Following a series of discussions with marketers, IAPI agencies and pitch consultants, IAPI have updated their suite of pitch guidelines.

We all know that selecting and appointing an agency is a time-intensive and expensive process for the marking department and the agency. The new IAPI guidelines, are supported by the Advertisers Association of Ireland (AAI) and The Marketing Institute in Ireland, and, are to help all parties navigate the process.

It is accepted that a big part of a brands’ success depends on a great client/agency partnership and at its best this relationship is an active partnership of collaboration and transparency. However, relationships and needs can change and clients may require to move agencies for a variety of reasons.

In order to help marketers make the best decision for their business, IAPI have developed three comprehensive Pitch Guides, depending on whether you wish to undertake:

The Agile Pitch guide is new and has been specifically designed for companies with budgets of less than €300k, or, for those who require an agency for a one-off project.

IAPI pitch guidelines
IAPI pitch guidelines

The publication of the new IAPI pitch guidelines, coincides with the biennial review of IAPI accredited pitch consultants. Each current IAPI accredited pitch consultant underwent a review in January 2019 and those successful were accredited for a two-year period.

This comprehensive review asks for the consultants’ agreement to follow the new pitch guidelines to ensure that all parties involved in pitching are fully aligned. The 2021 IAPI accreditation will be awarded at the beginning of March to successful pitch consultants.

To complement these guides, IAPI has created a complete resource hub for pitching (iapi.ie/pitching) where you will find a suite of documents, templates and contracts that you can download to help with the process of pitching.

We believe that these guides offer marketers, pitch consultants and agencies, practical guidelines and pragmatic advice when it comes to choosing a new agency partner. However, you have any queries with regards to pitching new business to agencies, please email info@iapi.ie and they can provide you with further help.

“I’m delighted with the level of engagement and input we received from our membership and other industry stakeholders so, I’d like to thank everyone involved in producing these essential guides.”, says Shenda Loughnane, President, IAPI and Group Managing Director, Dentsu.

As an agency leader I have taken part in many streamlined and incredibly well-run pitch processes. However, a pitch process that does not follow a set of clear, best practice principles can be costly for both parties in terms of both time and money. This is something that all IAPI members are keen to avoid and these guides will allow us to begin to set an overall industry standard for the pitch process”