The industry doesn't need better pitches; it needs better standards

The industry doesn’t need better pitches; it needs better standards

By Nick Walsh

posted on Jun. 04, 2026 at 10:14 am

"This is a moment for the industry to come together rather than continue operating in silos. Not networks versus independents; not agencies versus procurement; not clients versus partners. Just a more connected industry that recognises the long-term health of the ecosystem benefits everyone," says Nick Walsh.

The conversation around pitching in the Middle East has finally opened up. For years, the pitch process has been marked by frustrations around unrealistic timelines, speculative work, huge agency lists, procurement-heavy structures, unclear decision-making and, in some cases, pitches that simply disappear without closure.

Yet despite how openly these conversations happen behind closed doors, very little has changed.
Shifting the focus
The debates almost always centres around client behaviour. Procurement teams are blamed. Marketing departments are criticised. The region itself is labelled as “difficult”.

But the real question is why the industry has allowed this culture to continue.

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