PITCHES: TO DO, NOT TO DO, AND HOW TO DO?

By GRAZIELA DI GIORGI -

When brands consider pitches, the first thing that comes to their mind is the great cost that the whole process implies. Brands need to be highly determined to make this decision and carry it out. The incumbent agency already will have a good knowledge of the brand’s business. Therefore, before taking the decision to change agencies, you must have a good understanding of the reason why you want to change. We will share with you below, from our experience, what the most commonly mentioned aspects are, further than general dissatisfaction with service. What do clients look for in selection processes? Why are they wanting to change?

In 99.9% of cases clients are looking for agencies that are more proactive and motivated to seek new opportunities to grow their businesses – ‘how’ comes later. And,  before approaching ‘how’ with the multiple combinations of possible touchpoints, it is increasingly clear that agencies must behave as brands’ true strategic partners – it’s not enough to develop nice campaigns. If the agency does not have a strong link with the brand’s real business, the relationship tends to weaken. For that very reason, we must begin from the principle that the solutions can be numerous and different. Innovation in the way of planning (as well as creating) channels should guide agencies to make brands appear naturally in people’s lives. Agency vision must always be people-centred. They should work creating differentiation, relevance and value for the brand, from the point of view of those who choose it.

However, behind the technical aspects, there are always human aspects. Client-agency relationships are B-2-B marriages, where behind every "B" we find teams of people. Therefore, it is a primarily a personal relationship. As in a real marriage, there are highs and lows, and it is critical to decide whom we want to overcome the lows with.

And how do we choose the ideal partner? If we want to understand all their capabilities, it is essential to experience the whole process, instead of just being presented with a creative output. At SCOPEN we have developed a method that focuses, principally, on analysing more how to arrive at a solution, rather than the final solution itself. In this way, we aim to balance both the technical aspects with the human aspects in a joint workshop. The Inside-Out model simulates a real work situation between the client and agency, and gives the client the opportunity to see what the agency has in its core – its people and processes. In this exercise it is possible to identify the key aspects that build longer lasting relationships, such as the chemistry between the teams, the integration among agency professionals, the work processes, the involvement and motivation levels, the creative and collaborative potential, and the professionals’ strategic thinking. It is a method that values the agency from the inside out – and that's why it's more realistic. And if we take into account all these aspects, relationships have greater possibilities of being happy and long lasting.

@grgiorgi

Published in NEWSLETTER #1 / 2019