Here are the 20 key principles which should guide the organization and execution of a competitive pitch. They
will be discussed in detail in this document:
Before the pitch process
1. Always try to make the relationship work before resorting to a pitch
2. Make a priority of dealing fairly with the incumbent agency
3. If at all possible, avoid full creative pitch, which can be costly and time consuming for both parties.
Getting started
4. Form a cohesive multi-discipline decision-making team
5. Use additional consultation if there is no internal pitching experience
6. Before calling a pitch, be very clear on your communications objectives, to enable you to specify the agency’s role, scope and budget
7. Establish a firm and realistic timetable
8. Be clear about policy on communicating with the press and internally Briefing and selection
9. Write a clear, concise and well thought out brief
10. Ensure that the criteria for evaluation/decision-making at each stage of the process is clear and agreed by all parties in advance, to take you from consideration list, to long list, to short list
11. Be disciplined about RFI’s (Request For Information) and RFP’s, (Request For Proposal) if used
Managing the Pitch process
12. Be open about the issue of pitch fees and expenses; always respect national rules & agreements
13. Use “chemistry” meetings to get to know agencies
14. Creative pitches; use “tissue meetings” – if there is time – to help the creative development process
Making the decision
15. Be formal about scoring and evaluating the pitches
16. Conduct pro forma contract discussions to manage expectations, and avoid embarrassment after the pitches
17. Offer the losing agencies a debrief
Post-pitch
18. Manage the pitches sensitively, and treat documents with respect and absolute confidentiality
19. Be scrupulous on intellectual property issue
20. Manage the transition and hand-over process with care
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