It’s funny, we considered renaming the Agency Under Quarantine conference because, you know, by now quarantine is over. ....Wait, what’s that?

This week, in “Making Peace with the Internal Agency,” we dove into how internal and external agencies can understand each other, divide work and establish relationships where both sides thrive, with our fascinating panelists Marianne Besch, Teresa Herd, and Kristi VandenBosch. 

Internal agencies have been a hot topic in recent years. According to a recent survey from the ANA, 55 percent of brands say their in-house agencies are their most important partners to produce new creative assets. With the pandemic, many brands are expecting to lean on their internal agencies more than ever. The economic effects of the pandemic make the stability of an internal agency more appealing, even to top creatives.

Last year, at this time, people in the industry were still discussing whether or not the internal agency model could survive. Now, that concern’s been replaced by new questions, like “Can brands make their investment in their internal agency pay off?” and “How can you get your external and internal agency to play well together—or even help each other?”

Top Takeaways:

• Businesses are living and dying right now. An agency’s main goal has to be to help them solve their problems, whatever those problems are.

• Creative is only good if the infrastructure allows it to be good.

• If you know what you stand for as a brand, you can attract really great people to your internal agency.

• Establish clear swim lanes so nobody has to freak out. 

• Don’t fight for work you don’t want to do or isn’t your core competency.

• Internal and external partners have the opportunity to play to each others’ strengths.

• Don’t pit yourself against the internal agency when looking for work. 

• When pitching, if the internal agency offers you help, take it. It could be the beginning of a beautiful partnership.