Why Working with a Full-Service Marketing Agency Beats Going In-House

Why Working with a Full-Service Marketing Agency Beats Going In-House

When it comes to scaling your brand’s digital presence, many businesses face a common dilemma: should you build your capabilities in-house or partner with a full-service marketing agency?

While having an internal team may seem cost-effective or more controllable on the surface, it rarely delivers the depth, speed, and strategic oversight needed to drive meaningful results at scale. That’s where working with a modern, full-service digital marketing agency can provide a major advantage.

At Bench Media, we’ve spent over a decade helping brands accelerate growth through smart media planning, buying, and performance optimisation. Here’s why more marketers are choosing to outsource – and why it might be the right move for your business too.

1. Access to Broader Expertise and Experience

A full-service marketing agency brings together cross-functional specialists, from media strategists and campaign planners to data analysts and platform experts. It’s difficult (and expensive) to replicate this kind of team in-house.

Agencies work across multiple industries and brands, meaning they’re constantly learning, adapting, and innovating. You benefit from this cumulative experience, without having to hire 10 different roles internally.

Example: At Bench, our team runs thousands of campaigns annually through search engine marketing; display, video, audio, CTV, BVOD, and paid social. That breadth of data and insight means we know what works, and what doesn’t, faster than most internal teams can test.

2. Faster Execution and Scalability

Speed matters in digital marketing. Whether you’re launching a product, capitalising on a trend, or scaling campaigns nationally, time is money. An agency can move fast because execution is their core business, not an internal side project.

When working with a digital marketing company like Bench Media, you gain access to established workflows, platform relationships (DSPs, publishers, ad networks) and tools that are already in place. This reduces your time-to-market significantly.

3. Better Technology Without the Overhead

The best agencies invest in best-in-class platforms and tools such as ad-servers, reporting dashboards, creative testing tools and more. Buying and managing this tech stack internally is expensive and resource-intensive.

When you work with a digital marketing agency, you’re getting access to these tools as part of the service. You also benefit from their ability to integrate campaign performance into your CRM, sales funnels, and internal dashboards.

4. Objective, Data-Led Strategy

In-house teams often operate with bias, favouring legacy channels or previous strategies due to internal politics or siloed data. A marketing agency provides objective thinking grounded in performance data, not assumptions.

Agencies are also held to results. Bench Media, for example, builds every campaign with a clear focus on ROI, optimising media spend across channels to deliver outcomes, not just activity.

5. Flexibility as Your Needs Evolve

Hiring a full team internally can lock you into fixed capabilities. But digital marketing is constantly evolving. As your needs change – new audiences, product launches, channel shifts – your agency can adapt faster.

Bench Media’s flexible structure means we can pivot quickly. Need to add CTV or retail media to your mix? Looking to test audio or cinema advertising? We already have the capabilities and partners in place to move when you do.

6. Cost Efficiency Over the Long Term

While hiring in-house may seem cheaper on paper, the true cost of talent, tools, training, and slower performance adds up fast. Working with an online marketing agency provides cost certainty and typically leads to better returns.

You also avoid the sunk cost of underperforming hires or redundant platforms – your agency takes on the operational risk.

Final Word: Why Smart Brands Choose Digital Marketing Companies

A great marketing strategy is part science, part execution – and it’s harder than ever to keep up with the pace of change. That’s why partnering with a results-driven digital marketing agency like Bench Media makes sense for brands who want scale, speed, and smarter outcomes.

If your current internal team is stretched or your campaigns aren’t hitting performance goals, it might be time to reconsider your model. Let’s talk about how we can help you unlock more impact.

1024 1024 Shai Luft

Shai Luft

Shai brings over 25 years of marketing expertise, specialising in data-led strategies that drive business growth. His career began in senior marketing roles at leading telecommunications companies, including TPG, Optus, and Telstra, where he gained deep industry insights and refined his strategic approach. In 2012, Shai co-founded Bench Media, an independent media agency renowned for its innovative media planning and buying capabilities. He has since consulted for a diverse range of B2C and B2B brands and served as a board advisor to ASX-listed companies. Shai holds a Bachelor of Commerce from UNSW, with a double major in Marketing and International Business. He has a strong affinity for brands in the automotive, finance, and utilities sectors, where he applies his strategic acumen to deliver impactful marketing solutions.

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SHAI LUFT - CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Meet Shai Luft, a senior marketing executive with a proven track record of delivering results for Australia’s largest ASX200-listed companies

Chief Operating Officer

Shai Luft

Meet Shai Luft, a senior marketing executive with a proven track record of delivering results for Australia’s largest ASX200-listed companies. Despite his success, Shai was frustrated by the amount of red tape and bureaucracy that held back marketing innovation. That’s why he co-founded Bench in 2012. As the driving force behind Bench’s operations, Shai is committed to empower marketers with the agility and control they need to achieve their best results.

ORI GOLD - CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER An ad tech and martech expert. Driven by the frustration of everyday marketers facing a lack of control and accessibility, Ori co-founded Bench in 2012 to revolutionise the digital advertising landscape.

Chief Executive Officer

Ori Gold

Meet Ori Gold, an ad tech and martech expert. Driven by the frustration of everyday marketers facing a lack of control and accessibility, Ori co-founded Bench in 2012 to revolutionise the digital advertising landscape. Heading the talented and forward-thinking team at Bench, Ori is the driving force behind the company’s strategic and product vision. Thanks to Ori’s leadership, Bench has become one of the most respected and successful digital agencies in Australia.

GENERAL MANAGER LIAM GARRATT Meet Liam Garratt, the creative mind behind Bench’s top-notch products and services. With a career in digital media spanning over a decade, Liam has made a name for himself as a leader in the industry.

General Manager

Liam Garratt

Meet Liam Garratt, the creative mind behind Bench’s top-notch products and services. With a career in digital media spanning over a decade, Liam has made a name for himself as a leader in the industry. He got his start in 2011 working for UK-based programmatic platform Crimtan, where he played a key role in launching the company’s Australian office. In 2017, Liam brought his expertise to Bench, where he now leads the Product & Services functions. Liam is passionate about delivering only the highest quality products and services to Bench’s clients. His commitment to excellence is the foundation of Bench’s stellar reputation.

VP OF GROWTH ANTHONY FARGEOT Meet Anthony Fargeot, the pioneer behind Bench’s growth and success. Joining Bench in its infancy in 2013, Anthony’s experience with high-growth start-ups gave him the skills to help Bench become one of the most successful digital agencies in Australia.

VP of Growth

Anthony Fargeot

Meet Anthony Fargeot, the pioneer behind Bench’s growth and success. Joining Bench in its infancy in 2013, Anthony’s experience with high-growth start-ups gave him the skills to help Bench become one of the most successful digital agencies in Australia. As Head of Client Services and then Director of Operations, Anthony led Bench through its highest growth period. Today, as VP of Growth, Anthony uses his creative thinking and strategic insights to always look for new and innovative ways to help Bench stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing digital landscape.