The Pitch: Ring the Bell
Against my better judgement, I watched another episode of The Pitch tonight.
By the first five minutes of this episode, I realized that were I still in the biz, and this was actually how things went down (which it wasn’t, I’m sure - this is reality TV), I would have declined the assignment:
1) It’s annoying as hell when brands do joint briefs. I’d probably have showed up - agencies never make any money and always need more work. But I’d be dubious walking in. It’s rare when people give joint briefs, and it’s always a warning sign. What does it gain? The client saves an hour of work? Who wants to work for someone that can’t do an extra hour of work to do things right.
2) The ask is ridiculous. A single viral video. No one knows if a single viral video is going to work. Anyone who makes them know that 9 out of 10 fall flat. The only realistic way for a brand to harness them is to try often and fail often.
3) The demo of “casting a wide net” is dubious enough when you’re working on large scale brand advertising. Doubly so when it’s a “viral video.”
4) The budget’s probably crap. Viral video briefs are always cheap. Both agencies probably already spent half the budget on the pitch. Plus, Pop Chips probably needs a whole digital campaign and strategy. They are presumably dangling this small assignment with the promise of more work. It never works. Worse, it selects the wrong people. Rather, it doesn’t guarantee the selection of the right ones. The client probably needs a whole digital strategy, approach, and process. Selecting who is best for that based on who comes up with the funniest viral video is illogical.
5) Committees.
Again, I realize that this is probably heavily edited for laypeople, but, man, there are warning signs all over the place on that brief.
As David Ogilvy, famously said, ring the bell.
That being said, that Boone Oakley guy’s presentation skills are phenomenal. Also, relying on the client’s internet to present something? As Emma said, “rookie mistake.”
Also, it is bordering on parody that Conversation won. Worse idea, worse presentation, totally over-pitched beyond the brief, there’s no way in hell the client could ever afford what they pitched.
God, I do not miss that. Every time I watch this show I feel PTSD.
