How to fall back in love with pitching

Pitching should be the most exhilarating part of agency life. The place where creativity runs wild, collaboration thrives, and brands take bold leaps forward. But somewhere along the way, the spark has dulled, and the fun has been well and truly sucked dry.

Conceived in May 2022, the Pitch Positive Pledge, as its name suggests, was supposed to inject some well-meaning positivity back into the process. But with only 32 organisations (representing just 18 per cent of ISBA members) signed up versus 280 agencies (almost the entire IPA membership), the power balance is wonky enough to render the entire thing useless.

Now, against a backdrop of multiple geopolitical and economic cluster-crises, pitch processes have turned into rigid, procurement-driven structures, which threaten to stifle originality among even the most creative of creatives. The late nights feel more like a grind than a thrill.

So how is it possible to rediscover the joy of pitching?

The answer, says some of the industry’s leaders, lies in shifting the approach – putting chemistry, creativity, and team wellbeing at the heart of the process.

Jonathan Tapper, managing director at Saatchi & Saatchi, believes the first step to rekindling a love for pitching is understanding why agencies fell out of love with it in the first place.

“A lot of what I’ve witnessed is that we’ve fallen out of love with pitching because the process is no longer clear,” he says. “It used to be that most clients went through an intermediary, so you knew where you stood, and it felt more regulated.”

Now, pitch processes can take far longer than initially expected, using up valuable agency resource during an elongated process. “When the process ends up becoming a lot longer than expected, it means you're always in pitch mode, and it puts a lot of pressure on the agency,” Tapper explains.

Meanwhile, commercial demands mean pitches carry heavier stakes, and the focus on winning can overshadow the excitement of solving big creative challenges.

“Good leaders need to keep the commercial imperative of pitching away from the pitch team,” says Tapper. “For the core team, it should feel like a new opportunity to stretch their legs creatively.”

Pitching, at its core, should be an inspiring exercise in problem-solving, providing a space where agencies and brands engage in meaningful dialogue to create bold, innovative ideas.

“The things that we love about working in advertising are at their most pure in the pitch process. It's solving a big client problem with creativity,” says Tapper. “If you can orientate a pitch around that common ambition and opportunity, then teams come together, and it's very much an energising thing.”

“Pitching is like dating”

A pitch isn’t just about showing off great work – it’s the foundation of a long-term relationship. As Tapper says: “Pitching is a little bit like dating. You need to get to know somebody, understand what makes them tick, and realise if you have shared ambitions.”

For Gareth Mercer, founder and chief executive of Pablo, chemistry is everything. The independent creative shop won nine out of 10 pitches during 2024, proving Mercer’s philosophy that agencies must cherry-pick their opportunities and just say "no" to pitches that aren’t the right fit.

“Agencies cannot be chameleons – you’re not the right agency for everybody, nor should you try to be,” he says.

It also means using chemistry meetings as more than just a formality – they should be an open, honest conversation about whether the agency and the client will actually work well together. It’s a voyage of discovery, explains Mercer, to understand if you and the client are right for each other, before deciding whether to pitch, “because a pitch process is very expensive, and conversion is everything.”

He continues: “Focus hard on the marketer, where they sit within an organisation, who they are, and what you feel. Your decision should be made on the chemistry that you're going to have with that individual, and your joint ability to create work that's going to hit the bar you've set yourself and the agency.”

Last year, says Mercer, Pablo found itself in chemistry situations with Giffgaff and Tetley, where; “We knew from the first moment we met the people that this was going to be a partnership that was going to go somewhere.” Conversely, there were “opportunities where, on paper, this was extraordinarily fantastic. But when we met the group, we found ourselves walking away saying to each other, ‘We're not their gang’. To quote Star Wars: 'We were not the droids they were looking for.”.

Create “pitch spirit”

At its best, pitching has a ripple effect that invigorates an entire agency. Tapper calls this 'pitch spirit' – a contagious energy that lifts everyone. “A great pitch team is delivering creatively to solve business problems – it’s why we got into the industry in the first place,” he says. “That energy spreads across the agency and makes everyone better.”

Emma Gunning, new business lead at BMB, agrees: “Pitching can be a chance to do new things for a brand ready for change, work with different people, and offer a freedom to try things,” she says.

But to harness that excitement, Gunning says agencies must invest in their people – starting with proper internal kick offs.

“Making sure that before the process even begins, there is alignment on the reason for doing this pitch and the direction it’s going in.” This can go further, says Gunning, with the importance of “casting the right people who are genuinely passionate about the brand, the category or the type of work the pitch involves,” and “getting everyone excited and invested in what we’re working on”.

She suggests making sure the pitch team has a hands-on experience of the brand, that creative briefings are held “somewhere exciting offsite”.

Annabel Barry, head of new business at adam&eveDDB, takes a similar approach, encouraging the whole team and agency to get behind the brand, by buying the product, visiting the stores, speaking to staff, going to HQ, speaking to their customers. “We immerse ourselves in the culture of the brand – we all got the Eurostar to Paris during the Eurostar pitch. If we can get under the skin of the brand and feel as passionate about the brand as our clients do, then the quality of our pitch work will reflect that.”

It's also vital to ensuring that those selected to pitch feel complimented rather than sentenced as Tapper says: “The best pitches allow the best people in the agency to work closely with leadership, take on new creative challenges, and step out of their usual team dynamics. That’s what makes pitching an energising experience.”

Burnout kills creativity

If the right people are cast for the right roles and given the impetus to thrive, the energy becomes infectious. On the flipside, the long hours and high stakes of pitching can take a toll. Mercer warns that overworking teams makes pitching feel “daunting and uninspiring” rather than exhilarating.

He also highlights the need for smart planning and resourcing, arguing that the pitch process starts with long-term construction, planning and recruitment “ahead of the growth curve”. Mercer strongly believes that celebrating the journey is just as important as celebrating the win. “A pitch isn’t just about the final moment when you get the client’s decision. It’s about the collaboration, the ideas, and the shared excitement along the way. If you can enjoy that, then the pitch is already a success.”

Of course, the best pitches are won by well-rested, inspired teams, not exhausted people running on fumes at 3am. Agencies have become smarter about structuring their processes in a way that maximises creative energy, not depletes it, making sure those working late nights get the rest they need. “If people work late, they don’t come in until lunchtime the next day, or they take days in lieu if they’ve done a long stint,” says Tapper.

Barry highlights adam&eveDDB’s ‘Feeling First’ approach, which ensures pitch teams are small, flexible, and supported throughout the process. “We see every pitch as a chance for people to demonstrate teamwork, develop skills, and progress their careers,” she says. “At the end of the day, we're all human, not machines, and as agency leaders, we have a responsibility to conduct pitch processes which reflect that.”

Ultimately, a healthy pitch culture is about balancing ambition with wellbeing, so agencies that prioritise their teams’ mental health will find their way to more inspired work.

Make procurement a partner

One of the biggest frustrations in pitching today is the ever-growing role of procurement. According to a recent report by the PRCA, 43 per cent of agencies say procurement-led pitches have increased, while 40 per cent believe that the responsibility is now shared between procurement and marketing/communications teams. Less than a fifth (16 per cent) say that marketing still leads pitches.

As Tapper points out: “Procurement has always been involved in pitches, but it can become difficult when agencies are treated like suppliers rather than partners.”

However, when procurement works in tandem with marketing from the start, the results can be transformative. Take Saatchi & Saatchi’s experience with Ovo: “Procurement was involved alongside the marketing team throughout the process, so their questions were shaped by a common ambition rather than just marking our homework at the end,” explains Tapper. “That built trust and confidence, which led to better work.”

When procurement professionals understand that the value of an agency relationship goes beyond deliverables, and when procurement is integrated into the pitch process from the outset, agencies are empowered to produce their best work without fear of being reduced to a commodity.

Find the magic of the pitch

Despite its challenges, pitching remains one of the purest expressions of what agencies do best – solving business problems with bold creativity.

As Mercer puts it: “A good pitch done properly can really re-energise everybody because it's intoxicating. It's a chance to get to know something new and stimulate yourself in a short period of time. And actually, it's one of the purest experiences an agency can have because there are no guardrails to your thinking,” he says. “And that feels really good. If you cherish it and you spend time thinking about your approach, pitching has a massive benefit for the overall energy of a business. Not saying we get it right 100 per cent of the time, but for the most part, it's really good fun.”

The secret to falling back in love with pitching isn’t about making it easier – it’s about making it better. That means ensuring it’s a process of genuine partnership, teams feel excited rather than exhausted, and the thrill of the creative chase is alive and well.

Because when it’s done right, pitching isn’t just about winning business – it’s about reigniting the passion that built adland in the first place. The thrill of a great idea, the chemistry of a perfect team, and the energy of a room buzzing with creative solutions – these are the reasons why agencies pitch. And why, with the right approach, they can fall in love with it all over again.

Gareth Mercer’s Five Rules For Falling Back In Love With Pitching

• Pick the people, not the brand – can you help them get to world class?

• Don't try and show your initiative with absolutely everything you give to the prospective client. Select one or two things. Do them well.

• Plan the hell out of your pitch process so that you're not working late, you're not working weekends, and you're not trying to come up with a solution while you're tired.

• Have as much big dumb fun as possible.

• And be a bit naughty.