It’s been a familiar call over the years: “Hey, the market seems really quiet at the moment…” or “are you aware of what pitches are going on out there…?” or “have you heard which agency won the – insert client name – business?”
So, four years ago, with the help of a fantastic network of marketers, clients, agencies, industry friends and colleagues, we started tracking as many Canadian agency pitches as we could. And while our efforts can never be entirely complete, we are releasing the first ever Canadian Agency Pitch Report, summarizing Canadian agency pitches.
The 30-page report details activity from 2017 to 2020 and delineates between Creative AOR, Media, Digital and PR pitches. It also identifies companies by name and vertical, as well as winning agency(s).
Unless we’re missing something, the data doesn’t seem to exist in a single location anywhere else. And while there are various US and global reports out there, there’s nothing else that offers this level of detail specifically for the Canadian market.
We hope the report provides the industry – and Canadian agencies in particular – with an overview of the buoyancy of the Canadian agency pitch market, while providing insight on the most and least active sectors year over year.
Key findings contained in the report include the significant increase in independent agency wins over the last four years – up approximately 17% since 2017 to take 77% of the win rate versus the big six holding companies. And this past year we saw a 12% decline in the total number of pitches identified in 2020 compared to the previous year, pointing to the impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian market.
My thanks to everyone who helped keep us up-to-date over the past four years – particularly last year which has been so difficult for everyone. And a special thank you to my friends and industry colleagues who provided input into the construct of the document, together with your suggestions for additional content in years to come.
To discuss the report, or to order your own copy, please contact me directly, or click here to order online.
STEPHAN ARGENT
Stephan Argent is Founder and Principal at Listenmore Inc offering confidential advisory to marketers looking for truly independent insight and advice they can’t find anywhere else. Read more like this on our blog Marketing Unscrewed / follow me @StephanArgent
