A new study suggests that brands are questioning the value of hiring large agency networks amid rapid advances in communications technology. The survey from Mynewsdesk polled almost 200 marketing and communications professionals. 75% of respondents believe brands will question the value for money large agencies offer due to the results small agencies can achieve using communications technology. Respondents from the marketing sector are most cynical about large agencies,with 93.5% questioning their value for money, compared to 77% of PR respondents and 68% of comms pros. [caption id="attachment_2498" align="alignnone" width="647"]The results small agencies can achieve using communications technology will make brands question the value for money large agencies offer The results small agencies can achieve using communications technology will make brands question the value for money large agencies offer[/caption] Meanwhile, only 17% of respondents believe brands are currently getting value for money from using external agencies to manage their social media. Almost half (45%), furthermore, were undecided as to whether social media agencies offer value for money. Worryingly, one in four respondents thinks that impartial, independent journalism will die out as a paid profession within 50 years, with 10% believing it will die out in 10 years. Not that journalism skills will become less valuable. 48% of respondents expect employers will prioritise journalism skills over data analysis skills (26%) when recruiting communications employees. Most respondents (64.6%) predict that brands will bring content development in-house in the future rather than relying on external agencies, and that distinct marketing, PR and social media roles will merge into a single job title (54%). The research is released ahead of Mynewsdesk's #FutureComms14 conference in London next week.