Hadji Williams added two responses to the Marc Brownstein perspective presented in Essay 4168…
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For my money, client pitches are a lot closer to The Bachelor/Bachelorette: lots of folk pretending to be something they’re not, scrambling around offering up their wares for next to nothing but attention, then crying when the rose goes to someone else.
(Where I’m from we call this “ho-ish” behavior. But Mad Ave’s too good for such terminology. So I stick with Bachelorette-ish… it’s more “mainstream friendly.”)
Best way to fix agency reviews and pitches is for agencies to be honest not only about their capabilities, but about their vision for the client’s brand and relationship.
Once folks do that, then everyone knows what they’re getting into before things get out of hand. —hadji williams, chicago, IL
Another quick note—having worked at agencies of varying sizes and specialties, the biggest difference is this:
At the GM shops, you at least get to go on regular dates and get married. At the ethnic shops, you’re treated like the mistress that everyone’s ashamed to admit to having dealings with.
You’re relegated to secondhand interactions, secondhand compensation deals and quite often are treated in a manner that not even the most disrespected GM shop would tolerate. But since you’re not even allowed to be in the real dating pool like everyone else, it’s “be the chick on the side” or not work at all. —hadji williams, chicago, IL
2 comments:
Another way to fix agency pitches is for agencies to stop giving away work for free. "Spec" work - be it strategic, creative or media - tells the client exactly how much value we place on our own IP - zero. Then we wonder why huge marketers hire brand "consultants" to pay the big bucks to and give us the executional directions on the strategy the consultants built. Since we have already proven our brains and our work is worth - well, nothing.
And I've worked for 4 huge agency networks and NEVER has anyone let me bring in agency people from so called ethnic agencies into the room. Even when the clients CHIEF TARGETS are NOT WHITE. I've had to fight to have a woman on the agency side of the table and not walk into a room with 6 old white guys to present to C level women from the client. It was a fight I lost.
NewBizDarkWiz
Unfortunately, with so many agencies today, spec is the price of admission to get your shop before that choice brand. Unless all agencies unilaterally agree to not show spec, the problem will continue.
‘Invited to pitch’ is just one more way brands get top line creative shown to them at virtually no risk to them. Brands want more and more finished creative or free ideas it seems before they fork over dime one.
The agency meanwhile, throws major dollars and resources into a pitch for weeks on end with no guarantee of winning, let alone recouping at least part of the expense, unless of course some money was promised by the brand ahead of time.
Agencies still go way overboard though, turning that upfront $$ into little more than tip money for the Chinese food the art department will burn through on the countless all-niters they’ll put in.
But I’m not bitter. Much.
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