Before it does, brands must determine how much they financially benefit from external agencies’ relationships with publishers and their negotiating power, often called “buying clout.”

Since most marketers correctly recognize media buying as a highly-technical job, the industry has a relatively limited understanding of how media practitioners actually work. If they plan to build successful in-house media practices, marketers must also bridge that knowledge gap and provide in-house media employees with the learning and tools they need to succeed in complex roles.