Q&A With A Pitch Consultant: "Don’t Hire The Agency That Inspires You, Hire The Agency That Is Inspired BY YOU"

In 2019, the year right before Covid, a Morgan Stanley analyst had reported that a record $35 Billion of advertising spending was up for review. That was almost more money hanging in the balance than the amount under review during the previous two years, combined. With the economy picking up now, advertisers are, once again, rethinking their agency relationships.?Ad Age?had recently reported that one third of all advertisers stated that, they plan to put their business into a pitch.

Avi Dan is a columnist for Forbes, a former CEO and board member of 3 major agencies, and a highly regarded agency pitch consultant. By his own estimate, he has been involved in over 200 pitches in the past 30 years.?

Q:?Why do you think there are so many reviews lately?

A:?If those numbers tell you anything, it's that, advertisers aren't happy with their agencies, even the good ones. For example, Wieden had lost KFC and Droga5 had recently lost IHOP. Marketing is much more complex these days, and very few agencies are capable of evolving fast enough to keep up with the needs of their client. What's surprising isn't that so much is in review, but, that it didn't happen sooner.

Q: How are pitches different now?

A:?The briefs for pitches that we see coming through to us now, are more transformational. Clients are deep into the digital transformation, and so is the consumer and the media.?Technology, cloud services, eCommerce, data and virtual CX are becoming critical issues for the enterprise.

Q:?You are very critical of the pitch process. Why?

A:?The proof is in the pudding. There are very few picks that do pan out. It used to be, not too long ago, that, agencies worked with the same client for decades. These days, clients are likely to change agencies just as fast as they change their socks. A lot of arrangements break down in less than two to three years, which is a surprising and discomforting statistic.

Q:?How do you explain the brief tenure?

A:?Pitches are distorted. Agencies are good at seducing clients with dazzling presentations. And that can be very tempting. But that’s superficial showmanship, not the real thing. If you choose an agency based on an emotional reaction to the presentation, chances are that you're not going to wind up with your ideal long-term partner.

Q: So, what’s important for choosing an agency in a pitch?

A:?I look for a spark and enthusiasm. In the end, hiring an agency is an investment in?people. Just take a look at who is sitting across the table from you. Beyond the case studies and research, ask yourself, whether or not you actually?like?the people that would be touching your business. Just like in any relationship, there needs to be a level of bonding and trust that keeps you steadily excited and the relationship growing.

Q:?What do you look for in the agency team?

A: Ask yourself if you're impressed by?how?they think, not?what?they think.Also, just how did they come to the solution for your particular problem? Did they provide you with insights, or did they only just present a flashy commercial? One can always make adjustments on creative, but you can’t change the way a person thinks.

Q: What’s the biggest client failing in the process?

A:?Clients don’t have the inside information about agencies. They often go by what they read in the trades, which doesn’t give them the full story. It’s basically the same old, same old. In fact, there is now an influx of up-and coming small creative shops that they miss.

Q: How do you decide which agencies to include in a pitch?

A:?I look for passion and insatiable curiosity in the culture and blood of the organization. And I look for grit. Grit, is the most overlooked trait in selecting an agency. By Grit, I mean the agency's ability to constructively work through the changes and challenges that inevitably occur in the aftermath of the pitch, which basically is what makes for a successful relationship in the end.