B&TB&TB&T
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Search
Trending topics:
  • Cairns Crocodiles
  • Nine
  • Seven
  • Cannes Lions
  • WPP
  • State of Origin
  • NRL
  • Pinterest
  • B&T Women in Media
  • Thinkerbell
  • AFL
  • imaa
  • Anthony Albanese
  • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Meta
  • AI
  • Foxtel
  • TV Ratings
  • Radio Ratings
  • Sports Marketing

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
Reading: As More Brands Take Programmatic In-House, WPP’s Martin Sorrell Says Issue Is Overblown
Share
B&TB&T
Subscribe
Search
  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Technology
  • Regulars
    • Agency Scorecards
    • Best of the Best
    • Campaigns of the Month
    • CMO Power List
    • CMOs to Watch
    • Culture Bites
    • Fast 10
    • New Business Winners
    • Spotlight on Sponsors
  • Jobs
  • Awards
    • 30 Under 30
    • B&T Awards
    • Cairns Crocodiles
    • Women In Media
    • Women Leading Tech
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.
B&T > Advertising > As More Brands Take Programmatic In-House, WPP’s Martin Sorrell Says Issue Is Overblown
Advertising

As More Brands Take Programmatic In-House, WPP’s Martin Sorrell Says Issue Is Overblown

Emma Mackenzie
Published on: 7th March 2016 at 10:27 AM
Emma Mackenzie
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

The boss of one of the world’s largest communications networks WPP has downplayed the idea brands taking programmatic trading in-house is a worrying trend for media agencies.

Speaking during a call about the company’s fourth-quarter results, Sir Martin Sorrell said companies bringing it in-house have found issues, reports the Wall Street Journal.

“The sense we’re getting is clients are finding it very difficult to do even after a short period of time,” he said.

A number of big brands have taken their programmatic capabilities in house over the past years, such as Commonwealth Bank. Volkswagen general manager of marketing, Ben Wilks, last week also told a conference it is something he could see the company doing at some point in the future, and is looking to upskill its employees.

Still, Joanna O’Connell, CMO of ad tech company MediaMath in the States, recently expressed her surprise so many were doing it.

“I have been surprised at the commitment some very big marketers have made to true in-house,” she told B&T during her visit to Sydney.

“I don’t think I expected some of the companies that are saying they’re bringing everything in-house to necessarily do that. I didn’t anticipate they would see the necessary time, energy and financial commitment worth it.”

However, she stressed there’s a wide spectrum of what constitutes ‘in-house’, particularly when marketers were first looking to do it themselves. There’s “ten different shades of grey”.

One end sees the really DIY (do-it-yourself) marketers who just get it, the other end the marketers who need all the help they can get. Then there’s the ones in the middle who range from having the capability and rely on an agency for either advice, management, and those who want to take some control but let a lot of it come from their partners.

“There are lots of flavours of in-house,” continued O’Connell.

“That said, it will be interesting to see how it evolves. Because some marketers may just make the decision, ‘I think I can do it best myself, I’m going to make the commitment to hire the people necessary’.”

She doesn’t think it will be the majority of brands. It could be a growing trend, but she says the adage of “death of the agency” is greatly over exaggerated – a similar view of WPP’s Sorrell.

She did say it seemed to be more prevalent over here than in America.

And yet, a study from industry body ANA (Association of National Advertisers) in the States found some 31 per cent of marketers were bringing their trading in-house, in some sort of way.

This was despite constant worries about ad fraud and transparency.

Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts
Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.

No related posts.

TAGGED: Advertising Standards Bureau, AGE Isobar, Exclusive, mercer pr
Share
Emma Mackenzie
By Emma Mackenzie
Follow:
Emma Mackenzie was a reporter at B&T from 2015 - 2016.

Latest News

Telstra Launches One-Off Ad During State Of Origin Decider
11/07/2025
Clemenger BBDO Sydney office.
Agency Scorecard: Clemenger BBDO
11/07/2025
Matt Coote.
Matt Coote Takes New Senior Role At GumGum
11/07/2025
Spenser Skates.
Amplitude Acquires Kraftful To Embed AI-Native Voice Of Customer Capabilities
11/07/2025
//

B&T is Australia’s leading news publication magazine for the advertising, marketing, media and PR industries.

 

B&T is owned by parent company The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd.

About B&T

  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Advertise

Top Categories

  • Advertising
  • Campaigns
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Opinion
  • Technology
  • TV Ratings

Sign Up for Our Newsletter



B&TB&T
Follow US
© 2025 B&T. The Misfits Media Company Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?