Owning Your Own Technology and Ad Platforms: A Strategic Imperative for CMOs looking to build In-House Agencies

Are you a CMO? One of your most valuable assets is your marketing data. You should own your own platforms whether you’re in-housing or not.  

Do you own your own platforms? GA4, Google Ads, Search Console, LinkedIn Ad account, Meta Ad account and business manager, DV360, Your CRM services etc?

Not sure? We can help. 

Data should be a key driver for your marketing and business decisions. Owning your own data will enable you to uncover insights. More reliable data can increase operational efficiency and ROI. 

This article explores the strategic importance of owning your marketing technology stack and provides insights on how to effectively implement and manage these systems. 

The Case for Ownership  

Organisations that are highly data-driven are three times more likely to experience significant improvements in decision-making than those with less reliance on data. 

The advertising ecosystem is growing increasingly complex, with data privacy concerns, evolving consumer behaviours, and rapid technological advancements shaping the industry. In this context, owning your marketing technology and ad platforms offers significant strategic advantages. 

Benefits of Ownership  

The primary benefit of owning your platforms is full transparency and control. This visibility is not just about seeing results but understanding how they are achieved and capturing and transferring the data and insights to other areas of your marketing efforts. 

If you’re looking to In-House your agency function you can’t just own the platforms – you need the people and processes to go with it. 

You will need to account for all of the ‘hidden’ value an external agency has embedded in their teams – things like internal briefing processes, end to end technology integration and connectors, experience and expertise in getting the most out of the platforms, API hooks and scripts, creative testing frameworks, performance reporting and dashboarding, and economies of scale. 

Hybrid Model Collaboration  

Owning your own technology does not mean you can’t collaborate with external agencies – under a traditional or hybrid model.  

We recommend you take control of your data and platforms even if you are not planning to in-house the team around them.  

"CMOs must own their own data and platforms because it not only enhances transparency but also fosters genuine partnerships. True partners will add value through strategic insights and creative problem solving, not by hoarding data or restricting business growth opportunities. Good agency partners will ensure clients have unrestricted access to their own data, empowering them to make decisions that are best for their business." Joshua Barnes, Group Chief Executive - Consulting, Hopper Intelligence  

Owning your marketing platforms and technology doesn't isolate your brand from external agencies and support; rather, it sets the foundation for a productive partnership. You can share access to these platforms with your agency partners, ensuring they have the tools needed for collaboration without relinquishing control over critical decisions and changes. 

Critically, if you change or add agency specialists, your data and platforms stay with you.  

Understand and Own the Layers of fees 

Study your ad tech license agreements so that you understand your own fee structure of enterprise platforms. When working with an external agency, licence fees, platforms fees, tech fees and adserving fees may or may not have been broken out transparently for you. Once you own the technology, you will also own the fees and the invoices will come to you. Even if you’re planning to work under a hybrid agency model and an agency will manage platforms for you, you should understand the breakdown of media costs versus platform, tech and service fees that make up your total budget. 

Operational Dynamics  

Operational control of your platforms allows for a clear delineation of responsibilities. While both your team and external partners may have access for analysis and oversight, only one team should execute changes and updates. This may be an in-house team or an external partner, differing by platform.  

This setup prevents miscommunications and maintains integrity in your marketing executions. 

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Owning your own technology and ad platforms puts you in the driver's seat. It's a strategic move that not only enhances operational efficiency but also aligns with a smart, data-driven approach to marketing. 

If you’re not sure who owns your platforms and data or how you can gain control, we can help.