A majority of brand CMOs (68%) and agency CEOs (84%) feel that the way the industry approaches pitching today is no longer fit-for-purpose, according to the latest Future of the Pitch report from Creativebrief.

The report, released today (23rd October), uncovers discontent with the industry’s current approach to pitching following a survey of over 100 brand and agency leaders. 

The report is the third iteration of Creativebrief’s Future of the Pitch report and features insights from brands, including Diageo, EasyJet, Dr Martens, L’Oreal and Channel 4. The latest report finds that discontent with the current pitching process has increased by 9% for brands since the previous report in 2022. 

The report finds that 68% of brands and 72% of agencies don’t believe the pitch gives a true sense of what the other party would be like to work with.

At a time when the creative industry is forced to continually prove its worth, the report reveals that 86% of agencies and 47% of brands feel the pitch is a factor in the commoditisation of creativity. More than half of agencies feel that the pitch process, as it stands, poses a long-term threat to the industry’s successful future.

Fine tuning the pitch

Both brands and agencies included in the report were open to new ways of working. 82% of agencies said they would prefer an ‘alternative’ approach to the pitch, while 79% of brands say they would take an ‘alternative’ approach if they were to run a pitch tomorrow.

Yet a challenge remains around what the pitch of the future could and should look like. With brands in favour of more gentle evolution and agencies setting their sights set on fundamental behavioural shifts, the report uncovers a disconnect between brands and agencies.

For two-thirds of brands, the preference for the future pitch was to conduct a full pitch just over a shorter timeframe. Yet, over half (58%) of agencies would seek to shift the process to become a more in-depth interrogation of the brief and diagnosis of challenges, over the traditional answers and solutions approach

Commenting on the report, Charlie Carpenter, CEO at Creativebrief, said: “Opinions are varied, but as a whole the findings appear to show brands favouring less fundamental change, with agencies more interested in significant innovation. Evolution vs revolution is the raging debate again.”

He continues: “What is clear to us at Creativebrief though, is that future processes must be designed with two simple aims in mind: increasing decision-making accuracy for brands whilst simultaneously decreasing time and resource input for agencies. If all parties can galvanise around this vision, then everyone walks away a winner.”

While some CMOs (39%) did acknowledge feeling comfortable judging an agency's creative capability on previous work alone, there may be a shift afoot in how agency/brand partnerships are crafted on the horizon.

“The industry should now steel itself to come together, consult, align and build alliances intent on action - rather than simply more debate, disagreement and discontent. Single-mindedness and clarity of thinking here will be key; as may well be the smarter harnessing of technology in this brave and disruptive new world,” added Carpenter.

Download Creativebrief’s Pitch Report here.