The pitch imperfect: Why client feedback is the missing note

Agency partners, we've all been part of a pitch — some we’ve won, others we’ve lost. But what often gets overlooked is the valuable insight from the client’s side. Rarely do agency partners hear directly from clients about what went wrong, what stood out, or how agency partners can improve. 

Yet, understanding the client's point of view could be the key to pitching smarter, strengthening relationships, and ultimately, winning more business. 

The cost of silence 

Industry experts interviewed by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE agree that when brands hold back feedback, they unintentionally hinder agency growth. Shufen Goh, APAC president of mediasense, said that agencies miss out on critical learning opportunities when they don’t hear where they fell short. At the same time, brands lose the chance to shape better future work. 

“Over time, this could create a cycle of repeated mistakes, and clients receive proposals that don’t evolve. Giving transparent feedback isn’t a mere formality - it fuels learning, sharpens creativity, and ensures both brands and agencies grow together.” 

Furthermore, Leela Nair, managing director, APAC, MEA, Ebiquity added that a lack of feedback not only diminishes pitch quality but also leads to wasted resources and talent drain. 

In APAC markets, where relationship-building is culturally significant, this feedback gap can be particularly damaging. 

“This could understandably impact the potential agency participation rate in future reviews. We are seeing more agencies become more selective about the reviews that they participate in, so we ensure the agencies are given a full debrief giving due respect to the agencies for their time and interest in our client’s business.” 

Kenny Toy, managing director, Accenture Song Hong Kong lead, said the lack of transparent feedback could cause problems by not allowing brands and agency to learn and grow from each other’s experiences or expectations.

"For example, brands being open to accept ideas/input/insights outside the brief allows brands to grow their knowledge. On the other hand, to have the agency understand the mismatch of expectations further helps agency’s understanding and knowledge of one brand and the market," he added.

Munas Van Boonstra, managing director SEA at Monks, echoed these concerns, noting that the absence of transparent post-pitch feedback creates systemic inefficiencies. 

“For agencies, it means repeating mistakes or misaligned approaches, wasting resources, and lowering morale. For clients, it reduces the likelihood of agencies coming back stronger and more relevant in future opportunities.” 

At an industry level, this lack of shared learning stifles innovation - pitches remain transactional rather than developmental, and the overall quality of work delivered across the ecosystem declines over time, she added. “In markets such as Asia, where relationships and trust are especially critical, silence after a pitch damages long-term partnership potential.” 

A healthy client-agency relationship 

According to Goh, the absence of feedback isn’t usually an oversight — it reflects a deeper issue in how client-agency relationships are managed. “A pitch shouldn’t be viewed as just a transaction; it is an exchange that sets the tone for the quality of collaboration a brand and agency may have in future partnerships.” 

When feedback is structured and constructive, even a loss becomes valuable, giving agencies insight into where they fell short and the chance to sharpen their performance, she added. “This not only builds trust and leaves a positive impression that can foster more effective collaboration in future engagements, but also drives stronger outcomes for both sides.” 

Agreeing with her was Monks’ Boonstra, who said a standardised, constructive, and legally-safe feedback process would enable clients to share reflections without fear of liability. “Such a process could be codified into a simple framework: outlining what worked well, what fell short, and where improvements could be made.”  

Keeping feedback objective, focused on the work rather than individuals, and embedded as a time-bound step in the pitch cycle ensures it becomes routine rather than exceptional, she said.  

“For agencies, the key is to signal that feedback is welcomed as a mechanism for mutual growth rather than criticism. When applied consistently, this approach shifts pitches from one-off transactions into meaningful milestones within a longer-term partnership.” 

What does effective, standardised feedback look like? 

While feedback is critical, Goh cautioned that too much detail can sometimes be counterproductive. Agencies may overcorrect or lose confidence in their unique approach. 

Constructive feedback strikes a balance by providing clear insights aligned with agreed metrics, highlighting gaps without being personal or punitive, she said. The best agencies absorb this feedback, adapt, and move forward without losing their edge. Sometimes, internal politics get in the way of ensuring the whole pitch team receives the feedback. 

The most effective feedback process begins at the start of a pitch, during the briefing and planning stages, said Goh. “Establishing a clear framework early allows brands to identify and communicate key areas for improvement.” 

“We recommend clear and concise documented feedback, which should be used for client-side alignment as well as for sharing with agencies. From our experience, the degree of transparency that clients are willing to share varies widely.” 

As part of the clear framework, clients should limit feedback to three to four key areas such as strategic alignment, creativity, financials and chemistry; as well as avoiding subjective or personal remarks, such as focusing on “fit” rather than “failure.” 
 
“Clients should also highlight what could be improved for future engagements such as ‘We were looking for more regional case studies’ vs. ‘We didn’t like your idea’ or ‘There insight was provocative, but it didn’t quite anchor itself in the business challenge.’ vs ‘We didn’t understand the insight.” 
 
Some industry bodies such as the 4As already encourage structured debriefs as a best practice, but in APAC it’s far from standardised, she said. “It would be great to see brands adopting even a simple checklist process, it would elevate professionalism across the board.”   

Ebiquity’s Nair said it is important that the agencies receive structured and comprehensive feedback in a timely manner addressing strategic understanding and insight quality; creative approach and execution; capability demonstration; cultural and team fit as well as commercial proposition. 

"Sometimes we find that marketers do not conduct a feedback session due to time pressures where marketing teams move quickly to next priorities or lack of internal processes for systematically capturing and sharing decision rationales."

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