No blog today

Instead: 2 recces, 6 meetings, 1 stills shoot and a presentation to prepare for tomorrow. So have a look at our mugs until we get back.

Like they say, life’s a pitch. Especially in advertising.

After all the frivolity and fun of the Champions League Final, it’s time to get serious for a moment.

Having being involved in four sizeable pitches over the past seven weeks or so (50% success rate, by the way) it’s a breath of fresh air to today be asked to pitch for another project – but this time get paid for our troubles.

For those of you in the office that’s new to all this – that’s you, Mark – it’s the age-old gripe: the client comes along and asks a few agencies to pitch for free. So the client ends up getting a range of advertising/design/marketing ideas – for free. The agency is going to be out of pocket and will only have a one-in-three/four/five/six chance of getting the business.

Imagine if this antiquated practice was extended to other areas of business and commerce.

For example, imagine a company appearing in court over something and going to five different firms of solicitors and asking them to present their idea of the best defence. Or going to five restaurants in a row and asking for a free starter in each one so that you can decide on where to eat you main course. Can you imagine the reaction? Yet that’s what our business is asked to do over and over again.

Of course, it’s usually the advertising end of things that gets lumbered with the free pitch scenario. It always has been and more than likely always will be to some degree. And even if it’s called a tender, it makes no difference: same hoops, same jumps, different name.

Why does it occur in design less often? Who knows, but my guess is that those closer to good design know the value of good design. Just a hunch.

Anyway it’s great that we’re getting paid for the next pitch. For any agency that is invited to pitch quite often, one pitch often runs into another – meaning a series of long nights for weeks on end as you tend to the bread and butter during the day and then switch to the pitch business in the evening.

If any of you fellow agencies out there would like to take up the subject, it’s one of the things that will be up for chat at our first official coffee morning. Details to follow.

So in the meantime, here’s to decent sleep, family life and getting home before midnight – on this next pitch at least.