By Dan Birks, Chief Growth Officer, ITG powered by Storyteq

The toughest part of transforming the way a brand works rarely sits in the technology stack or the operating model. It sits in mindset.

Many of the brand teams we work with are built on instinct and experience. Ways of working evolve organically and often live in people’s heads rather than in clearly documented systems. That familiarity can drive speed and confidence, until the environment changes faster than the habits supporting it.

Today, that environment is shifting at pace. Content volumes are rising. Channels continue to multiply. Expectations – from customers, internal stakeholders, and leadership – keep accelerating. Add AI into the mix, and we’re no longer talking about gradual evolution.

So the real question becomes: how do in-house teams unite around new ways of working and technologies without breaking what already works?

In most cases, the answer isn’t to rip everything out and start again. It’s to bring clarity, alignment, and intent to the change that follows.

Change doesn’t start with tools. It starts with understanding.

When we step into a new partnership, in-house or otherwise, our first priority isn’t to prescribe answers. It’s to understand what’s really happening.

How does work move through the organisation day to day? Where does it slow down, and where does it rely on individual heroics? Who feels the pressure most acutely? And which ways of working are intentionally designed versus those that simply evolved over time?

In many organisations, processes exist simply because they always have. They were built for a different scale, a different channel mix, and a different pace. As new demands emerge, complexity starts to creep in. Platforms are added rather than replaced, ownership becomes blurred, and valuable data gets trapped in silos. Over time, coordination begins to fray, often long before it’s explicitly acknowledged.

The instinctive response in these moments is often to introduce new tools quickly, particularly in an AI-powered world where automation promises immediate gains. But technology on its own doesn’t create momentum. Without a fully aligned approach based on ecosystems, it can just introduce more noise and point solutions.

Real change happens when teams feel listened to and involved. That means engaging stakeholders early, being deliberate about communication, and designing solutions that respond directly to real frustrations, not assumed ones. It also means being clear about what will change, what won’t, and why.

Whether we’re embedding ourselves as an in-house agency, or working as an external extension of the existing team, our solutions centre around our Halo Content model – how do we enable great ‘hero’ ideas, and translate them into effective Halo Content that connects impactfully on every channel and with every customer on an individual level?

The answer to that question is slightly different for every brand, which is why we ensure each client gets a bespoke blend of human expertise, AI and automation that’s tailored to the precise needs and challenges of their marketing operations.

The objective isn’t disruption for its own sake. It’s forward progress, built in true partnership on a bedrock of trust.

Bringing clarity to the chaos

There are two forces that consistently determine whether transformation succeeds or stalls: people and cohesion.

First, people.

Change only really scales when teams believe it works for them. That takes open communication, shared language, and a genuine willingness to meet teams where they are – not where we might ideally like them to be. When people clearly understand how new ways of working help them move faster, focus more sharply, or have greater impact, resistance naturally starts to soften. Momentum follows.

The second force is cohesion, particularly through technology.

Most teams don’t struggle because they lack tools. Often it’s a case of too many of the wrong tools, acting in isolation. Planning happens in one place. Briefing in another. Production somewhere else again. Activation and optimisation sit downstream, and it becomes near impossible to link everything together without speed, cost, quality and consistency suffering.

This is where a Content Marketing Platform (CMP) plays a critical role – not as another system to manage, but as the unifying backbone of the operating model.

By bringing people, platforms, data, processes, content, and AI into a single connected ecosystem, a CMP creates a shared source of truth and a real ecosystem.

Teams can plan, brief, produce, distribute, and optimise through one coherent platform. Visibility improves. Dependencies become clearer. Decision-making speeds up.

Just as importantly, this kind of infrastructure is what allows AI to deliver meaningful value. There’s understandable excitement about what AI can do, but far less focus on the foundations that need to be in place for it to work effectively.

AI doesn’t solve chaos – it scales whatever foundation you give it. Without clean data, consistent ways of working, and connected systems, it simply becomes another layer of complexity. With the right backbone in place, AI becomes a multiplier, accelerating what already works and unlocking new efficiencies at scale.

A case in point: Waitrose x ITG

“The big win with ITG is the chemistry. It’s a group of people that connect with you, want to drive what you’re trying to achieve. They do it with a smile on their face, with energy behind it, and it’s just a really easy, pleasurable experience.” Murray Stevens, Head of Creative & Content at Waitrose

Waitrose is one of the country’s most iconic retail brands. But even iconic organisations aren’t immune to operational strain.

Like many large businesses, Waitrose was grappling with traditional ways of working at a time when content demand was increasing rapidly. New channels, higher expectations for relevance, and greater pressure on budgets were stretching its marketing operations. The brief was simple to articulate but complex to deliver: more content, of higher quality, delivered faster – and for less.

This wasn’t a challenge that could be solved through incremental change. It required a fundamental rethink of the operating model.

Waitrose went to market looking for a partner to help lead a genuine transformation, putting the right infrastructure in place to support a significant change in not just operations, but mindset.

Today, ITG manages Waitrose’s content production through a dedicated inhouse studio model – blended with technology enablement and UK-based central teams. However, the most significant change sits beneath the surface.

Multiple platforms were consolidated into a streamlined ecosystem, to create a more joined-up, data-informed way of working. Fragmented ways of working were replaced with a scalable model designed to flex with both current and future demand. Supplier management became more strategic, spend was optimised, and teams gained clearer opportunities to grow and develop.

Culture played a central role throughout.

Transformation at this scale only works when values align. A shared emphasis on collaboration, kindness, and ambition helped build trust during periods of significant change. That trust made it possible to move from slow, manual, legacy processes towards a more innovation-led approach – without losing the brand’s distinctive character.

This wasn’t only about efficiency in the short term. It was a longer-term aim to future- proof Waitrose’s model.

Waitrose moved from lagging behind competitors to building a platform designed to support lasting leadership in creative output and marketing operations, with the flexibility to evolve as expectations continue to rise.

“They’ve really spent a lot of time getting to know us, getting to know our ways of working. But I think mostly because both of our businesses are so people focused, it’s one big partnership.” Aisling Bourne, Creative Operations Manager at Waitrose.

What marketing leaders can take away

Every organisation is different, but the patterns are familiar. Successful transformation rarely starts with a toolset. It starts with clarity of intent. That means being honest about current reality, aligning teams around a shared definition of success, and having the discipline to build strong foundations before scaling ambition.

For leaders navigating this moment, several principles consistently stand out:

• Design for cohesion, not perfection. Connected systems outperform isolated excellence.
• Treat technology as an enabler, not the strategy itself.
• Prepare for AI by fixing the foundations – data, ways of working, and governance matter more than hype.
• Anchor change in culture. Technology is the tool, but it’s the people using it that will drive the transformation.

The pressure on inhouse agencies isn’t going away. If anything, it will intensify. But so will the opportunity.

With the right operating model, the right AI-powered infrastructure, and a shared sense of purpose, inhouse teams can move faster, scale more intelligently, and deliver greater value than ever before.

The challenge isn’t whether change is coming. It’s whether we choose to lead it – together.