Overview:
During Advertising Week, Gary Vaynerchuk and PepsiCo’s Mark Kirkham joined Adweek’s Jenny Rooney to discuss how in-housing and agency collaboration are transforming brand marketing. Their conversation, “The New Alliance,” outlined how partnership, not separation, drives innovation and long-term success.
NEW YORK, N.Y. — The advertising world is entering a new chapter—one defined not by separation, but by collaboration. At Advertising Week, one of the industry’s most anticipated panels, “The New Alliance: Forging Collaborative Teams in the In-Housing Age,” brought together leading voices to explore how the relationship between in-house and agency teams is evolving.
Featuring Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia; Mark Kirkham, Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo U.S. Beverages; and moderated by Jenny Rooney, Chief Brand and Community Officer at Adweek, the discussion centered on a single, transformative idea: the future of marketing isn’t about choosing between in-house or outsourced work — it’s about combining both.
“The future of marketing isn’t in-house or outsourced—it’s both,” said Gary Vaynerchuk. “The brands that will win are the ones that operate as one team, without silos, driven by shared goals.”
This conversation couldn’t be more timely. Across industries, brands are building internal marketing capabilities at a rapid pace. Yet, instead of signaling the end of agency partnerships, this shift is giving rise to a new collaborative model—one where internal and external teams work side by side, accountable to the same metrics and aligned under the same vision.
Mark Kirkham emphasized that for PepsiCo’s portfolio—home to brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lipton Iced Tea, and Starbucks RTD Beverages—innovation thrives when teams integrate rather than isolate.
“It’s not about replacing partners,” Kirkham explained. “It’s about embedding them—creating one agile team that’s built on trust, speed, and shared purpose.”
Jenny Rooney, guiding the discussion, highlighted how this alliance-driven approach mirrors a larger cultural shift in marketing leadership. “The ecosystem of brand-building is expanding,” she noted. “True creativity and performance now come from collaboration that transcends job titles and company walls.”
Key Takeaways:
- Break down silos. Collaboration requires transparency, communication, and equal ownership across both in-house and agency teams.
- Leverage complementary expertise. Internal teams bring brand insight; external partners contribute specialized skill and scale.
- Measure success together. Unified metrics drive accountability and ensure innovation is tracked and celebrated jointly.
About the Speakers
Gary Vaynerchuk — Entrepreneur, investor, and CEO of VaynerMedia, Gary Vaynerchuk (widely known as GaryVee) has become one of the most influential voices in marketing and digital culture. As Chairman of VaynerX and creator of VeeFriends, his approach connects business strategy with cultural relevance. Vaynerchuk has been an early investor in major platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Venmo, and Uber.
Mark Kirkham — As Chief Marketing Officer for PepsiCo U.S. Beverages, Kirkham leads strategy for a $27 billion portfolio that includes some of the world’s most iconic brands. With over 15 years at PepsiCo, his experience spans North America, Western Europe, and global brand initiatives like the Pepsi Taste Challenge and UEFA Champions League partnership.
Jenny Rooney — Chief Brand and Community Officer at Adweek, Rooney is a veteran business journalist and industry connector. She has interviewed hundreds of CMOs, built influential programs like Marketing Vanguard, and continues to shape the conversation around leadership and innovation in marketing.
Conclusion:
At its core, The New Alliance represents a redefinition of what partnership means in the creative industry. The takeaway from Vaynerchuk, Kirkham, and Rooney’s conversation is simple but profound: the strongest marketing strategies are born when teams merge mindsets, share ownership, and move forward together.
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