Media Reset

Did you ever give this a thought? How fascinating it is to watch a film, the changing scenes or days or even years. On screen, it feels smooth; the transition, the emotion along with the effortless storytelling– everything moving in perfect rhythm. But behind the scenes, we all know how chaotic and strenuous it is. How careful choreography and tuning of departments come together to make a story feel so simple, so fluid and wholesome.

Advertising, in many ways, seems to be going through a similar edit. For years, media and creative agencies functioned like a single unit. Ideas were imagined and amplified within the same ecosystem. But somewhere along the way, that unity began to fragment. Media became more data-driven, creative became more specialised, and the two drifted into separate silos. And now, just as the industry has adjusted to that split, another shift is underway. Brands are beginning to ask a different question: what if we build parts of it in-house?

IMPACT spoke to the top media leads in the industry to understand what is sparking alterations in the agency ecosystem and encouraging the in-housing culture. Harshdeep Chhabra, Global Head – Media Strategy at Godrej Consumer Products candidly puts it, “There is an increasing perception among advertisers that agencies may not always have their best interests at heart and that they are keener to make revenue for themselves over that for the client.” Add to this the changing nature of talent within agencies and the rapid rise of technology, automation and AI now handling tasks that once required heavy agency dependence and it becomes clearer why brands are re-evaluating the balance between internal and external capabilities.

At Godrej Consumer Products, this shift is already taking shape in a tangible way. The company has steadily built in-house media and creative capabilities, ranging from proprietary media planning tools like MASH to a centralised programmatic setup. These internal teams are designed not just for efficiency but for control, over data, speed of execution, and what Chhabra refers to as the brand’s ‘secret sauce.’ By bringing key functions in-house, GCPL aims to compress timelines and reduce dependence on external teams, and align media decisions more closely with business priorities, while still collaborating with agencies where it adds value.

But does this mean agencies are becoming less relevant? Not quite. If anything, their role is becoming more sharply defined. Chhabra outlines what he calls the “four Ts” that continue to anchor the value of media agencies: trading, technology, troubleshooting, and talent. From securing best-in-class pricing to bringing in advanced tools, decoding shifts in consumer and competitive landscapes, and upgrading internal capabilities, agencies still play a critical role in shaping outcomes. The difference now is not whether agencies are needed, but where they add the most value.

This shift, however, isn’t without its advantages. For brands, in-housing brings a sense of control that is hard to replicate externally. It allows for tighter alignment with business priorities. It enables faster decision-making and deeper integration of data and insights. Ankit Desai, Head – Media & Digital Marketing at Marico, explains, what brands are increasingly building internally is the ‘strategic core.’ Consumer insights, audience architecture, measurement frameworks, and governance. These are the levers closest to business outcomes, and therefore, they need to sit within the organisation.

However, Desai is also clear-eyed about the potential drawbacks. Bringing everything in-house can lock organisations into fixed costs and fixed skill sets, at a time when platforms or tools and most importantly consumer behaviours start evolving at an unprecedented pace, the depth of expertise required across digital, commerce, retail media, and creator ecosystems will get difficult to build and even harder to sustain, internally.

Then, there is the question of perspective. External partners, by virtue of working across different categories, platforms, markets, regions and clients, bring a breadth of learning that is difficult to replicate within the confines of a single organisation. Without that outside-in view, there is a risk of creating echo chambers.

This is perhaps why, even as the industry experiments with in-housing, a different pattern is emerging. Not a complete shift, but a recalibration. Across brands, the dominant approach today appears to be a hybrid one. An attempt to balance internal control with external expertise. At Dabur, for instance, the model is designed for seamless collaboration, where in-house teams work closely with marketing and brand functions while agency partners remain deeply embedded within the organisation.

A similar philosophy is visible at Kellanova. Sonam Pradhan, Head- Media, Kellanova (Kelloggs) describes it, the industry is witnessing a ‘pendulum swing’. From integration to silos and now towards a re-emergence of hybrid models. The focus here is on building internal media intelligence: data analytics, programmatic strategy, performance optimisation, while continuing to leverage agencies for planning scale and negotiation strength. In-housing may accelerate agility and transparency, she notes, but without external perspectives, it risks becoming insular.
Even brands that are significantly strengthening internal capabilities are not moving away from agencies entirely. Colgate-Palmolive India, for instance, is building out digital capabilities across content, data analytics, and performance marketing, with in-house teams handling high-frequency execution and first-party data strategy. Yet, agencies continue to play a crucial role in large-scale buying and global reach.

And then there are brands like Mondelēz, which, at least for now, are choosing to stay with a more traditional agency-led model. Anjali Krishnan, Head of Media, Mondelez India points out, the agency partnership offers visibility into broader market dynamics that are invaluable. It’s not just about execution or consultancy. It’s about an end-to-end strategic relationship that spans planning, implementation and measurement.

So where does this leave the industry? Somewhere in between. The future is not about choosing between ‘in-house’ or ‘out-source’. It is about ensuring that every capability sits where it can generate the most value. The separation of creative and media may have been driven by complexity and procurement, but the current shift suggests a desire to bring their thinking closer again, not necessarily under one roof, but through shared goals and unified strategies.

However, there is no single blueprint that works for every brand, no definitive answer on whether in-housing will dominate or whether agency partnerships will regain primacy. To truly decode where this ecosystem is headed, what brands are prioritising, and how media strategies are evolving in real time, we spoke to ten media leaders across some of India’s top brands.
In the following pages, they unpack the shifts shaping the future of media today, examining the challenges and opportunities that will define what comes next.