VCCP are proud to have joined over 70 companies in pledging their commitment to Pitch Positive Pledge, a newly launched cross-industry pledge that aims to tackle systemic pitching behaviour and drive better outcomes across the industry for its people, the planet and profit.

The joint initiative established by the IPA and ISBA seeks to improve the behaviours of agencies and advertisers around pitching for the benefit of the industry people, the planet and profit. Samsung, Boots, Virgin Media O2, Nationwide Building Society, Nestle, as well as PWC, AAR, Wunderman Thompson, BBH among others, have also pledged their involvement.

With almost 40% of the industry workforce reporting feeling stressed and anxious in the last twelve months, the Pledge, supported by Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and Nabs, brings together the two trade associations, their members, procurement professionals and intermediaries, to focus on making the pitching process more intentional, accountable and responsible for both advertisers and agencies. In doing so, it aims to drive better outcomes including more transparency and better mental wellbeing, resulting in better quality work, fewer costs and less wastage.

Speaking of the Pledge, the IPA President and our Vice Chairman & International CEO, Julian Douglas (aka Dougie) said: “One of the very few positives that the coronavirus has delivered is an inflection point, a discontinuous moment to change things, and an opportunity to tackle the long standing challenges facing our industry.

“One of those challenges has been pitching, of which the negative impacts are so high. As we have seen from the latest industry figures, mental health issues have increased significantly among industry members. Now is the time to change and the feedback we’ve received is that people feel like they can. This change won’t happen unless we all play our part, which is why I’m delighted to have such support and collaboration from the outset.”

“The Pitch Positive Pledge isn’t a marketing tool. It is a call for a change in behaviour across the industry. By signing up to the Pledge, agencies and clients are making a clear commitment to the positive mental health of their people. In tandem, we hope it will lead to better wealth for their businesses by cutting down on unnecessary waste, in terms of resources, time and energy. This is our chance to really make a difference for the benefit of our current industry employees and for future generations for whom we hope conditions will be fairer and even more enjoyable.”

Historically pitch guides have focused on the process and ‘how to’ of pitching and have lacked the consideration of both human and environmental costs. This initiative seeks to address the systemic pitching behaviours, providing a new perspective.

The full pledge can be found on www.pitchpositivepledge.co.uk and details the core commitments agencies and clients must adhere to and outlines the various considerations they must take into account during the three stages of the pitch process – before, during and after. In summary, these comprise: