Dive Brief: 

• Insurance provider Progressive has found a way to bypass agencies and invest in programmatic, data, and analytics systems of its own — working directly with ad-tech firm Turn. 
• Progressive isn't the only brand building in-house tech: The Gap, Geico, Netflix, and AT&T have all invested in their own programmatic platforms. 
• The nature of programmatic makes it fairly easy to manage internally and brands benefit by being able to hold onto first-party data. 

Dive Insight: 

Companies that have the capital to build their own programmatic platforms could certainly benefit. Agencies may be in trouble if too many brands find out it's easier to manage without them. With a $5 million estimated price tag, it won't be something all brands are willing to invest in.