Sometimes this is the response we get after a sales and planning call with a potential client. And maybe—not a popular opinion among agencies—sometimes brands really do come out ahead when they take on experiential marketing programs internally. But other times, it’s a complete disaster.
So how do you know which direction you should go: agency or internal?
Use the questions below to help you think through the decision.
- What is the realistic number of hours this event will take to plan?
A simple sampling at a couple of local gyms may take an hour or two to plan and a few hours to find a staff member. But a sponsorship activation at a HYROX, marathon, or music festival may take 150+ hours once you factor in contract negotiation, booth design, hiring staff, booking travel, creating training materials, sourcing giveaways…the list goes on.
Try your best to come up with a realistic estimate—then double it. That’s probably closer to the truth.
- Does your team have the bandwidth to plan the event successfully?
Once you consider the hours needed to plan the activation plus on-site hours, evaluate whether your internal team has the bandwidth to bring your vision to life. If your internal team is already stretched thin, adding an event to their workload can tank quality fast.
A great activation planned by an exhausted team won’t land the way you want.
- What is the opportunity cost of executing the event internally?
If your team dedicates time to this project, it’s pulling from something else. That “something else” may be more profitable, more strategic, or more urgent. Time isn’t free. Even “free” internal labor has a cost. Factoring in that cost is a critical step in the evaluation process.
- Do you have internal team members with the right strengths?
Even if your team has bandwidth, they may not have the specialized skills needed—especially if experiential marketing is a new territory for your brand. Project management, creative ideation, vendor negotiation, talent staffing, consumer engagement strategy…these aren’t always natural strengths for traditional marketing or sales teams. We’ve seen this bite our clients time and again – a Director of Marketing whose strengths lie in hacking algorithms and maximizing keywords is suddenly responsible for crafting engaging in-person brand experiences… and it doesn’t translate.
- How high are the stakes?
This is the question many brands overlook. A small, low-risk activation may be the perfect project for an internal team dipping their toes into experiential marketing. But if the event is high-profile, expensive, tied to major KPIs, or happening in front of thousands of consumers, the margin for error shrinks dramatically.
If the stakes are high, partnering with an agency can prevent painful mistakes and ensure the experience matches the brand.
So…agency or internal?
We’ve seen both scenarios play out, and the brands that choose wisely see dramatically smoother execution and stronger results.
There’s no universal right answer. Some brands thrive with an internal team running small or regional activations. Others see far better ROI, creativity, and consumer engagement when partnering with an agency that lives and breathes experiential marketing every day.
The key is asking the right questions upfront, and being honest about your team’s time, skills, and priorities.
If you want support thinking through an upcoming activation, we’re always happy to help you weigh the options (even if the right answer isn’t us).
