The past couple of years have seen a sharp rise in the number of brands looking to develop creative infrastructure of their own. Tech companies and management consultancies are also gradually implementing their own creative services to work with brands. There are various reasons for this, including the fact that traditional advertising agencies still struggle to offer solutions that are not purely advertising or communications-related. However, brands are still working out the most effective models. As Pepsi’s recent calamity featuring Kendall Jenner showed, going it alone is not easy. Would a combination of in-house and external creative direction have saved it? At the same time, tech companies/consultancies have a lot to offer when it comes to brand experience, but developing effective communications is quite another challenge. We will explore the scope of the roles of these new creative stakeholders and how brands can use them to their best advantage.