WHAT EXACTLY IS ADVERTISING PITCH?

Photo credit to Mad Men movie series

An advertising pitch describes the proposals of an advertising agency to promote a product or service. The pitch states the objectives for the campaign and describes how the campaign will deliver its intended results. Companies request advertising pitches so that they can select the most suitable proposal from a number of advertising agencies. A successful pitch should demonstrate that an agency can use the marketing budget effectively to create greater value for a brand, according to the World Federation of Advertisers. In most cases, advertising agencies are not paid to pitch. It is seen as a job interview, and you wouldn't get paid to interview for a new position, right?

Pitching to clients can be something of a scary task for the member of the advertising agency but love it or hate it, it’s something the advertising agency all got to do. Here we’ve provided a set of tips to help you improve your pitching technique

Thought I could share some tips on how we prepared our pitch thanks to Howard Greenstein:

1. Don't talk about solving a problem. 
Instead, clearly identify the market opportunity you intend to take advantage of, and build business around. If the investors are asking about the market opportunity, you're at a disadvantage because you're using their terms, their language.


2. Review the key factors for building the business. 
In your two-minute pitch, you're auditioning to be a CEO in an investor's portfolio. CEOs are precise when describing their businesses and ideas. Don't try to convince the panelists that you've create the ultimate product, or try to get their approval. That is not what your pitch is for.


3. Keep to the essential elements. 
Tell them, "I'm looking for X amount of money, this is what our business does, this is our go-to-market strategy, this is the competitive environment and here's how we're different. State the revenue streams you're generating, or going to create, and tell them milestones you've already completed. List a few down-the-road milestones, and tell them a little about your team and why they can get you there.


4. Be positioned for further questions. 
If you can do everything above in a concise manner in two minutes, the panel will ask you product questions you want, and you can shine. If they're still asking how you are going to make money after your two minutes are up, you haven't done a great pitch.