Singapore association launches guide to best practices in pitching

Here’s a subject close to the hearts of all innovators whose livelihoods depend on successfully pitching their original ideas to potential clients — what are some key guidelines that can make productive working relationships more likely?

To address this issue, the Association of Advertising and Marketing Singapore (AAMS) and global marketing consultancy R3 have developed a Pitch Best Practices guide.

The big picture here is that in Singapore, and in Asia generally, the number of pitches are increasing, while pitching standards have remained inconsistent. And that’s bad news for those who pitch, as well as those who call for pitches.

In its announcement about the guide, AAMS quotes Group Chairman of ad agency Ogilvy Singapore & Malaysia Chris Riley’s pithy take on the situation: “In my experience, I have seen an extraordinary waste of time, resources, and money on poorly conceived and managed pitches. As an industry, we must come together to both demonstrate and uphold these Best Practices to ensure our credibility.”

Two key principles in this guide stood out to us. One is about recognising intellectual property. As Marketing Interactive put it in its report about the AAMS guide: “Idea theft is real. Still to date, the marketing community often sees ideas being taken from one agency and given to another at a lower cost. In the age of social, if such a campaign is identified, it can do your brand reputation more harm than good.”

Another principle in the guide is “respect cuts both ways”. The guide asserts:“Brands need to be cognizant of reputation as in our fluid economy, talent flows between agency, advertiser, media owners and technology platforms. Everyone is fighting for the same talent.”

This respect should also extend to respect for an innovator’s IP. Speaking about onerous IP-related clauses in tender documents, PitchMark’s legal advisor Frank Rittman similarly noted that “organisations with histories of dealing with vendors in an unfair manner can start to be viewed by other potential vendors with apprehension or distrust. By the same measure, organisations known for fair and reasonable behaviour garner respect within creative communities”.

Industry guidelines and a care for reputational damage are important factors in improving the pitch process, and especially in making respect for IP the norm. And we believe that services such as those offered by PitchMark, which give innovators tools for documenting their IP creation and signalling their awareness of their IP rights, are just as essential.

PitchMark helps innovators deter idea theft, so that clients get the idea but don’t take it. Visit PitchMark.net and register for free as a PitchMark member today.

Topics

Categories

Giving creators more recognition

The Copyright Bill tabled in Singapore’s Parliament on July 6, 2021, came into force in November. What were the factors that spurred these amendments, and what do they mean for creators and their clients? Lam Chung Nian – who heads the Intellectual Property, Technology & Data Group at Singapore’s WongPartnership law firm – shares more.

This conversation with PitchMark managing p

Dealing with onerous IP clauses in tender documents

From design agencies to training providers, entrepreneurs and small businesses across various industries often throw their hat in the ring when organisations send out Invitations To Quote (ITQ) for upcoming projects.
These documents set out the requirements for a project, and enables a potential vendor to assess how much to charge for its goods and/or services. But beyond noting the nature and

IP Chit Chat with film producer Juan Foo

Thanks to technological advancement, new platforms are being launched every other day, providing more opportunities for creators to share their stories with the world. However, that also means that protecting the intellectual property rights of these stories is more important than ever. In the first interview in our new IP Chit Chat series, we speak to veteran Singapore film producer Juan Foo abou

Spanish beach body campaign used a model’s image without her consent

British model Nyome Nicholas-Williams has accused Spain’s Ministry of Equality of using her photo from Instagram and featuring it in their advertisement without her permission.
The ministry launched a summer campaign that features five diverse women chilling out on a beach to persuade women who are worried about their body looks and, therefore, avoid going to the beach.
The Institute for Wom

How creators can contribute to sustainability goals

Sustainability has become a fundamental part of running a business and ensuring its success and survival, which means discouraging the use of natural or other resources so that they can last longer.
To achieve progress towards zero carbon emissions, companies must strive to convey sustainability goals to their customers.
One way of doing this could be connecting with creators/influencers who

Snapchat sued by Swiss rights collection society SUISA for refusing to pay its composers, songwriters and publishers

Snap Inc., the owner of social media platform Snapchat, is being sued by Switzerland-based SUISA Digital Licensing for alleged copyright infringement.
SUISA Digital is a subsidiary of the music rights collection society SUISA that collects digital publishing royalties outside the U.S. for its 80,000 songwriters, composers, publishers and about 10 million works. It has created license agreements

Let your clients get the idea, without taking it.

PitchMark deters idea theft and provides you with options if it happens.

PitchMark protects the expression of your original concepts, designs, proposals, business plans, creative pitches, music - in short, any idea that you conceived and published, and claim as your own. It gives you peace-of-mind by signalling to whoever you share it with that you are its creator, and that you wish to be respected as such.

If you receive or evaluate ideas or pitches, join PitchMark as a sign of your commitment to respect the Intellectual Property rights of their creators. Attract more in-depth pitches from a wider range of sources. Highlight your PitchMark membership in your Sustainability or CSR Report.