There is a real temptation to change the team as soon as the pitch gets called, but I believe it is risky to throw the baby out with the bath water. One that is stable while so many other things are in turmoil. We’ve been supporting all of our clients through a tricky year, particularly around media inflation and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis.īy doubling down on the key issues for clients, as opposed to perhaps the sexier and more innovative pitch-appropriate approaches, we’ve further solidified our position as a serious business partner. I’d be lying if I said that the 2022 economic whirlwind hasn’t played a part in our success. In turbulent economic times clients want stability However, on reflection, there have been some consistent behaviours that have served us well throughout the past 12 months. It would be fair to say that no two pitches are the same. This is a reflection of the team we have in place across the agency from London to Manchester. In fact, 92 per cent of the incumbent accounts we’ve repitched for, we’ve kept. Therefore, your chances aren’t great.Īgainst these odds, Wavemaker has had a great year retaining (and in some cases growing our remit across) client accounts. If we assume that, in simple terms, you’d be unlikely to not get into the final presentation round as an incumbent, these rounds are usually fought out between three agencies, perhaps a maximum of four. Statistically, this doesn’t really make sense but, from experience, you are probably twice as likely to lose an incumbent pitch as you are to win it. The old industry adage is that it’s “twice as hard to retain as it is to win”. ![]() While we also welcomed some new clients into our portfolio, losing three of Wavemaker’s UK clients in one year really took its toll on morale. In late 2021, I joined Wavemaker’s growth team, at a time when we’d recently lost a number of high-profile accounts, including Compare the market, British Airways and Kingfisher (B&Q, Screwfix). While we have been celebrating the new wins with gusto, we are also extremely proud of the clients that we have retained.Īfter all, retaining a client in a pitch situation isn’t an easy task. ![]() Last year was healthy for Wavemaker’s growth team, reflected by the fact we recently ranked highly in Campaign‘s UK new-business league. By James Wilde, head of new business, Wavemaker
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