Author: Arian Rexhepi, Creative Director | Founder of Koperativa
"We will replace presentations with conversations. We will seek to be paid for our thinking. We will not solve problems before we are paid." – Blair Enns, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto
If you’ve worked in the creative industry long enough, you know the routine. A potential (or an existing) client calls. They’re excited about a new project. They’ve heard great things and already know about your agency’s work. “We love your work,” they say. And then comes the dreaded phrase: "We’d like you to pitch." Which is just a polite way of saying: “Can you do a bunch of work for free so we can decide if we like you?”
This, right here, is the absurdity of the creative business we’re in. If you walked into a lawyer’s office and asked them to draft a contract so you could see if they’re the right fit, they’d laugh you out the door. If you asked a restaurant to serve you three sample meals before deciding whether to pay, they’d call security. But in our world? It’s somehow normal. No, not normal. It’s a must! And that needs to change.
The Chemistry Brands Don’t Talk About Enough
Great brands aren’t built on one-off transactions—they’re built on relationships. Look at Apple and TBWA\Chiat\Day. That relationship has lasted more than 30 years, not because of a constant pitch-and-compare cycle, but because of creative chemistry, shared values, and deep mutual understanding. Together, they shaped some of the most iconic campaigns in history. Starbucks and BBDO, Nike and Wieden+Kennedy, Coca-Cola and WPP’s OpenX team—these partnerships show what happens when a brand chooses an agency not just as a vendor, but as a creative extension of their own team. That level of trust and shared energy can’t be created in a pitch room with a timer running. It happens over time, through collaboration, honest conversations, and a few good failures along the way. Agencies that know your history, your internal challenges, your ambitions—they don’t just make better ads. They create brand value.
Another Pitch Bites the Dust
Koperativa been in the game since 2004. We’ve built brands, launched campaigns, and solved business problems through creative thinking. We’ve helped companies increase their market share, create a positive image of their brand and increase sales of their products. Yet, after two decades of proving our expertise through results, we’re still expected to perform like contestants on The Voice—singing our best tune and hoping to get a chair turn.
The worst part? The pitching process isn’t even a fair fight. An email with a brief that makes no sense and is contradictory already in its structure. Limited information, no real collaboration, and a client who’s shopping for the best-looking answer rather than the best-thinking partner. And, let’s be honest, in the end, decisions are rarely based on the creative work and the potential it has. Pricing mainly, plays the bigger role than anyone admits.
Additionally, even our winning pitches that we have carefully crafted rarely are executed and implemented as proposed. Which raises a perfectly reasonable question: Why are we expected to deliver fully fleshed-out creative strategies in the pitch phase, when most of them never see the light of day?
David Ogilvy once said, “Clients get the advertising they deserve.” If you force agencies into a creative gladiator match, you’re not investing in deep, strategic work—you’re getting a flashy, short-term pitch designed to impress in a boardroom. And frankly, from our own experience, our winning pitch rarely gets executed and developed as proposed.
A Better Way: Turn Presentations into Conversations
So, what’s the alternative? It’s simple:
- Evaluate agencies on what matters. Instead of collecting unpaid pitches, assess an agency’s past work, strategic thinking, and real-world results.
- Choose a Partner, not a Performer. The best work comes from long-term collaboration, not a one-off contest.
Creativity isn’t a free trial. It’s not a ‘Smorgasbord’ (Swedish table) where you can ‘taste’ ideas until you find one you like. The best clients already understand this. The rest? They’re still shopping for free samples.