86% of brands say in-house media matches or beats agency rates as majority plan to scale teams

New IHAC and -lution report reveals in-house media agencies are now a strategic default not a trend.

New research from the In-House Agency Council (IHAC) and consultancy -lution has revealed that 86% of brands believe their in-house media agency rates are as good as or better than those of external agencies, signalling a major shift in confidence and capability across the region.

The findings come from the newly released report “Owning the Advantage: In-House Media’s Path from Pilot to Powerhouse”, which tracks the rise of in-house media agencies (IHAs) across Australia and New Zealand. The 2025 results show 61% of IHAs plan to grow the size or scope of their teams in the next 12 months – a clear sign the model is moving from niche to norm.

Mike Worden, Partner & Chief Media Officer at -lution and Chair of the IHAC Media Strategic Group, says: “For years, agency pricing was the main reason brands hesitated to bring media in-house. But with 86% of brands now reporting that their in-house teams match or beat agency rates, that argument no longer holds. Today, growth is driven not by cost, but by speed, accountability, and the ability to turn insight into action without friction. In-house media has evolved from an experiment into a true operating advantage.”

Mike Worden – Partner & Chief Media Officer at -lution and Chair of the IHAC Media Strategic Group.

Additional insights from the report include:

• In-house teams now manage an average of 60% of media budgets, a figure sustained over three years
• 84% of respondents still work with at least one external partner, underscoring the strength of hybrid models
• 45% of IHAs have already invested in new digital campaign optimisation tools, with a further 20% planning to do so
• Interest in attention measurement and audience consumption tools has risen +11% year-on-year

The report is based on responses from 30 qualified brand-side marketing leaders representing a diverse range of media investment levels from under $1 million to over $100 million annually. Compiled over three years (2023 to 2025), the research offers a rare multi-year view into the evolving structure and strategy of in-house media teams in the region.

Worden adds: “The most important signal in the data isn’t just that in-housing works – it’s that it’s stabilising. Teams aren’t yo-yoing in and out of models anymore. They’re refining, professionalising and compounding advantage over time. That’s a sign the model has proven itself.”

This is the first time IHAC and -lution have made this research publicly available, providing benchmarks and practical insights for marketing and media leaders at every stage of their in-housing journey from pilot to powerhouse.

About the research

“Owning the Advantage: In-House Media’s Path from Pilot to Powerhouse” draws on three years of IHAC’s In-House Media Survey (2023 to 2025), conducted in partnership with marketing consultancy -lution. The 2025 dataset includes 30 brand-side responses across a spectrum of media investment levels, providing insights relevant to both enterprise and mid-market brands.

Download the whitepaper here.