The Aviva pitch was a model of good practice

We at Unique Digital were fortunate enough to be invited to pitch in the recent Aviva pitch process (MW last week). We were also very grateful to be included in the final four agencies under consideration. While we did not win this account, I feel compelled by the experience to share my views on the process, especially in light of the fact that the digital world is seeing a massive increase in the number of pitches, with many budgets now comparable with offline spends.

Having been involved in many pitches over the years, both within the digital and traditional worlds, and for both media and creative opportunities, I feel I am well placed to make a judgement call on a well-managed process and, shall we say, a less than well-managed process. Based on all this experience, I’d like to congratulate the team at Aviva and Billets for the professional handling of the process.

I am sure many of us have experienced more bad pitches than good and I believe we all share the view that the work that is ultimately generated is generally a direct result of the quality of this process. The brief, the communication, the Q&A sessions, the clarity of expectations and the people involved at the client’s end all contribute directly to the experience and the resulting work.

Refreshingly, the Aviva pitch process was handled in a most professional manner. I cannot commend enough the effort the staff at Aviva put into this process. The brief was extremely well written, the communication - through its online tool – was clear and succinct, and the expectations left nothing to doubt. They took the time to give us feedback on our proposals and presentations, provide analysis of strengths and weaknesses, and in-depth information on their perceptions of us as an agency. Unique enjoyed the experience enormously and we feel we have learnt a great deal as a result.

The team at Aviva should be very proud of themselves and the work they carried out. If only every pitch was conducted in this manner. Obviously, I would have preferred a different outcome, but I can only congratulate Diffiniti on the win, commend again the Aviva pitch team and wish everyone involved success in the future. With a starting point conducted in this manner, I can only foresee continued success.

Andy Stevens

Managing partner

Unique Digital

Tunbridge Wells