There’s a growing issue in the Middle East that no one seems to be talking about, at least not publicly. It’s the lack of respect for agency creativity during the pitch process. For boutique and mid-sized agencies especially, this isn’t just a frustration; it’s a recurring threat to our time, our resources and our intellectual property.
We’re not talking about sour grapes for losing a pitch. Losing is part of the game. We’re talking about brands that invite agencies to pitch, absorb the best ideas, then go dark, only to reappear weeks later with creative work published, rebranded and uncredited. If it sounds brazen, it’s because it is.
The Middle East has a pitch problem
The regional pitch culture, particularly in the UAE and GCC, has normalised a model where ideas are treated as ‘free samples’. Clients cast wide nets, pulling in five, 10, sometimes more agencies to respond to time-consuming RFPs. The reality is that only a couple were ever seriously being considered. The rest are there to inflate the sense of competition or extract ideas to Frankenstein into something in-house.
This kind of behaviour is harmful to all sides and erodes trust, undermines agency motivation and damages how the region is perceived globally. Having worked in Europe and the UK, the contrast is stark. While idea theft can happen anywhere, what’s different here is how often it happens and how little shame or accountability there seems to be when it does.
Ghosting is not a strategy
What makes this worse is the complete lack of communication after the pitch. In recent experiences, our agency has been ghosted, not by junior executives, but by senior marketing leads and procurement officers. These are individuals whose job it is to lead relationships with external partners. If they cannot take the time to offer a respectful “no, thank you,” then they shouldn’t be issuing requests for proposal (RFPs) in the first place.
One government-backed client recently invited us to submit ideas for a campaign launch. We went through two full rounds of feedback, with revisions made each time. Then, silence. Not even an automated rejection email. Weeks later, we saw one of our creative concepts live on their channels, just slightly tweaked.
In another instance, a well-known food and beverage (F&B) brand asked to use our creative proposition after awarding the work to a different agency. When we sent a quote to license the idea – a fair ask, considering the hours invested – we were told it was too ‘expensive’. They used it anyway. Apparently, integrity didn’t make it into the budget.
No pitch without protection
After being burned too many times, we made it a global agency policy: no pitch without a signed non-disclosure agreement (NDA). It must include clear IP clauses. We also include disclaimers in all our decks, and we’re exploring watermarking creative visuals. It’s
not fool-proof, but at least it gives us a layer of recourse and filters out unserious prospects.
We’ve also started pushing back on poorly constructed RFPs. If a brief looks like a fishing expedition including vague goals, impossible deadlines, no clarity on budgets, then we won’t waste our team’s time. We ask whether a shortlist has been created through a proper request for information (RFI) process. If not, we recommend it. Brands need to do their homework before dragging 10 agencies into a free-for-all.It’s not just about theft – it’s about respect.
Let’s be clear: large network agencies may have pitch teams ready to absorb the hit. Most mid-size and boutique agencies don’t. When we’re asked to pitch, we’re pulling in real resources – strategists, creatives, designers, project managers, who are taken off client work to prepare something meaningful. That time has a cost.
Procurement teams need to be better educated too. Their KPIs are often tied to getting the ‘best deal’, but creativity is not a commodity. It’s not about who can do it cheaper; it’s about who can do it better and who will partner with your brand to deliver lasting value.
A call for standards
It’s time for the industry to implement clearer, stricter standards around pitching. At a minimum, this
should include:
- Mandatory NDAs before creative work is shared
- RFI shortlisting to avoid unnecessary creative pitches
- Feedback within seven days of final submission
- Respectful rejection emails. Yes, this should be a basic requirement.
If brands can’t commit to these standards, they shouldn’t be asking agencies to commit their time.
Let’s raise the bar. If we want the Middle East to be seen as a serious hub for creativity and innovation, clients need to stop treating pitches like open buffets and start treating agencies like the partners we are.
By Tom Berne, Managing Director, Crowd
