Understanding your agency needs

We begin with an in-depth session to define what you need in a communications partner - what's working now, what's not, and what qualities matter most to you and your team. Then we'll develop a unique pitch process that has been described by both agencies and clients as a "breath of fresh air".

Curated agency selection

Using our unrivalled knowledge of agencies, inside and out, we present a carefully curated long-list of potential agency partners, with unique insights on why they would (or wouldn't) be a great fit. We'll then agree a shortlist of not more than 3 agencies, ensuring a focused, high-quality process.

Smarter, fairer pitch briefs

We'll help you devise a brief that really cuts to the chase. A one-pager is great; even less is better. For creative pitches, agencies are asked to respond with one clear, compelling idea: just one AV and one print or digital concept. No research, brand guidelines or endless decks. Just great thinking. For strategy, brand and other pitches, the 'ask' is equally straightforward.

Q&A and compatibility check

Each agency does a structured 1-hour Q&A session with the client team, usually held online. These are partly to answer any questions the agency has. But, even more so, they're designed to assess the real-world chemistry between client and agency teams.

Fair, merit-based pitches

The pitches are always in-person, about an hour's duration and attended only by those who would actually work on the business - we do not want to see a 'pitch team'. Presentations are judged against predetermined scoring criteria. So the best agency wins on merit, not showmanship.

Final selection and onboarding

To ensure fairness, each member of the client pitch team scores each agency against the predetermined criteria. Then the decision is made and it's time to kick off the partnership on the right footing. We can help with fee and contract negotiations and we recomend a 3- and 6-month check-in to make sure everything is going brilliantly.