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posted on May. 11, 2026 at 9:00 amMay 12, 2026

Cover Feature: From a pitch to a partnership

posted on May. 11, 2026 at 9:00 amMay 12, 2026

Industry leaders reveal how pitch processes have become transactional and theatrical, and suggest win-win alternatives for marketers, procurement teams and agencies before the current system collapses.

Pitch Procurement Pricing

From top left, clockwise, Property Finder's Sevgi Gur; Kraft Heinz's Passant El Ghannam; GEMS Education's Suad Merchant; Mastercard's Reem Al Shammasi; dentsu MENA's Ramzy Abouchacra; Horizon Holding's Mazen Jawad; and IMPACT BBDO's Ghassan Kassabji.

A strange paradox has been normalised at the heart of the brand-agency partnership landscape in the Middle East. Brands claim that they want sharper thinking, strategic consumer insights, stronger distinctiveness, larger share of voice, tangible returns on investment and creative work that connects with communities long after campaigns end. Yet, current pitch systems and the processes used to choose agency partners are rarely consistent with these claimed objectives – often prioritising line items, hourly breakdowns, short-term savings and tidy-looking pitches. Where does the fault lie?
On one hand, marketers agree that procurement teams are under pressure to cut costs, often resulting in c

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Tags:#Passant El Ghannam Advertising Agencies billable hours brands Briefs business continuity commercial discipline commoditised consumer insights creative creative work creativity critical thinking deadlines Decision making denstu MENA digital distinctiveness effectiveness evaluation criteria feedback frameworks GEMS Education Ghassan Kassabji guardrails Horizon FCB MENA Horizon Holdings.Impact BBDO intellectual property Intelligence investment judgement Kraft Heinz marketing MasterCard Mazen Jawad measurement media objectives outcomes partnerships pitches pitching pricing processes Procurement Property Finder Ramzy Abouchacra Reema Al Shammasi response times returns on advertising spend returns on investment Rigour ROAS ROI Sevgi Gur share of voice strategic insights Suad Merchant success metrics technical pitches thinking timelines transactional relationships transparency trust workflows

the authorAnup Oommen

Anup Oommen is the Editor of Campaign Middle East at Motivate Media Group, a well-reputed moderator, and a multiple award-winning journalist with more than 15 years of experience at some of the most reputable and credible global news organisations, including Reuters, CNN, and Motivate Media Group. As the Editor of Campaign Middle East, Anup heads market-leading coverage of advertising, media, marketing, PR, events and experiential, digital, the wider creative industries, and more, through the brand’s digital, print, events, directories, podcast and video verticals. As such he’s a key stakeholder in the Campaign Global brand, the world’s leading authority for the advertising, marketing and media industries, which was first published in the UK in 1968.