Increased productivity (47%) and creativity (38%) are the most anticipated benefits of bringing your marketing function in-house, but they are failing to materialise according to research by the DMA and Mailjet has found.
The Understanding In-Housing: Bringing Marketing Functions Home report found that productivity with in-housing had actually dropped by 15%, while creativity had seen a decrease of 11%.
Despite this, 86% of businesses that were currently in-housing said they would continue to do so.
The research also uncovered the challenges brands were facing during the creation of their in-house functions. Some 41% cited limited budget as the main hindrance, while 35% said adopting new tech was a challenge.
Judy Boniface-Chang, chief customer and marketing officer at Mailjet, said it was notable most of the challenges cited by respondents could be resolved by improved internal and external communication and collaboration.
“To address this, companies should focus on choosing tools that enable them to effectively collaborate in the creation and execution of their campaigns, reducing the number of iterations and maintaining a high level of control over their brand,” she said.
Tim Bond, head of insight at DMA said in-housing was not a binary choice. It’s not a case of either/or. “Our research shows one-in-12 organisations are using what we have called a ‘blended strategy – combining the two. The key for brands, whichever strategy they choose, is clear: bringing any marketing function in-house is just the first step.
“To achieve the results brand set out at the beginning of this process means investing in the skills, talent and technology within their organisations. The brands that are able to drive collaboration in this changing environment will be the ones that ultimately succeed,” he added.
The report surveyed 206 senior and mid-level marketers.
