‘At a pitch, applicants are ripped off’ or ‘A pitch brings advantages for one person only: the winner’ – opinions like these are rather widespread in the communication industry. Many smaller agencies or freelancers steadfastly refuse to consider participating in the pitch presentation of their concepts, draft, or designs in competition with several other agencies or creative individual service providers. The perception of ‘being ripped off’ probably goes back to the fact that the presented concepts usually are poorly paid by the client – if at all. The amount of work involved, however, is significant since you have to become acquainted with a completely new client first. But is getting as many innovative ideas as possible for free really the potential client’s prime motive?

Of course, pitch organizers sing a different tune and do not take long to object vehemently. But it is indeed a fact that there are people who consider the presented ideas a gratis performance which can be used or developed further without worries or asking for permission – which is a nuisance and the point of the strongest leverage for critics, who like to compare the procedure with dropping in at different restaurants to ask for small food samples with the result that the putative scrounger gets his fill without paying for it. Another example supporting this perception of the problem was published by the German creative director Paul Apostolou who, in his story, tries to find master painters who participate in a pitch for the job of painting his flat shaded white. While the article is entertaining and nicely written, the comparison is flawed. When it comes to communication and design it is not about standard services (like painting a wall) rendered by a certified expert (master craftsman) but about a very individual performance of an up-to-date unknown service provider, who may have an impressive title such as Screen Editor Special Projects or the classic Art Director but in the end this says very little about their actual expertise. ‘Oh well, that is what we have our first-class references for!’, reply the opponents of pitch procedures. Good point! However, the focus is on ‘individual’ performances – formulas which are successful with global players may be inefficient with small or middle-size companies and vice versa.

‘Clients ought to sit down with the designers to talk about the tasks in detail – then they will find out whom they can trust and will not need a pitch anymore’, is one suggestion made by the designers. Again, you have to admit that this is an excellent idea but not a solution. Tenders are generally not about trust but about results. But this line of argument shows that the true issue here goes deeper. Especially in design and in every field where creativity plays an essential role for the outcome, subjective perceptions and opinions are involved. In the end, the whole process is not about comparing designer A with designer B, but about finding out who is able to capture the soul of the company in their designs and present them in a way that blows the consumer off his feet. In addition, every pitch is a competition of the best ideas, which is everyday routine in the PR and marketing industry. So why would you want to shy away from this situation when it comes to winning new clients? Whether or not service provider and client connect well is another important factor. However, an extremely capable partner who sometimes puts on airs and graces may be the better pick over a reliable buddy with a mediocre amount of talent. At the end of the day, the decision is up to the client. The argument in favour of a pitch procedure is rather obvious and old hat for all those working in communication: ‘If you want to make progress, you have to invest. There is never a guarantee for success.’ This holds true for advertising efforts as well as for pitch procedures. And after all, the solution is rather simple: you just have to top all the others…

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