Former Chief Executive Officer of TBWA\Concept Unit and former President of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, AAAN, Kelechi Nwosu, has challenged the culture of competitive pitching in Nigeria’s advertising industry, describing the practice as unnecessary and, in many cases, humiliating for established agencies.

Speaking on MARKETING EDGE’s Industry Conversation, Nwosu said clients seeking an advertising agency should focus more on the agency’s proven work, pedigree, people and processes instead of demanding elaborate speculative pitches.

He argued that an agency with a strong reputation and proven track record should not have to repeatedly stand before prospective clients to prove its creative worth.

Nwosu said: “The stars don’t audition,” stressing that agencies should be treated as intellectual property owners whose expertise and previous work should form the basis of meaningful client conversations.

According to him, the traditional pitch process often requires agencies to invest significant time, resources and intellectual effort developing strategic and creative solutions before knowing whether the work will even be valued or used.

He recalled instances where agencies were asked to develop broad strategic approaches only for clients to subsequently focus on selected creative executions and request modifications, effectively turning the pitch into unpaid creative work.

For Nwosu, such practices weaken the value of professional expertise and create an unhealthy power imbalance between agencies and clients.

He said a better approach would be for clients to study an agency’s portfolio, understand its capabilities and engage its team directly on how it would approach a business challenge.

“See the work we’ve done, see the people, see the process, look at their pedigree, and then you go and ask us questions,” he said, arguing that agencies can demonstrate their thinking and point of view without producing an entire campaign on speculation.

The former AAAN president also questioned why advertising agencies are expected to pitch in ways that other professional advisers are not. He drew comparisons with professions such as law and medicine, arguing that clients do not normally demand that lawyers or doctors provide complete solutions before they are engaged.

Nwosu believes the advertising industry must therefore rethink the value it places on its own intellectual and creative contribution. For him, the issue is bigger than pitching. It is about value, respect and the relationship between clients and agencies.

He maintained that when clients genuinely value an agency’s expertise, the relationship should begin with dialogue, mutual respect and a clear understanding of the business problem rather than an elaborate contest for the account.

Nwosu acknowledged that agencies themselves have contributed to the problem by repeatedly accepting unreasonable pitch demands.He said agencies must become more confident in the value they bring to the table and be prepared to walk away from processes that undermine their professional worth.

His position signals a growing argument within Nigeria’s advertising sector for a shift from speculative pitching towards relationship driven agency selection, proven capability and paid strategic engagement.