Advertisers, brands pledge to tackle systemic pitching behaviour
By Zion Rufus
In an effort to focus on making the pitching process more accountable and responsible for both advertisers and agencies, over 70 companies have pledged their commitment to address systemic pitching behaviours.
The companies which include Samsung, Nestle, PwC, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis·Poke, Starcom, Zenith, Omnicom Media Group and many more agreed that historically, pitch guides have focused on the process and ‘how to’ of pitching and have lacked the consideration of both human and environmental costs.
Introduced by IPA and ISBA, the initiative aims to drive better outcomes including more transparency and better mental wellbeing, resulting in better quality work, fewer costs and less wastage.
IPA President and Vice Chairman & International CEO, VCCP, Julian Douglas said: “The Pitch Positive Pledge isn’t a marketing tool. It is a call for a change in behaviour across the industry. In tandem, we hope it will lead to better wealth for their businesses by cutting down on unnecessary waste, in terms of resources, time and energy.”
When pitching for a prospective account, agencies would use portfolio, slides, video, storyboard and other channels to review their organizational set-up, result for other clients, types of accounts, experience of personnel, specializations, and any other information pertinent to winning the account.
In an interview with MARKETING EDGE, Chief Executive Officer, 7even Interactive Limited, an award-winning marketing and creative advertising agency, Taiwo Agboola pointed that there was no monetary value that could be pegged or used to qualify the concepts, intellectual property and the efforts channeled towards the success of a pitch as “you can’t pay enough for concept”.
Duncan Wood, Managing Partner, Ingenuity explained: “No one sets out to run a bad pitch, everyone involved does it with the best intentions of getting a good result. What’s great about the Pitch Positive Pledge is that it encourages all sides to stop and think about their behaviour, before, during and after a pitch and adjust how they behave accordingly. This can only lead to happier people, less waste and a great output. That’s something we are very happy to support.”
In an article titled “Pitching in a world that sets you up for failure”, the pitching process was rightly described as a delicate dance between client and agency. It has its steps, its moments of push and pull and, if you’re lucky, it ends with a flourish. But both clients and agencies have responsibilities when it comes to pitching and, if these responsibilities aren’t taken seriously, projects with the potential for success are instead destined to fail. By mismanaging the process and not having the right people in the right room at the right time, clients step on their partners’ toes and run the risk of ruining the entire dance.
Charlie Martyn, Global Client Development Director, Wunderman Thompson said: “Pitching at its best is brilliant. It brings amazing minds together, leads to business-changing ideas and helps our people grow. But at its worst, it can be hugely inefficient and costly. Particularly to our main asset: our people.”
The Pitch Positive pledge details the core commitments agencies and clients must adhere to and outlines the various considerations they must take into account during the three stages of the pitch process – before, during and after.
Before a pitch, the advertiser will be positive a pitch is necessary and will provide a written statement clearly setting out why; during the pitch, the advertiser will consider the implications of the requirements it asks the agency to fulfil during the pitch. Meanwhile, the agency will consider both the interest of their client and the wellbeing of their people throughout the process.
After the pitch, win or lose, the advertiser will inform the agency of the pitch outcome directly and provide feedback on their performance. Meanwhile for agencies, win or lose, they will accept the client’s decision and provide feedback on how well their team handled the pitch and adhered to the Pledge.
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