IAA initiates series of industry debates to formulate best practice guide to the pitch process

The International Advertising Association (IAA), UAE Chapter is set to stage a trilogy of industry debates to explore pervasive issues impacting the success of the communications industry in the region.

The first panel of the ‘Better Pitching, Better Relationships’ series will take place on the 15th of February at Radisson Blu hotel in Dubai Media City.

The series will bring together practitioners from all sides of the communications industry including clients, agencies and media representatives to participate in a panel discussions to address the impact of the pitching process on client/agency relationships and the wider communications process as a whole.

The series demonstrates the IAA’s leading role in supporting the development of the UAE’s communications industry, with the aim of formulating guiding principles and industry best practices around the pitch process. In addition, the IAA hopes that by facilitating this discussion it will help strengthen relationships between clients, agencies and media representatives, resulting in improved commercial performance for the industry.

Dr. Lance de Masi, President of the IAA, UAE Chapter commented, “Pitching is a popular method that advertisers use for selecting agencies. It is not likely to disappear anytime soon. As the role of communication as a key factor in business success increases and as the efficient deployment of resource becomes an issue of growing importance due to economic pressure, the effectiveness of prevailing pitch practices is under assault. Advertisers and agencies murmur, ‘There’s got to be a better way. . .’ And when one factors ethical considerations into the analysis, the murmurs often turn into cries of desperation. The purpose of ‘Better Pitching, Better Relationships’ is to reach consensus on what can be done to improve the process as it currently stands, resulting in a statement of best practices that the communications industry can endorse, embrace and put into practice.”

“There will always be lingering areas of disagreement and refusal to alter undesirable and senseless behavior; but by the time the series is over, with broad-scale participation by creative, media and PR agencies and – of course – advertisers, we will have done justice to the topic and for the first time in the history of the industry in this region, drafted a code of conduct to guide practice. The hope is that when we are finished there will be fewer versions of the truth and that we will have created for advertisers and agencies conditions for making more effective choices, resulting in stronger relationships and the superior output that comes with them,” explained Dr. Lance.

The panels will be moderated by industry veteran Barry Gray, previously publisher of Gulf Marketing Review magazine, and founder of GMR Conferences and the annual GEMAS marketing awards. Panelists will include among others Kamal Dimachkie – Executive Regional Managing Director, Leo Burnett UAE, Kuwait and the Lower Gulf, Nassib Boueri – CEO of Wunderman / Y&R MENA with Fadi Ghosn, of General Motors Middle East who also chairs the Advertising Business Group and Sara Sahely, former head of advertising for the Emirates Group.