The AFA this week came out publicly in a media statement against some of the practices involved in the creative pitch process. It is calling for a halt to advertisers engaging a large number of agencies in a process it says is costly and often inefficient.
In a statement AFA NSW chairman Naseema Sparks says pitches should be based more on credentials and strategy only rather than “a procession of creative ideas”.
“Creative pitches are often a lottery based more on who you know rather that what you know and too many agencies participating is a waste of time and money,” Sparks says.
The AFA has adopted a new policy on pitching which includes that advertisers should conduct more pitches based on the presentation of credentials and strategic concepts only and should avoid full creative pitches.
The AFA says it recognises that some advertisers may need to include a full creative pitch in a review of their business but that the number involved should be limited to three. The policy also calls for greater upfront transparency of the size of the account and the expected remuneration agreement.
The AANA has reacted furiously saying the AFA had moved to make it policy public without consulting the AANA on “what amounts to a blatant attempt to encourage uniform or collective behaviour by agencies in their dealings with advertisers”.
AANA deputy chairman Robert Koltai called the release of the policy “disappointing and, quite frankly stupid”.
“There is no way the AANA is going to sit down with a group of people who want to discuss cartel behaviour and collective trade practices,” he said,
“They are acting like a cartel again. It is what they are accustomed to under the old accreditation system that the ACCC got rid of and they look like they are going back to their old ways. They are acting like they need a good whack over their head again.”
