On one side, the media industry is reeling under tremendous pressure, with Adex shrinking to its lowest ebb. Many broadcasters, publishers, and colleagues in the media felt that July and August were a bloodbath.
Now, while the argument is not about whether pitches are beneficial and necessary, what is the role of an Audit “Champion” here, and why should they logically be present?
A normal pitch is extremely taxing for an agency; they spend sleepless nights burning the midnight oil. Finally, the time comes when a novice, lacking any absolute understanding of the media landscape, poses questions that are beyond anyone’s ability to answer. Do these pitches really work when there are these so-called Audit “Experts” around? Why are clients even encouraging this? Let’s face it—many times these pitches are called, sorry to say, not for any strategic thinking or goal-setting; gone are those days. However good a media agency is, in the end, it’s only about rates, rates, and rates! This seriously affects the entire ecosystem; most of the time, the media agency is given very little freedom to decide the media mix. Clients overpower them, insisting on taking only channels that offer the lowest CPRP, which results in poor sales. The blame falls on the agency and the media partner.
You might now be wondering where the “Audit Guru” is, the one who started this process, if I may say, confusing the client and the ecosystem, and has since disappeared. If the broadcaster decides not to budge on the rates quoted by the agency, it becomes a loss of face for all of us. In this entire rigmarole, the relationship between the media agency and the broadcaster sometimes becomes strained. Eventually, one of them agrees to support the other, as always, and they will continue to do so.
Audits are good, but not for every pitch, every client, or every four to five months. If the client is concerned about their business, shouldn’t they be calling for an audit pitch as well? Why limit it to media agencies only? How is the Audit Agency evaluated?
Lastly, my submission is that too many pitches are creating too much chaos! Audit agencies should know their role and have it well defined. They should not be encouraged to decide on certain imbecilic ideas that are beyond their mastery. If rates are the key, call the agency and broadcaster—why the need for an audit?
(The opinions expressed are personal and do not reflect the views of MediaNews4U)
