Electrolux, Walmart, & 2 Other Brands Bringing Creative & Media Planning In-House

The in-house agency trend occurring is inevitable due to a shift in the platforms audiences are using to purchase products. The industry demands a shift in approach that brands are relentlessly attempting to master. Marketers continue to invest and develop their expertise in an attempt to build in-house infrastructures that help weed out inefficiencies.

Long-term agency relationships are being brought into question with the main drivers of change being cost cuts and increased personalization. According to Digiday research, 38% of marketers indicated that having increased control over their marketing functions was the greatest benefit of an in-house agency.

Along with that, ANA noted in its recent marketer survey, 78% of respondents have established an in-house agency versus only 42% in 2008. Those who made the move reported that 58% of their marketing work was now handled in-house. But just because brands are moving work in-house doesn’t mean they won’t still be needing external assistance.

To help our media and agency friends reach out to the right decision makers, our team has listed four major brands that have recently brought work in-house, plus access to decision maker contact information. Check it out here:

Electrolux

Moving digital media buying and planning in-house will allow Electrolux to have full control over consumer data across social, display and search, and also cut costs by saving anywhere from a third to nearly half of the $1.5 million it was spending per year with incumbent agency VMLY&R. The brand partnered with MightyHive in order to make the move t in-house efforts possible. After the transition is complete, VMLY7R will move to TV media duties and VML will continue as the creative AOR.

The in-house team hopes to tackle the ongoing struggle of measuring the frequency of ad reviews. Programmatic buying is also on the table as well, and in April the first programmatic campaign made without an agency will be released. Sellers with high ROI are encouraged to reach out for revenue with a new campaign on the horizon.

Spend has been increasing and will continue to do so throughout 2019, with the highest spend periods during Q2 and Q4 traditionally. This brand is one to keep on your radar with a predicted increase in spend, specifically in marketing due to an expanded team with greater control.

According to sources, Electrolux spent $8.7 million on broadcast in H1 2018, which was $8.5 million higher than total 2017 spend. Print also saw a hefty increase throughout 2018 in an effort to target its primary audience of female homeowners. By July, it’s predicted all of Electrolux’s digital media and planning and buying in North America will be done internally through its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here’s some info to utilize when reaching out:

2018 Brand Media Spend: $10,063,045

Who to Contact: Joel Stanley Senior Director, Digital Marketing

About Stanley: With over 17 years of digital marketing experience, Stanley has proven to be successful time and time again through the use of research-driven insights, organic growth, and strong financial stewardship.

Request Joel Stanley’s Contact Information

Walmart

Many major retailers are moving work in-house in order to have better access to data and quicker response time, and Walmart is leading the charge by moving online ad sales and analytics work in-house. Walmart ended its relationship with Triad after a just under three-year relationship. The transition in-house will unfold until around May. The in-house efforts are supported by the addition of hundreds of new Walmart employees.

Priorities after the transition is complete will include personalization and a heavier focus on millennial and Gen-Z engagement, hence the numerous acquisitions and new campaigns. These acquisitions and initiatives have resulted in spend increases, which are expected to continue. During Q4 2019, Walmart saw same-store sales in the US grow 4.2%, e-Commerce sales grow 43% and revenue total $138.79 billion.

With new leadership and spikes in spend, sellers should get in the game. Keep in mind spend is high throughout the year, with spikes in Q3 and Q4. Main channels consist of national TV and digital.

This is the first in-house shift we’ve seen from Walmart, but it certainly won’t be their last. Agencies with retail experience should continue reaching out for work. Competition will include media AOR Haworth Marketing & Media, PR AOR Golin, digital AOR Swirl, multicultural AOR Witeck Communications, and creative handled by Publicis’s Walmart shop. Here are some facts to utilize upon outreach:

2018 Brand Media Spend: $361,223,410

Who to Contact: Jamie Sohosky VP of Marketing- Customer Experience

About Sohosky: With over 20 years of international marketing experience, Sohosky has a rich background in agency, CPG and retail sectors. She leads a high-performing team by uncovering data-driven insights, building brand strategy, and developing highly-effective advertising.

Request Jamie Sohoskey’s Contact Information

Yamaha

Yamaha’s in-house creative agency director Michelle Guzman just added Stever Morris to her team as creative director for Studio 60. With the addition of this role, sellers should expect some sort of campaign to follow in a few months. The brand’s target is typically male with a slight millennial and Gen-Z skew.

Channels of highest investment include print, digital, and social media. Look out for a spike in spend during Q3. according to Adbeat, Yamaha has spent $631,900 on digital display place through a majority of Google networks (88%). This was a steady increase from the $363,800 spent during the same time period the prior year.

As you know, new marketing DMs often review agencies, so now is an ideal time to reach out for potential work. Giles Communications has handled PR since 2010. Creative may not be available, but media and digital agencies should look out for opportunities. Keep these insights top-of-mind when reaching out:

2018 Brand Media Spend: $76, 307

Who to Contact: Steve Morris Creative Director

About Morris: With more than 20 years of experience in the advertising world, Morris has the talent needed to create effective, imaginative campaigns for a wide range of products.

Request Steve Morris’s Contact Information

P&G

As part of continuing to test its agency model, P&G is giving it’s brands the option to take operational work in-house. Following the industry trend, P&G’s motives to move work in-house include improved efficiency and cost cuts. It’s likely more work will continue to be taken in-house in the near future. However, relationships still exist with Publicis Media as well as Omnicom’s Hearts & Science.

Those interested are encouraged to reach out with predictions for a continued changing media roster. Spend has gone up and is typically highest during H2. Keep in mind their main demographic is women and moms.

A huge portion of spend historically goes toward TV, especially with the recent announcement of Olay’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance. The acquisition of Waler & Company can also be attributed to continued increases in spend.

A Publicis-led agency took over P&G’s North American fabric care in April, followed by Carat winning the media position for North American hair care business. Creative is also split between a variety of agencies such as Leo Burnett, mcgarrybowen and BBDO.

While there may not be current work available, the brand is one to keep on your radar with spend increases and continued testing concerning their agency model. To stay top of mind upon outreach, here is some info to leverage:  

2018 Brand Media Spend: $2,022,730,319

Who to Contact: Marc Pritchard

About Pritchard: With 37 years at Procter & Gamble alone, Pritchard is an expert in the field and works to serve people with the best household and personal care products.

Request Marc Pritchard’s Contact Information

Now that you’ve got brands, names, and insights about where creative and media planning is headed, it’s time to reach out.