If there were a play titled, “The Most Insightfully Creative Agency”—and you had a leading role in it—what would be your character? How would you act the part? How would you dress? What gestures would you use to convey your ideas? How would you modulate your voice to convince an audience of the authenticity...
It was a chilly March day almost twenty years ago, but I remember it all too well. The pitch was for a remarkable new technology—a real marquee client with a first-in-class product. It called for joint advertising and public relations proposals, and only agencies with both capabilities need apply. The agency I worked for,...
Dear PitchSmarter: The art directors and digital designers want to build our agency Web site in Flash, but I think we should do it in HTML. Who’s right? – Wondering in Weehauken Dear Wee Wonder: It often comes down to a tradeoff between show and search. There’s no question that Flash gives your team...
Dear PitchSmarter: Last week, just two days before a pitch, my agency told me I was going to present the tactical recommendations. I’d had nothing to do with the pitch before this, didn’t know the product or market, and my current clients already pay for 100% of my time. I did what I could,...
