Confessions of a Marketer Part 1: What I LOVE & HATE about the Creative Agency Pitch
As a seasoned marketer, I certainly have sat through my fair share of creative agency pitches. While there have been pitches that have left me really impressed and excited, there have also been pitches that have left me asking if I can ever get that hour of my life back.
Thinking about the highs and lows of different pitches I’ve experienced, I’ve put together a list of what I have frankly hated, but also what has completely knocked my socks off.
So, putting the bad news first, the first section of my 2-part blog series will share what I hate when creative agencies do during pitches. I hope this will be helpful for creative agencies as they think about pitching new work this year.
I HATE IT WHEN CREATIVE AGENCIES…
HATE IT WHEN: the agency takes a long time to repeat the client’s brief as part of the pitch process
I know the brief I sent them, I created it! What a waste of time for everyone in the room!
It sounds negative to me, because what I hear is the agency saying: “this is what you asked us to look into and that’s ALL we looked into, don’t expect more!”
The exception to this would be if they think my brief is somehow wrong, that some bigger issue is hiding behind my brief, or if they think my brief is too narrow and we need to cover more for a holistic approach. Any agency who has the courage to “correct” my brief, I listen!
HATE IT WHEN: The agency uses buzz words, repeatedly. Anyone who says “engagement”, “influencers”, “aspirational” or “innovation” more than 3 times, I stop listening.
HATE IT WHEN: The agency shows you what they did for other clients whose marketing budget is 100 times bigger than yours, so OF COURSE, their TVC looks cool! Problem is, it’s much more challenging to be creative on a banner or on Social media than it is in a TV ad.
HATE IT WHEN: The agency puts in front of you an “Account Director” (sleek guy with the sharp clothing and smooth talk) and you know straight away that (1) he did not work on the pitch, he’s just presenting it, (2) he will be replaced by an Account Manager and then an Account Executive and then an intern, within the first 3 months. I want to meet the person I will be working with, calling often, as well as the owner or founder or CEO of the agency. Not a Salesman. #NoSalesMan
HATE IT WHEN: A creative agency throws crazy ideas are you that are totally unproven. “We’re going to brand the Eiffel tower”. Yeah, sure… They don’t know if it can be done, they don’t know how much it would cost…. they have not done any of the due diligence they’re being paid to do.
HATE IT WHEN: A creative agency spends 1/2 the time located for the pitch to talk about what they’ve done for other clients, instead of focusing on what they could be doing for you. At pitch stage, I know what they’ve done for other companies, this is the reason why they’ve been offered to pitch.
HATE IT WHEN: The creative agency states the obvious instead of diving into what this really means to your industry, customers or for your brand. Example: “Millennial favour experiences over possessions”… Nooo, you don’t say!!!
HATE IT WHEN: The creative agency milks a current trend, hoping to get you excited because this trend is hot right now, but in reality they have not initiated this trend and you have no proof that they could harness the next hot trend by spotting it and using it before it’s finished. For instance, an agency showed me a banner with cucumber and cats, saying “we could do something like this for your brand” and I am thinking “Oh really? So what’s the next cucumber and cat trend? Because we’re already too late for this one!”
HATE IT WHEN: The creative agency uses gimmicks to build up their presentation. An agency recently came to pitch with a drum kit that they used every time they thought they were presenting a “tadah” idea. Spare me…
HATE IT WHEN: The pitch is unbalanced. Either it’ all crazy ideas with no thoughts about execution, budget, feasibility… or it’s all about processes, budget, timelines, reporting, but the ideas are weak. Aim at balance.
That’s my list!
- Marketers, think I missed anything? Does anything drive you crazy during a creative agency pitch? Share your experience.
- Agencies, think I’m being too cruel? I would love to hear your perspective as well.
- Circle back next week to hear what I love — it’s not all bad news!
Check out my other blogs that range from Marketing Advice to Career Growth here
Follow me on Twitter at @Marion_Gamel
