Agencies Desperately Desire Better Feedback From Brands After New Business Pitches

No agency wants to find out in the trade press the results of a pitch they invested five or six figures in. But as Tom Denford, CEO of pitch consultancy ID Comms, lamented, it happens far too often. Sometimes that's because trade publications circle like sharks at the end of a review. But more often than not, it's because brands simply take too long to communicate their decision with the participants. Ghosting is just part of a larger feedback problem agencies face when dealing with potential clients during a pitch. Agencies want the brands they pitch to be brutally honest in their assessments and often feel misled about where they stood in the review. Consultants and execs say communication is improving and that there are certain topics clients rarely wanted to touch in the past that are now fair game to discuss. "It's crucial [for brands] to be transparent and honest with feedback. It's just much more helpful and also makes you a better client," said consultancy R3 co-founder Greg Paull, who said he prepares PowerPoints chock-full of feedback for each agency, often leaving them shocked because they are unaccustomed to that level of detail following a pitch. Why feedback is important The heads of new business Adweek spoke to made it clear that unless agencies push for the information, they never know where they truly stood in a review because brands don't often give honest appraisals of their performance. Dentsu Creative chief growth officer Jennifer Hohman said she once hired a consultancy to find out where her former agency stood following a CPG review. The client had told her the agency was a close second, but the consultant came back with a drastically different conclusion: They weren't even in contention after the chemistry meeting. "Give me the raw, unvarnished truth of the matter because we've invested so much," Hohman said, adding that the only way agencies can improve is to know where they fell short. Lindsey McNabb Hover, executive director of brand and partnerships at creative agency Fig, said agencies need brands to be forthright, no matter how negative the feedback and even if they hate the work. "Agencies can only evolve and be as successful as clients help them be in the pitch process," she continued. "Every piece of feedback we get is invaluable." What's up for discussion As agencies get more selective about the RFPs they pursue—cognizant of not overextending their employees—they are, in a sense, treating reviews as a chance for brands to pitch them. And brands are catching on to this, becoming more forthcoming on certain topics to help agencies better gauge the opportunity. Alexandra Gardner, head of growth and development at independent agency Mother U.S., said in her 10 years of doing new business, now is the most candid brands have ever been during pitches. She's found that brands are more open with agencies about their business, KPIs and goals. Ben Myers, head of business development at creative agency Johannes Leonardo, has had a similar experience with conversations about budgets, which help agencies determine whether a piece of business is worth chasing. "Enough clients have probably heard from their potential partner agencies that they need to have an understanding of budget," Myers said. Hohman added that more brands are opening up about diversity, equity and inclusion, conversations that had rarely occurred in pitches before 2020. Be a gracious loser While agencies want brands to communicate better and improve their feedback, losing agencies also need to internalize that feedback and accept the results of the review graciously. Even as clients consolidate their agency rosters, many brands still hang on to a roster of go-to agencies for projects and specific capabilities. Duffy Humbert, marketing search consultant for consultancy SelectResources International, told attendees at Mirren Live, an industry conference dedicated to new business, that clients may carve up the account and give losing agencies they liked some of the work when reviews end. Meanwhile, the bulk of larger reviews are run through consultancies. So if agencies are "pissed," as Russell Wohlwerth, partner at consultancy Roth Ryan Hayes, put it, and act ungraciously when they lose, that's bad news for future business. "If I get treated like that, I'm going to think twice before putting you in another review," Wohlwerth told the Mirren crowd. Humbert put it even more succinctly: "Don't do that to yourself."