当下，品牌还需要代理公司吗？

Group 1 - T-Mobile has decided to shift most of its creative agency responsibilities from Dentsu to in-house, marking a significant change in its advertising strategy [1][4] - Last year, T-Mobile had just transferred its creative account to Dentsu, indicating a rapid turnaround in agency relationships [2][5] - Dentsu is facing its own operational challenges, reporting a $540 million operating loss in Q2, alongside a $580 million goodwill impairment in its international business [5] Group 2 - There is a growing trend of brands internalizing their agency functions, with Kraft Heinz's in-house agency, The Kitchen, expanding significantly from 4 to 19 brands in three years [6] - Unilever has initiated a plan to establish 21 AI-assisted design studios globally by 2026, integrating them into its offices to support its home care brands [7] - LEGO has also expanded its in-house agency to include a new business unit focused on commerce, reflecting a broader shift towards in-house capabilities [8] Group 3 - The proportion of advertising budgets controlled directly by brands has increased from 9.7% in 2019 to 28.6% in Q1 2024, while budgets for large advertising groups are declining [12] - Approximately 66% of brands currently have in-house advertising agencies, with another 21% planning to establish them, indicating a shift towards normalization of in-house structures [14] Group 4 - The evolution of in-house agencies can be categorized into three phases: cost-driven (pre-2008), agile response (2008-2015), and growth platform (2016-present) [29][30][31] - The current trend is not merely about cost savings but is driven by the diminishing value of external agency expertise due to digitalization and data-driven marketing [32][34] Group 5 - The relationship between in-house teams and external agencies is complex, with brands like Apple successfully integrating both to leverage internal efficiency and external creativity [47][54] - The ongoing evolution of brand marketing capabilities involves a reallocation of functions between internal and external resources, rather than a simple replacement of one by the other [56][60]