Talent is the Real Battlefront in Agency VS In-house Debate

When your brand needs to ramp up marketing, the question you must answer is about talent—not agency vs. in-house—writes HATCH CEO & Founder Jennifer Harrington in SmartBrief.

Freelancers now represent over 50% of the creative workforce in marketing and advertising, per a 2023 Upwork study. Whether inside or out, on payroll or on contract, brands are pulling from the same pool of creative, strategic and operational talent to solve different needs.

In this new reality, choosing the right model isn’t about loyalty to a structure — it’s about being smart, nimble and honest about what your brand needs in the moment. It’s about team composition, not talent acquisition.