PITCHING
The Pitch Process:
How To Ensure It
Delivers On Marketing
ROI
By Susan Makau
T
he Association of Practitioners
in Advertising (APA), jointly
with the Marketing Society of
Kenya (MSK), Kenya Audience Research
Foundation (KARF), and International
School of Advertising (ISA), have entered
into partnership to create a platform for
various forms of industry engagement in
the Marketing and Advertising sector.
One of these engagements is the APA
Industry Forum Breakfasts. The forums
will enable stakeholders in the marketing
and advertising field become aware of and
adopt practises that will result in stronger
partnerships, stronger brands and business
growth for all.
The first of a 4 part series themed,’
Maximize your Marketing ROI’, kicked
off in August 2019. This forum started
with what is believed to be a critical
starting point to Maximizing ROI, which
is getting the right agency fit for an
organisation.
The selection and retention of the right
agency is critical for a client because of the
key role that the communications agencies
are able to play in promoting the company
and its brands, thus enhancing its ultimate
profitability. Long-term relationships
benefit the health of the brand. Do you have full buy-in? If a review is
deemed to be the right course of action,
ensure that the client company’s top
management fully endorse it, and that the
key decision makers are clearly identified
and enlisted in the process.
We explored best practice in the process
of searching, selecting and managing the
relationships. This is an excerpt of a full
document on the APA and ISA website
that details in depth, the best way to go
about this process. Is procurement involved? If your
company has a procurement function, then
marketing or corporate communications
should involve these colleagues from the
outset, rather than just bringing them
in at the end to discuss the contract and
terms.
First, if you have an agency, consider
asking the question if making the change
is really the best option. Be very clear
that changing agency would be in the
best interests of the brand or the business
organization and will enhance shareholder
value. Before embarking on a search for a
new agency, be really sure that best efforts
have been made to restore the existing
client-agency relationship to healthy one.
Consider using third party consultants to
facilitate this process.
If you have an agency, consider asking the
question if making the change is really the
best option. Be very clear that changing
agency would be in the best interests of
the brand or the business and will enhance
shareholder value. Before embarking on a
search for a new agency, be really sure best
efforts have been made to restore existing
client-agency relationship to healthy one.
84 MAL32/19 ISSUE
Should you get outside help? It is now
quite normal for client companies to seek
outside professional help from both the
trade bodies and the specialist consultant
intermediaries. We would certainly
recommend that you do, and all of them
have contributed to this guide. You will
find that they can give you step-by-step
guidance during the search and selection
process.
Have you checked the contracts? Before
the process begins you should check the
provisions within your contract with your
incumbent agency, particularly with regard
to the notice period and termination of
contract.
How will you inform your current agency?
You should consider the implications of
informing your existing agency that the
review of arrangements is taking place,
weighing the need for confidentiality
against the scenario of the incumbent
finding out about the review from a source
other than their client.