UMA Survey Costs of Media Pitches 2024 : the challenges remain

For the second consecutive year, the United Media Agencies (UMA) has conducted a study on the total time spent by media agency teams on media pitches. The findings for 2024 indicate a total of 17,817 hours of work, translating into a staggering €2.17 million in costs.

Key Findings from the 2024 Survey:

• 60 media competitions were completed in 2024, with a total of 167 agency participations.
• The average cost per pitch per participating agency was €13,000.
• 36% of agency participations resulted in winning a budget.
• 10.5 full-time employees (FTE) were dedicated solely to pitch work across the 9 surveyed agencies.

Reducing the Cost of Pitches

Hugues Rey, CEO of Havas and President of UMA, emphasized the need to optimize the use of agency resources: “Reducing the number of media pitches while enhancing their quality would benefit both media agencies and advertisers.”

The study also highlighted that agencies frequently participate in multiple pitches, engaging some of their top talent in an ongoing effort to win new clients or retain existing ones. This constant involvement strains agency resources, impacting operational efficiency.

Towards a More Efficient Pitching Process

UMA strongly advocates for limiting the number of participating agencies per pitch to three. According to François Chaudoir, CEO of Space and VP of UMA, : “Restricting competitions to three agencies enhances the pitch quality, simplifies the process, and ensures meaningful interactions between agencies and advertisers.”

Additionally, the study underscores the importance of:

• Structured processes with clear expectations, budgets, and objectives.
• ‘Chemistry meetings’ at the outset to foster engagement and understanding.
• Comprehensive debriefing for all participating agencies.
• Financial compensation for participating agencies.
• Engaging external auditors with market expertise for impartial evaluations.

A Deeper Study for 2025

Given the valuable insights gained, UMA plans to expand the study in 2025 by evaluating advertisers’ maturity in the pitch process and their collaboration with auditors. This initiative aims to create a Pitch Observatory, allowing the industry to track trends and improve practices over time.