Campaign Magazine
Jan 2, 2024
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3 New Year's resolutions for agencies and clients in the pitch room
Advertising is a people business, and agency-client relationships are at the crux of it all.
These relationships start — and sometimes end — in the pitch room.
From that first chemistry meeting to a long-term partnership, agency leaders and CMOs share five resolutions for creating better working relationships in 2024 in this two-part series.
Brad Hiranaga, chief brand officer at outdoor brand Cotopaxi, noted that “If you don’t have a well-defined business problem, you’re not really giving that agency a fair chance to see if they can solve that problem.”
To avoid this, clients should enter a pitch as a flatter organization vs. taking a hierarchical approach, said Melissa Wildermuth, global creative director at General Mills.
“It’s more the perspective that we’re able to bring from different parts of the organization,” she said. “Positioning it like that, versus just a title game of who’s on top, clients can do a much better job at that.”