Good question. I’ve never won a pitch and then been asked to incorporate another agency’s ideas into our plan. That would certainly feel strange.

I just noticed your comment now, and we’ve just recorded IPR 185. I’ll try to remember to raise your question when we record IPR 186. Thanks for checking in…

I enjoyed your discussion on agency pitches in your last show. I agree with you on the whole issue of budget. There seems to be a real reluctance on the client side to specify the budget upfront, out of fear that they are giving up a bit of control. They’d rather pose the problem/issue and see what the agency comes back with in terms of strategy. Some of that is legit, in that they may not know what a particular style of campaign might cost. However, I think a better approach would be to set a ballpark, and then ask 2-3 agencies to come forward with a proposal outlining what they could do for that amount of money. Then you’re comparing apples with apples.

My question relates to an aspect of pitching which you didn’t touch on during the podcast. Have you ever been asked by a client, as the successful agency, to incorporate aspects from other agency pitches into a final campaign? I don’t agree with that and I don’t think it works, but I’ve been in situations on the client side where the senior person, having just seen three good pitches, wants to start cherry picking. Having selected the winning agency, there are some aspects of the unsuccessful proposals that he or she likes, and wants the successful agency to consider. How common or ethical is that?

I enjoy your show, and have been following it for a couple of years now. I hope you get some time off to relax with family over the holidays.

Cindy