#btsia Shortlist Focus: Pitch Marketing Group
Agency: Pitch Marketing Group
Category: Agency of the Year
Tell us about yourselves…
“Pitch Marketing Group is an independent sports marketing agency located in the heart of Soho, with three core specialisms: PR, Partnerships and Productions.
“Originally founded as ‘Pitch’ in 2002, it was built on the belief that one of the most effective ways for brands to engage with consumer audiences is through the medium of sport and entertainment. Over the past 15 years, Pitch has grown and developed to become one of the UK’s leading independent sports marketing agencies. Our client roster now includes some of world’s biggest sponsors, sports properties and media organisations, armouring us with a 360 degree perspective of the industry.
“Our mission is to produce distinctive marketing campaigns for our clients. And our vision is to create ideas that stand out, explode in popular culture and deliver to the brand and business bottom line.
“We have a team of 45 incredible people, each and every one of them with a contagious energy and passion for what they do. Thanks to them and our Head of Talent, Pamela Nobile, our company culture is better than ever. Whether it’s inside or outside of office hours, there is never a dull moment that’s for sure.
“Not to be confused with Pitch International, which surprisingly, and evidently from last week’s shortlisted event, still does happen. Apologies again to the job candidate who turned up to the wrong office…
Why do you think you made the shortlist?
“People – We’re proud to boast some of the best talent the industry has to offer, and there is no doubt that the calibre of our work over the last twelve months is a result of hiring and retaining the best and most brilliant team of people we’ve ever had. But it’s not just about the work. One of our core values is to Be Human, and the people at Pitch embody the widely recognised ‘Pitch personality’ which has become somewhat synonymous with our agency.
“Process – Yes we know, process = yawn. But the introduction of a new 5-step process which takes our clients from Inputs all the way through to measurable business Impact has been absolutely fundamental in shaping our approach to campaigns over the last year. We apply it to everything we do and have reaped the rewards as a result of it.
“Progress – 2018 was undeniably the most successful year in Pitch’s history. In a nutshell, we overhauled our creative culture, hired market-leading creative talent and grew our revenue by 34%. But more than that, we punched above our weight. We successfully broadened our service offering, and created some of the year’s biggest sports campaigns with activations in 28 different countries. We won competitive global pitches, and we grew revenues from our existing client base.
Who’s your MVP?
“Henry Chappell – Pitch’s founder who is still very much at the heart of the agency. Henry started his sports industry career selling fanzines outside Old Trafford whilst at University. It has been noted by some in the industry that he hasn’t aged since then (he told us to include that bit). He’s chuffed to be shortlisted for Agency of the Year. Really though, his main priority for 2019 is to improve his surfing.
“Adam Raincock – Our Managing Partner, and the glue that keeps us altogether. Adam’s presence at Pitch has been totally transformational, and it’s no surprise that our best year ever coincides with his first full year at the company. You might recognise him from recent company press release images which may or may not look like album covers. Don’t stare too long though, his eyes will literally hypnotise you.
“Chris Allen – Head of PR. The lifeblood of the agency, a Pitch legend and an all-round hero. He has his vices; namely that he’s often caught outside having a cheeky cigarette having assured us that he’s ‘quit for good’. He also hammers so furiously at his keyboard that we’ve had to replace it several times. But we absolutely love him and simply couldn’t do without him. Fun fact – he has a pet chameleon. Don’t get him started on that.
“Lee Cheney – Head of Production (pronounced Chay-nee, NOT Chee-nee, the latter of which will get you off on the wrong foot). Lee joined us in 2017 and since then has grown Pitch Productions from a relatively small design studio to a branded content powerhouse. His work has seen us shortlisted for ‘Film Content of the Year’ at two consecutive Sport Industry Awards.”
How do you plan to celebrate?
“If we win we’re going to celebrate by taking the whole agency on a surf trip, and we’re not coming back until everyone has caught a wave.”
The BT Sport Industry Awards are the largest commercial sport awards in the world and an unrivalled showcase for the best of the sector’s output. This year’s Awards will see the industry come together for its night of the year on Thursday, 25th April at Battersea Evolution.
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