AAR’s latest New Business Pulse, released today (Thursday), has shown that completed advertising reviews have taken the biggest tumble at 18.3%. But other sectors have also slowed – CRM/direct marketing pitches were down 6.6%, digital 7.6% and media 7%. Only the number of integrated pitches remained the same as 2015.
Kerry Glazer, chief executive of AAR, said: “It is too early to jump to conclusions about the health of the new-business market in 2016 as the figures only relate to completed reviews. Having said that, the uncertainty and faltering confidence caused by the recent Brexit vote is unlikely to prove to be good news for new-business volumes.”
In the advertising sector, despite a fall in the total number of completed reviews, the number of pitches for bigger clients – whose adspend is more than £20m – was the same as last year. These pitches included Aldi, Asda, Confused.com, Dreams, Morrisons, Paddy Power Betfair, The Co-operative Group and Transport for London.
WCRS chief executive Matt Edwards said that although there has not been the same volume of pitches, the first six months of this year have offered good opportunities for agencies. This is particularly true in the supermarket sector, with four major companies appointing shops and Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer kicking off pitches.