CMOs are contemplating ditching the pitch.
To ensure less wastage of resources, the new way of agency selection is a shorter, cheaper and more selective process as revealed by marketers on stage at AdNews’ Adelaide L!VE.
“I think pitches are largely for idiots - it's a really good way to lose a whole bunch of momentum," RAA CMO Michael Healy said.
“Much like the talent conversation, by the time you decide [on the winning agency], you probably should have already changed the team.
“So I tend to think they're a waste of time - all I want is great creative work."
Healy thinks the current pitch process doesn't create a true partnership between the agency and the client as way too many clients blame the agency for its problems.
For example, if sales performance is down a client may blame the creative agency's work instead of its own brand strategy.
As a result, Healy "wants RAA to become really good at strategy ourselves so we can be really clear with our agencies on what it is that we're trying to achieve.
“And then we can say to the agency, what we want from you is fantastic media planning and great creativity - don't worry about the rest of the strategies because if the strategy is wrong, that's our fault, not yours.”
Justine Lally, Journey Beyond marketing and communications general manager, also used a very narrow and selective pitch process about two years ago.
“We kept the process pretty tight to three agencies that we had done extensive research on and invited them to come in to talk and give feedback," Lally said.
Both RAA and Journey Beyond ran their pitches independently instead of through a pitch doctor.
“If you know who you're going to give the business to, don't waste everybody else's time,” Healy said.
"It happens all the time and causes every other client disadvantages and the morale of agencies are completely shot. Everybody knew what was going to happen anyway.
“So my preference tends to be that the incumbent can get a run and then there are one or two others you are probably going to give it to - so you should just hurry up and give it to them.”
From a design perspective, AADC co-president and Sector7g creative director, Nic Eldridge said he is very anti-pitch.
“That could be because we have smaller budgets to work with and there's not a lot of opportunity to make up the shortfall of losing pitchers,” Eldridge said.
“But I also think it's a really bad way of going about the work we do - it turns a strategic approach into a declaration.
“Where [an agency is] trying to impress people with pizazz, fashion and decor rather than the actual strategy.”
#L!VE Adelaide is powered by co-curators AADC, AMC. Supporting partners Boomtown, CARAT, NINE. Hospitality partner StackAdapt. And associate partners MiQ, Solstice Media.
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