The war on in-housing (is over)
Agency feathers were twisted in all directions when Apple launched its internal creative agency back in 2014. Triggered by growing frustrations that its ads had become lacklustre, the multinational tech giant’s famed relationship with its global creative agency of record TBWA was put to the test.
Working together since 1984, TBWA helped Apple launch its first Macintosh. The agency was also behind the Think Different campaign in 1997 and in 2006 opened up the Media Arts Lab (MAL) as a bespoke division dedicated just to Apple.
During the Apple vs. Samsung patent case though, an email sent in 2013 from Apple’s VP of Global Marketing Phil Schiller to TBWA/ Media Arts Lab President James Vincent revealed the company had lost faith in its long-time partner.
“I watched the Samsung pre-Super Bowl ad that launched today. It’s pretty good and I can’t help but think these guys are feeling it (like an athlete that can’t miss because they are in a zone), while we struggle to nail a compelling brief on iPhone. That’s sad because we have much better products.”
While Apple produces more of its global campaigns in-house now, its relationship with TBWA/ MAL is alive and well, proving the two can co-exist.
Adland has ruled the roost when it comes to managing clients’ advertising and marketing needs for quite some time.
Over the past few years, however, the traditional agency model has been shaken, turned upside-down, inside-out and flipped backwards. The rise of in-housing is one of those catalysts.
Some consumer goods company leaders have criticised ad agencies for being inefficient and are outsourcing less to them as a result.
In April this year, Procter & Gamble’s Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard said the company had saved US$1 billion in agency fees and production costs by doing more in-house.
“Too much work was outsourced. We let ourselves believe media was so technical and advanced [that] we couldn’t possibly handle it ourselves. No more,” Pritchard said in a speech at an Association of National Advertisers (ANA) conference.
Walmart, the world’s largest bricks and mortar retailer, earlier this
