Peter Levitan & Co.

The New Business of Advertising

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Half of Advertising Agency Staff Hates Pitching

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frownAn Advertising Agency Staff That Hates Pitching Isn’t A Good Thing

A 2013 study by the research firm Provoke Insights confirmed what we all know. The advertising agency new business pitching process can be debilitating.

From Provoke:

“… approximately half (47%) of advertising professionals surveyed by Provoke Insights say they are dissatisfied with the current internal approach to pitching.

47%. Ok, pitching is intense. So, what else is new? Pitching is also intense for architects, nuclear power plant designers and fighter jets salespeople. Writing, presenting and winning (or losing) pitches is intense.

It can also be exhilarating (more on that a bit later.)

Other findings on pitching:

Issues include: “unrealistic timelines” say 66% of respondents / “long work hours” say 65%

And, because Provoke is a research company who paid for the research, we get this nod towards having insightful insights:

“Forty-four percent of advertising professionals stated that if there were better availability of research and data, pitches would run smoother and (be) more successful.”

Here’s more on what resources agencies say they need to kill it:

support_need_to_pitch

 

By the way, I posted about how to use free, smart internet based tools to create insights here: 13 Free Big Data Tools For Advertising Agency New Business.

Back to exhilarating.

  • Pitches are a major way agencies win new business. Ya gotta be in the game. Maybe Droga5 can get away without pitching.
  • Pitches make sense if they make sense. Don’t pitch just any account just for the sake of pitching.
  • Pitches are team sports and, importantly, build team spirit.
  • Pitches help agency staff stand out and be stars. Especially important in larger agencies.
  • Pitches are fun to run if you know what you are doing and have a solid plan.
  • Pitches, winning pitches that is, can make the agency happy and richer. A good thing.
  • Pitches hone agency thinking; highlight skills and help agencies think about what the agency actually has to offer or needs to build for the future. I think that the benefit of forced introspection is underrated.

The full report can be read on AdRants.

I’ve tried to make the art and science of pitching more successful and even fun. Just read my book. Look up top to learn more and make that all important purchase that will lead to more — wins.

 

eBooks Are Booming: New Study [Where Is Your Book?]

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eBooks are booming. But you knew that.

You also knew or could suss out some of the findings from Revealing the Business of eBooks: 2009-2012, the 4th eBook survey of publishers by Aptara and Publisher’s Weekly.

Some more eBook facts:

Amazon rules: 68% of eBook publishers sell via Amazon. Apple’s iBookstore is used by 58 percent of eBook publishers.

80% of publishers now publish eBooks.

According to the report, 36% of eBook publishers are “realizing double-digit annual eBook revenues” This is up 100% year over year. 100% is big.

Digital or print? As in last year’s survey, this year’s response was not either/or but both. In 2011, 85%of publishers said they were producing digital editions of their print titles rather than producing digital editions in lieu of print. The same numbers held strong, rising a single point this year to 86%

Here is a link to the study.