Key Takeaways
- Holdcos are spatting about whether directly winning business from clients without pitching is doing proper due diligence.
- Indies have to decide whether pitching for small scopes is worth the investment.
- Clients ultimately control pitching's future.
A brewing industry debate hit a simmer in October as holding company CEOs fought openly about whether directly winning business from clients without pitching is doing proper due diligence.
The issue gained steam in September, after Publicis Groupe scooped up PepsiCo’s media account from Omnicom without a pitch. It’s not the first time Publicis has won a client in this manner: Also in September, the holdco reportedly won LVMH’s Asia-Pacific account the same way, ending WPP’s remit.
In October, Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun told ADWEEK that clients “increasingly prefer a straightforward deep dive into talent and capabilities instead of getting into a lengthy, expensive, and heavy pitch process.”
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