CD's Work - Tips for a Pitch 3 -

"CD's Work" is a series where a CD working for a Tokyo agency documents their daily experiences, including realizations and failures.

In this entry, I'll talk about what happens "after the pitch."

In reality, even if you win a pitch, the proposals you presented might not be implemented as is. While larger agencies can sometimes insist on their ideas, the reality is that things often don't go as planned for both the client and the agency.

1. The client's brief was initially prepared just for the pitch.

2. The agency, eager to win, may present proposals that lack feasibility.

3. After the proposal, the client might rewrite the brief for the better.

These are common occurrences, and the team members who put their hearts and souls into the pitch may find it frustrating. However, this happens more often than not.

The Margin between Winning and Losing

In a recent pitch I handled, we were asked to provide a "Winter Test Launch" and a "Medium-to-Long-term Strategy, including Marketing for the Next Year and Full Launch" for a product that was successful overseas and making its debut in Japan. While the competition with other companies was clearly mentioned in the brief for the Winter Test Launch, the latter, which we proposed as "Nice to have," turned out to be more critical considering the client's situation. Personally, I've been increasingly conscious of what value we can offer the client beyond what's written on paper, putting ourselves in their shoes. During the presentation, as expected, we received many questions about the additional elements like social media strategies and plans for the next year. While we feel confident about our proposal, we can't be sure if we'll win the project. However, at least the part we proposed independently will be considered by our headquarters, which means there's a chance it will become actual work. In other words, it's not just about winning or losing, 0 or 100. There's also a point around 40 that we need to consider to avoid "losing." Of course, we don't intend to lose, but still...

Why Do Pitches Happen?

The question of why pitches occur delves into the essence of pitching. Clients might not be satisfied with their current agency or feel that they won't achieve their KPIs with the current approach. Sometimes, the set KPIs might be too demanding given the budget. In fact, clients often face a lot of pressure as well. Some client representatives have the authority and responsibility to allocate millions of marketing budgets, and their future might be decided by the agency they choose. They are also desperate for success.

Pitches are not just for show or frivolous pursuits; rather, they involve "selecting a new agency or keeping the existing one" and "finding solutions to the client's problems." It's not just a "creative contest." Once the strategy and core ideas are established, creative execution becomes essential but secondary. The client understands that most of the success is determined at the higher level.

Understanding what we can do for the client and making them value it will naturally increase our chances of winning the work.

Until next time!