WFA research reveals new trends showing how brands are responding to changes in content production

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A new report by the WFA has highlighted key changes in the way multinational brands are managing their content production needs.

Global Content Production 2025, conducted in partnership with the WFA’s global strategic production partner Claire Randall Consulting, identifies a variety of models being used by the world’s biggest companies as well as key changes since the last research was conducted in 2021.

Many advertisers appear to be re-evaluating their models, often operating more than one simultaneously. Respondents indicates that there is no single ideal approach and different content types and markets may require tailored solutions, often blending in-house and outsourced capabilities.

Two thirds of brands have changed their agency model in the last four years – with the practice of using out-sourced but on-site teams rising significantly and brands indicating that more changes are to come. It is possible that budget pressures and production complexity are driving renewed interest in centralisation, with potential wins in terms of control, asset consistency and improved visibility of both spend and ROI.

Network agencies continue to increase their share of production, in line with their stated ambitions; whilst independents’ share is dropping. Fully-owned in-housing models are declining, with out-sourced implanted on-site teams rising by a significant 66%. Offshoring, although small, is rising, particularly in transcreation. The biggest impact on production models is claimed to be internal factors, such as team resistance to change.

The benefits of decoupling seem to be lessening, although a third of brands are now building direct relationships with platforms.

Transparency concerns have dropped slightly, although there seems to be some confusion around competitive bidding, with some respondents not sure if an independent party is included when they triple bid.

The data also shows that production spend, as a percentage of overall marketing budgets, has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with an average of 19% of total marketing budgets invested in production, compared to 24% pre-pandemic.

The results are based on responses from 50 global brands, representing more than 10 different industry sectors. Most respondents were senior marketing procurement experts, 49% of them have a global strategic role.

“Many global brands have evolved their approach to content production in recent years, yet as our latest survey data suggests satisfaction remains mixed, indicating further changes ahead, particularly as AI accelerates transformation. This shift isn’t happening in isolation. Many organisations are navigating a broader restructuring to keep them competitive in an operating landscape that has never been more complex,” said Laura Forcetti, Director, Marketing Services Asia Pacific, and Global Sourcing, at WFA.

Brands are in the early stages of their GenAI journey, finding uses in animatics, translation, adaptation, and video/image editing. Transcription and post-production also rank highly. In translation, for example, usage has grown to 34%, with another 23% planning to adopt it soon. However, despite positive interest, progress is slow primarily due to concerns over legal considerations.

And as you would expect there is a massive rise in the amount of production resource devoted to social media. Nearly two-thirds of respondents expect to increase social media content production, a shift away from traditional advertising channels. In addition, the data indicates that more of this activity is being produced on-site by network agency implants.

“Brands are navigating the pressure to produce and deliver the required volume of content, often within constrained budgets and at greater speed. Clearly defined, centralised processes and fit-for-purpose technologies could support this. Advertisers also are re-evaluating their production models. However, resistance to change and other internal barriers remain key roadblocks, highlighting the increasing need to bring teams along on the journey,” said Claire Randall at Claire Randall Consulting.