Gabberissue #17: Pitching

If we knew about the tsunami that was about to hit our industry when we first started putting this issue together in February, we might have chosen a different topic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only re-shaped how our day-to-day business is being run, it’s also evolved how new business is being won. But the pressures, the stakes and the need for creative chutzpah still remain.

So while we’re thinking about what comes next, maybe it’s a good time to start talking about the process, the learnings and how to cope with the mental freight-train that is the pitch.  

In this issue, Paul Nagy, Chief Creative Officer of VMLY&R, shares some of his learnings after years of pitching experiences. He touches on being generous with ideas, believing in the what you’re pitching and the benefits of embracing pressure.  

Adam Ferrier, Founder and Chief Thinker at Thinkerbell pitches the value of marketing sciences in rationalising ideas, and how creativity is not restricted to those who have it in their job title.

We look at pitching creative work outside the industry. Taxi Director Siobhan Mulready discusses what it’s like to pitch your own personal projects to the likes of funding bodies and streaming services.  

And we hear from pitch consultants, Trinity P3, and several agency leaders about how the process of pitching has evolved now that iso-restrictions are in place.

Plus a smattering of creative minds from across Australia (yes, not just Sydney and Melbourne) and the globe have their say, vent, lament, innovate, speculate and ideate in response to the topic as a therapeutic release.

One thing that struck us while preparing this issue, was the willingness of contributors to instantly chip in their time and brains for Gabberish.

So here’s cheers to Siobhan and Jess for continuing to make this therapeutic piece of literature a reality for the benefit of us all.

–
Sam Boyd, copywriter at BCM Group
Anais Read, copywriter at Publicis Worldwide