The real cost of free pitching

Last year, the number of free creative pitches held in Singapore has increased substantially.

A free creative pitch is when agencies are invited to invest strategic and creative resources to address a client’s challenge, without any commitment on the client’s part.

In creative hubs such as London, Paris and New York, agency bodies champion the eradication of free pitching, providing support to both clients and design professionals alike. Free pitching is unaccepted by ‘tier one’ agencies, whom rally together to ensure respectable standards of agency selection are adhered to.

Singapore’s government has spelt out its aim to position the city-state as a global and regional hub for design work. However when it comes to free pitching, I keep hearing, “Yes but things are different here”. If we are seeking to create an arena in which design is valued as a service, we should be looking to lead the world in our respect for the design process.

So, what’s my gripe with free pitching anyway?

Pitching encourages agencies to leap to conclusions, without first diagnosing the challenge. We’ve all heard the old adage that you wouldn’t expect a carpenter to first build you a new kitchen before your decided whether or not they could do the job.

Now imagine getting 3, or 5, carpenters in one after the other. A beauty parade of kitchens in a smorgasboard of styles, with a plethora of functions… Forcing you to make a subjective decision based on your gut instinct. Not the most commercially astute thought process.

Even the term ‘pitch’ indicates a lack of confidence. “I’m just going to have a creative toss to see which agency I should pick” “My strategy is to let a few different agencies peddle their ideas and see if by chance one of them cracks it” “we’re going to hurl a few ideas at the client & see if one sticks”.

If you aren’t confident in the caliber of an agency’s creative process or their output, don’t go to them. If you can’t afford an top tier agency, work closely with a lesser-known agency but be prepared to roll up your sleeves and contribute to the up-front thinking.

Why the rise of free pitching in Singapore?

We’ve seen a slew of new design entrants to the market. Agencies looking to beef up their portfolios with much-needed local work and are willing to invest in order to do so.

However rather than allowing the increase in professional agencies to reduce us all to back-door suppliers, we should bond together & allow the influx of design professionals to raise the industry bar, and re-introduce globally-accepted methods for agency selection.

Clients, we understand you have a limited budget, and are looking to make it work as hard as it can. However by selecting an agency based on their track record in solving similar challenges, and working together as strategic partners, you will vastly increase your chances of getting timely, commercially-effective results that are truly aligned to your needs. Plus of course there are enormous gains to be reaped in finding a long-term partner.  

Kathryn Sloane, Director of Business Development & Growth, APAC, SCHAWK! ANTHEM!