many marketers."

He said: "Think about any type of video production externally -- you can’t -- production houses have had to shut down. Whatever creative that you need to develop has come, in a great part, from in-house capabilities. So I think it’s actually been a boom to be able to lean on that infrastructure that has, in many cases, developed quite significantly over the course of time."

Liodice said there is a question mark over what in-housing will look like on the other side of COVID-19, but has been helpful in forcing the marketers’ hand in deciding what capabilities should be internal and external.

"Marketers have had to learn what they’re good at and what they’re not," he continued. "We’ve heard for example that with programmatic media buying, some have moved certain components in-house and others have tried and have failed and moved those back to external environments."

He added: "Clearly, in-housing is far more cost-effective. I’d much rather have a 100 percent dedicated individual who has capabilities in certain areas to be working full time against my specific needs as opposed to multiple other competing marketers who might be out there."