{"id":10341,"date":"2023-04-24T15:21:23","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T13:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.observatoryinternational.com\/our-insights\/why-you-should-fix-rather-than-pitch\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T18:50:55","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:50:55","slug":"why-you-should-fix-rather-than-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.observatoryinternational.com\/en-de\/our-insights\/why-you-should-fix-rather-than-pitch\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you should fix rather than pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2020 we considered the benefits of marketers improving their agency relationships rather than hitting \u201cthe dating scene\u201d.\u00a0 At that time we were going through what seemed like a period of unprecedented uncertainty. Fast forward three years and we continue to be in uncertain times. \u00a0A cost of living crisis, a war in Ukraine and the climate crisis have all contributed to further turbulence for clients and agencies alike.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s been a flurry of\u00a0pitches reported in the first quarter of 2023 and whilst we know that pitching is sometimes the right solution and it is\u00a0one of the areas\u00a0The Observatory International specialise in, we also know that for many brands now may not be the time to\u00a0run a\u00a0pitch.\u00a0\u00a0 Instead fixing, not pitching may still be the most appropriate first step before embarking on any agency search process.<\/p>\n

Take reasonable steps to resolve and renew<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Pitch Positive Pledge<\/a> encourages brands to take reasonable steps to reach a successful renewal of the agency relationship, and pitches should only be necessary to achieve business objectives or governance requirements. This is partly because the cost of pitching remains high\u00a0both from\u00a0a monetary perspective as well the toll pitching can have on an agency.\u00a0We\u2019ve estimated that in total a client\u00a0marketing\u00a0team can expect to spend 35-40 days\u00a0on\u00a0an average pitch, excluding any additional procurement and legal counsel. In addition to this, it costs an agency in the region of \u00a3100,000+ and 72 days of people\u00a0time for\u00a0an\u00a0average\u00a0pitch process.\u00a0With current budget restraints and increasing business costs, the significant costs of pitching for both sides weighed up against the need to pitch\u00a0has to\u00a0be considered before embarking on any process.<\/p>\n

Identify the root causes of issues<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From\u00a0time to time\u00a0clients ask us to run a pitch because the relationship with the agency has broken down beyond repair. \u00a0Whilst that can be the case, sometimes by probing a little deeper into the root causes of the \u201cbreak down\u201d we find issues like poor ways of working (from both sides). Pitching doesn\u2019t solve that\u00a0issue,\u00a0it just moves a problem to a new relationship. Rapid diagnosis of the relationship issues and remedial action to address them is a better use of time and resource.<\/p>\n

Consider the environmental impact<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is also a sustainability element when considering embarking on a pitch process. Again, linking back to the Pitch Positive Pledge, which is aimed at improving the behaviours of agencies and marketers for the benefit of people,\u00a0planet\u00a0and\u00a0profit. However, the pitch process often comes with great cost for all 3 Ps. Both agencies and brands need to consider whether a pitch is truly required and if so, then how to ensure the environmental impact remains low and the pitch ask is proportionate and fair.<\/p>\n

Too often, pitching becomes the default. For many pressured clients looking at how to work better with agencies they already work with in the first instance can be a far more affordable,\u00a0sustainable\u00a0and effective approach.<\/p>\n

To have an informal discussion about what may be the most suitable route forward for your business please do get in touch<\/a> or take a look\u00a0at our Agency Relationship Management<\/a> services.<\/p>\n

\"image<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2020 we considered the benefits of marketers improving their agency relationships rather than hitting \u201cthe dating scene\u201d.\u00a0 At that time we were going through what seemed like a period of unprecedented uncertainty. Fast forward three years and we continue to be in uncertain times. \u00a0A cost of living crisis, a war in Ukraine and … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[103,109,112],"class_list":["post-10341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog-en-de","tag-agency-relationship-management-en-de","tag-agency-search-en-de","tag-ways-of-working-en-de"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy you should fix rather than pitch - The Observatory International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Fixing your agency relationships, not pitching may be the most appropriate first step before embarking on a marketing agency search process.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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