Author Archives: Enth Degree

While the term “reaching out” has infected our vernacular, “reach”, the keystone of communications, appears to be taking a back seat to less meaningful measures, namely “impacts”, “impressions” or “views”. This a key observation from the bulk of new business media pitches we have managed over the last 12 months. By way of example, Enth Degree recently witnessed an agency spruiking the superiority of their strategy, rejecting television for an online only communications plan. To paraphrase the agency: “A $1m spend on linear televison would only be enough to secure a 5-week burst of approximately 45% 1+ reach across television nationally. A $1m spend on YouTube would generate…

Enth Degree has run a number of very successful client tenders during COVID-19. Hort Innovation (Australian Apples, Australian Avocadoes, Australian Mushrooms, etc.) invests around $120 million in research, development, and marketing projects annually to provide benefits to the horticulture industry and the wider community.

Enth Degree recently spoke to AdNews about remote pitching and provided some tips based on our current market experience. Should you require assistance in reviewing your supplier arrangements, please get in touch.  

At a recent industry conference, the Global Head of a Media Agency called for the end of “pitching”. The hashtag #ditchthepitch” was launched amid much fanfare. A great use of rhyme to get your point across. And funnily enough the hashtag shares the same title with the 2014 book from Steve Yastrow that “asks us to throw out everything we’ve been taught about pitching to customers.” In an industry that seeks to differentiate itself through creativity, it is somewhat ironic. However, that aside, without wishing to sound self-serving, let’s look at the speaker’s case for change: “There is a concern in our industry, and I’m talking for both…

Enth Degree has managed many media pitches over the last few months across a broad range of marketers and product categories. We have compiled the following observations, to hopefully assist Media Agencies provide their best opportunity to leave a positive impact during the pitch process. This is not intended to be an article on “how to get the most out of the pitch process” but to provide some very simple observations for Agencies. By sharing these observations with Agencies, we hope that our clients will benefit through more focussed and insightful proposals from contenders. Don’t pitch if you don’t have time There are many occasions where it is…

A successful pitch is not the sole responsibility of the submitting Agencies. Marketers play a key role in the calibre of Agency output. Below we have compiled a list of observations to assist our clients to generate the best possible response from candidate Agencies when they go to market. Those Marketers who have worked with Enth Degree will recognise much of the commentary below.   While some of these are obvious, the distractions of daily responsibilities can often derail the best intentions. Know What You Want from the Pitch Process Sounds obvious? Well not always. Dramatic changes in both marketing and communication channels over the past five years…

When advised by a potential client that they want to “review the market” because they are dissatisfied with their Communication Agency’s “_____” (insert here, usually Service/Creative/Cost). We advise that this should be the last resort. Like all partnerships, the Marketer / Agency relationship is subject to significant pressure points. Like a marriage guidance counsellor, we prefer reconciliation to divorce. The Agency often has significant intelligence reserves, with an historic knowledge of the client’s communications, unmatched internally if the client has suffered a high turnover in marketing talent. (Of course the high rotation in Agency talent in some Agencies will contradict this observation.) With a new Agency comes a…

In 2015 Optus engaged Enth Degree to run a comprehensive agency tender process across all media disciplines. The results of this tender were outlined this week in Mumbrella Should you require assistance in reviewing your supplier arrangements, please get in touch.

Recent events have brought to the forefront a raft of unfavourable media practices with significant consequences for both clients and agencies.  Unfortunately this is not a new concept nor limited to one agency.   It has been covered extensively in the trade press and also placed a spotlight on media auditors, client actions and media agency ethics. Holding an independent position in the market, we have been exposed to these practices and developed our own preventative measures to what we would call “the shell game”. That is, we know which shell to look under, and how to make sure unfavourable practices don’t happen in the first place! Prevention is always…