Brands are falling back in love with ad agencies

Good morning and welcome to Insider Advertising for March 8. I'm senior advertising reporter Lauren Johnson, and here's what's going on:

• Agencies see a bright spot.
• Ebony magazine returns.
• Mars eyes DTC.

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Tips, comments, suggestions? Drop me a line at LJohnson@insider.com or on Twitter at @LaurenJohnson.

The pandemic is putting huge pressure on brands, and it's causing them to fall back in love with traditional ad agencies

• Brands including J Crew and Splenda are shifting back to ad agencies in bright spot for the ad industry, reports Lindsay Rittenhouse.
• The pandemic put pressure on brands to cut costs and gain intel on competitors, and in-housing is costly.
• But the in-housing trend isn't going away entirely.

Read the story.

The return of Ebony magazine: After a $14 million buyout, its new millennial owner talks a historic relaunch

• Under new ownership, Ebony magazine has officially relaunched.
• Dominic-Madori Davis spoke with its new owner is 34-year-old Eden Bridgeman, daughter of businessman Junior Bridgeman.
• Ebony was founded in 1945 by publisher John Johnson and during the 1960s, the publication earned acclaim for its coverage of the civil rights movement. Ebony's diminutive, sister magazine, Jet, was founded in 1951 by Johnson.

Read the story.

Mars's new head of pet care in North America explains his plan to take on DTC rivals like Ollie, Jinx, and The Farmer's Dog

• Alex Bitter spoke with Ikdeep Singh, who started as Mars's president of petcare in North America last month.
• He manages pet food brands like Iams and Cesar, which give Mars a lead in the pet food space.
• Mars is trying to do offer more fresh pet foods as it competes with direct-to-consumer upstarts.

Read the story.

More stories we're reading:

• Inside Apple's ambitious next decade, where it could redefine consumer tech with a VR headset, foldable iPhone, and even an Apple Car (Insider)
• The top creator economy moves of the week, from new hires at XX Artists and A3 to investors pouring millions into livestreaming startups (Insider)
• Saks Fifth Avenue's decision to split off its e-commerce business is 'completely at odds' with how people shop, according to a retail analyst (Insider)
• Gannett to sell ads on Snapchat to local businesses in digital marketing collaboration (USA Today)
• Reddit hires former Snap CFO as it mulls IPO (Variety)
• CNN and New York Times plan documentary series on Rupert Murdoch (Bloomberg)

Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow! You can reach me in the meantime at LJohnson@insider.com and subscribe to this daily email here.