To repitch, or not to repitch? That is the question both Sainsbury’s and John Lewis ad agencies had to answer recently – and in both cases, the incumbent agencies decided not to repitch for their long-held accounts.
But just how do agencies decide whether or not to repitch for business?
Industry expert and BigSmall partner, Matt Edwards explains how an agency’s decision will be heavily influenced by the reason for the pitch being called in the first place. He takes us through the most common triggers for a pitch, and the incumbent’s chance of success in each case…
The disguised firing
In the last 12 months, the agency has changed its team five times, failed to crack the crucial Christmas campaign and repeatedly spelt the client’s name wrong in emails. And now it’s asking for a 30% rise in the annual retainer. The CMO is a patient person, but enough is enough.
The agency is given notice. Being decent as well as patient, the CMO allows the incumbent agency to limit the reputational damage by issuing a press release in which they politely decline to repitch – even though they were never actually asked to pitch in the first place…
Incumbent chance of successfully repitching? Zero
The Hail Mary
The client’s business is tanking. There are fundamental business reasons for this which have nothing to do with the client’s advertising. But those business problems will take years to fix and the City needs to see progress at the next quarterly results presentation.
Boardroom crisis meetings are held and each department is set to work on finding ways to save the business. In the search for a silver bullet, the marketing department decides to “seek some fresh ideas” from beyond its current agency.
Incumbent chance of successfully repitching? Low
The new client
The CMO who appointed the incumbent agency has moved on. The agency waits nervously to discover who the replacement will be. And wouldn’t you just know it, it’s that famous marketer who did the stunning campaign with the talking banana.
The new client wants to use a pitch “just to have a look around” before deciding on their agency partner. Worryingly, the agency that created the talking banana is one of the names on the pitch list…
Incumbent chance of successfully repitching? Medium
The global restructure
The agency has been creating famous and effective work in the UK for years, working with the client team in Birmingham. But now, Slurp Lager has been designated a global power brand by the Geneva head office.
The good news is that this means bigger budgets for Slurp Lager and bigger fees for the agency delivering the global work. The bad news is that all five Slurp Lager agencies worldwide are now invited to pitch for the global account.
Incumbent chance of successfully repitching? Medium
The procurement-driven review
The client has a corporate policy to review all suppliers every three years. The agency was appointed three and a half years ago. The marketing team loves the agency, which is doing a first-class job, but the CMO can’t fend off the procurement department any longer. Rules are rules and a pitch must be held.
In such cases the incumbent has a very high chance of retaining the business, and these reviews – particularly if creative work is asked for – can prove to be a colossal waste of time for the new agencies brought in as benchmarks.
Incumbent chance of successfully repitching? High
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