Pitch versus Productivity
Research by BDI into the cost of pitching to the design industry.
Pitching – free and paid
A free pitch is the process of inviting a number of agencies to respond to a brief and provide creative concepts without commitment or remuneration, where one agency is awarded the project.
Paid pitches are those that respect an agency’s knowledge, time and professional services and where the process is supported by an appropriate fee.
Other forms of pitching might not involve creative concepts but none-the-less may require written strategic directions that are equally time-consuming and commercially valuable.
The Creative Industries Pitch process has caused much angst between agencies and client organisations particularly in design, advertising and PR sectors. This research deals with the views of the design sector where 56% of the sector employs fewer than 5 people.
Free pitching has given rise to inappropriate procurement procedures, unethical or whimsical pitches, poor etiquette, restriction of the creative process, barriers to relationship
building and a negative impact on productivity.
The purpose of this research is to establish the cost of free pitching, its impact on productivity and to highlight poor procedures. We wish to encourage more appropriate
‘best practice’ procedures that benefi t both agency and commissioning organisation. In this regard BDI launched Professional Pitch in March 2004 and Appointment procedures with supporting contracts in June 2005. This documentation is having a positive impact but needs to be more widely adopted to signifi cantly improve current conditions.
This research focused on both private and public sector procurement procedures.
The Public sector has attracted particularly strong criticism.
More information is available here