Should more brands follow Specsavers’ example and ditch the pitch?
Campaign, 16th Novemeber 2023
When the IPA and ISBA launched the Pitch Positive Pledge last year, it outlined three key steps to ensure the wellbeing of the industry when it came to pitching. The first of the three steps is simply: “Be positive a pitch is required.”
Brands can be keen to flex their commitment to the Pitch Positive Pledge when the pitches they run adhere to the next two steps “run a positive pitch” and “provide a positive resolution”, but what happens when a client decides a pitch isn’t necessary?
Earlier this month, Specsavers renewed its contract with Manning Gottlieb OMD and OMD Ireland for a further three years without a pitch. The decision followed an internal review with the help of The Aperto Partnership and Media Marketing Compliance.
The contract renewal extended Specsavers’ 11-year relationship with the agencies, with Ian Maybank, head of connections planning, media, and insights at Specsavers, saying that pitches can be “valuable and also disruptive”, especially during the cost-of-living crisis.