Pitch, Pitch, Whine, Whine

So it seems we find ourselves at that inevitable point in the design cycle once again. You know the one I'm talking about--where pitching is table stakes. Seems just a few short months ago when the economy gave us the buffer we needed to stoically fold our arms and say "we don't do that," but ahhh how times change. Now it's like our industry's dirty little secret, the thing everyone is doing but no one is talking about...kind of like Botox.

I wanted to start by saying there's an argument that pitching is a necessary evil in the times we find ourselves in and I understand that--really, I do. The stakes have never been higher for our clients and every firm out there wants to make the best first impression on what is essentially a first date. In its simplest form, pitching is one thing you can use to try and get people to like you...again, kind of like Botox.

Pitching of course falls into two categories, one quite different from the other. First there is the paid pitch, where some sort of stipend is offered up as a gesture of good faith and to deaden the inevitable pain of the resources that any one of these presentations can suck up. You still lose your rear end on these assignments, but you feel a little better about it. It's the other one I'm talking about here though...the nasty one...the free pitch.

There isn't enough room here for me to get into all the reasons why free pitching is bad for the client, the agency and the industry, and you've probably all heard them before anyway. But rest assured, circumventing a design firm's process--a process intrinsically based on interaction with the client--is not going to yield many magic bullets. Sure the ideas are free (and free is good right?), but exercises like this are the design equivalent of pinning the tail on the donkey--and all parties involved should accept that going in.

But rather than get into all that, the point of this little missive is actually to highlight a client who surprised me recently with their approach to the pitch process.

This client (who obviously shall remain nameless) deserves note for sticking to the letter and law of what pitching is supposed to be about. The line we have all heard a thousand times is that the client "just wants to learn a bit about how you think." All of which sounds great until the next pages tell you that thinking needs to be presented in "floor plans, four perspective views of the interior, a materials board, oh and if you could take a quick look at the bathrooms while you are at it, that would be great." Yuk.

I half expected one of these on this aforementioned pitch, but imagine my surprise when this went a wholly different route. They set a creative challenge for the firms completely unconnected with the job. It was a brilliant little brief and, while clearly referring to their brand, it wasn't something they could just take in house and build when the work was complete. I thought it showed them in the most wonderful light. Recognizing they needed help making their decision, but having a sensitivity to those firms they considered potential partners.

I wanted to hold this up as a truly great solution to a challenge we all face in these trying times. From what I have heard, the lateral nature of the assignment led to each of the firms truly thinking outside of the box, perhaps thinking more about the client than a standard beauty parade might have caused them to do.

They did such a great job, I honestly wish I could name them, but a few of us are still "under consideration" so to speak. Perhaps when the dust has settled and someone has got the job I'll spill the beans.

Oh, one last thing before I go. A friend in the biz told me recently their client justified the free pitch request by saying, "Well, our ad agencies do this all the time."  To which I would always respond that retail design firms are not ad agencies. Nor are they compensated in the same way on the back end. The model is not the same, neither should the process be.

Hang in there folks...and of course, as always, comments are very welcome.

--Christian Davies, Guest Blogger

Comments

[Christian Davies]

Thanks so much all for the excellent feedback! Wondering if we can tempt one of our client side readers to weigh in with the counterpoint? I think the arguments about the shortcomings of design in a vacuum are clear, but I'm sure it would be interesting to see how the process is working out for those on the other end. Necessary evil? Or a sense of a new game in town?

Until then thanks in advance!

Christian

[Michael St. Pierre]

Here in Thailand pitching and design competitions are a way of life. Potential clients expect full blown design presentations for zero compensation. It is common for several firms to compete and no one awarded the work because priorities have changed.

[Mandy Vavrinak]

And a word about ad agencies... their best ideas always *ALWAYS* come after interaction with the client. It's no different than a designed store concept. How can you deliver what will move the needle without knowing the environment inside and out?
Marketing has to get people to go see the store. The store interior/space has to encourage people to buy once they're there.
Two sides of a process that ought to be more integrated in a perfect world.
And yes, clients sometimes ask a string of agencies to pitch, then cherry-pick the best ideas and either do them internally or hire some other firm entirely. Or my favorite... go through a review process, gather ideas, then stay with their current agency and arm them with everyone else's creative.
Free pitching is bad business for agencies, too. Just because it's a common thing doesn't make it a good one.

[Supermarket Soap]

Very interesting post. Always interesting to hear about the pitching process from the other side. And it was interesting to hear how sticking to the norm and sticking to tried and true techniques are the way to do it.

[jerry birnbach]

The author speaks the truth. But those of us who know the design process will agree that you cannot design in a vacuum. Retail Design is about knowing the client, knowing the business plan, understanding the financial factors such as average price points, turns, inventory, average sales and determine how much product needs to be displayed and in place. Short of that client input and your investigation as the basis for a design solution, all you will wind up with in a free pitch is a house of cards, a pretty picture, that cannot meet the dynamics that would insure the stores success. Sure the client should review the qualifications of the design firm, meet to discuss their prior solutions or hear their thinking on the current project,but a free design, not a good idea.