Your brand is your largest intangible asset, and having a capable in-house team to manage it and execute your marketing plan is essential for any organization. In fact, if you’re a publicly traded corporation and you’ve outsourced all your brand knowledge to an external agency, you’ve created an unnecessary risk.

This risk, combined with the cost-effectiveness of AI, the growth of internal data capabilities, the agility required for social media, and the increasing focus on employer branding, has fueled the trend toward larger in-house teams. For the most part, this is a positive development. You should know your brand better than anyone—but you must also be unafraid to confront your reflection.

That reflection can come from the general public, social media trolls, or your customers—the risky route taken by brands like Apple, Jaguar, Google, and Bumble in 2024.

If you haven’t seen the stumbles from these in-house teams, here’s a quick summary:

• Apple: A dramatic press event revealed a thin iPad but unintentionally “crushed humanity” in its messaging, leaving the public horrified.
• Jaguar: An esoteric fashion ad was shredded by social media trolls, leaving the brand with a creative fiasco that will likely become a “don’t do this” case study.
• Google: AI replaced a heartfelt moment of a daughter writing a letter to her Olympic hero, sparking public outrage and forcing an apology.
• Bumble: A misstep in suggesting celibacy was “not the answer” led to public backlash, a donation to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and pulled ads.

Four major brands, four epic mistakes—all within a single year. And notably, even Apple, which has historically been adept at reading the cultural room, stumbled. You could attribute these errors to the rise of social media trolls, the experimental use of AI in creative processes, or the heightened public sensitivity in an election year. But at their core, these failures illustrate the challenges of self-reflection without external input.

Here’s where Socrates offers some timeless wisdom:

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”

The same holds true for brands. Without external reflection, it’s extremely challenging to see your brand clearly. This is where external partners—creative agencies, consultants, and special projects teams—play a critical role. They balance and supplement in-house teams, not just by improving ideas but sometimes by challenging or even killing flawed concepts. As the saying goes, they help you see the forest for the trees—or, in Jaguar’s case, ensure you don’t burn the forest down while standing in it.

What to Expect from External Partners

Here are three key contributions you should expect—and reinforce—from your external partners:

1. Insight into Perception and Reality. Help your brand navigate the fast-moving river of cultural trends, steering toward opportunities and away from danger. External partners should assist in both micro- and macro-level planning, grounding their advice in current realities and cultural insights.
2. Unified Creative Team. Blur the lines between “client team” and “agency team.” Avoid even using those terms. External partners should supplement your team’s capacity, capability, and agility. They’re not above or below you—they’re alongside you.
3. The Value of Time and Wisdom. In a tumultuous era, discernment and deliberation are invaluable. Sometimes, pausing for just one more day can make all the difference. Wisdom—built on a knowledge of patterns—can guide your team away from the cliff when others are rushing to jump.

These principles should also guide how you select creative partners. Listen closely during pitches. Do they cut down clients to elevate their creativity? Are they particular about ownership, or do they emphasize collaboration? Have they delivered hard truths to previous clients, and how has that worked out?

A Real-World Example

We’ve seen the value of this approach firsthand. While working with Patagonia, we were tasked with researching a “moment of truth” in their purchasing process. Our findings revealed a macro trend: many people perceived Patagonia as a fashion brand. Internally, this was considered a slur—Patagonia prides itself on being a responsible, outdoor-focused brand, not a shallow, fashion-centric one.

Initially, our findings were met with silence, but soon they were embraced with gratitude. This honest reflection has since become the foundation of a long and fruitful partnership and friendship.

Looking Ahead

The future of external partnerships in the creative industry will be defined by how we handle this era of growing in-house capabilities. When approached as collaborative relationships, these partnerships can deliver powerful, valuable outcomes.

Choose your friends wisely.