A FIELD GUIDE FROM OUR OWN BRAND

The 2026
Pitch
Playbook.

Written by the agency on the other side of the table.

  • 7 chapters · 9 appendices · 7,000 words. The honest version, written by an agency.
  • Argued for fewer agencies, not more. Paid pitches, shorter briefs, chemistry before creative.
  • Fresh for 2026. Pitch Positive Pledge, WFA × VoxComm 2025, AI disclosure framework, real fee benchmarks.

~ 25-page read · A4 print-ready · Free, no follow-up calls unless you ask.

GET THE PLAYBOOK

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£30-50k+Billable time the agency spends per pitchMarketing ~£30k · creative ~£50k+ · mostly unpaid by client. Inside Chapter 1.
3-4The right number of agencies to invite to a final pitchBeyond four, the math stops working for everyone. Pitch Positive Pledge floor. Inside Chapter 2.
13%Of GenAI prompts that leak sensitive organisational dataLasso Research 2025. Why your 2026 brief needs an AI rider. Inside Chapter 6.
WHAT'S INSIDE

A field guide, not a sales deck.

Most "how to choose an agency" PDFs were written by procurement consultants for procurement teams. This one was written by an agency that wins and loses pitches every quarter, for the people who run them.

Inside Chapter 4

Pitch fee benchmarks 2026

Real numbers, sourced from AAR, TrinityP3, ISBA + the 2024 Campaign survey. UK and US, by pitch type. Plus the "ask never" list of 10 things you should not ask agencies to do.

Inside Chapter 6

8 AI questions to ask every agency

The 2026-specific disclosure framework most CMOs forget to put in their RFI. Plus the 5 red flags to look for in an AI-heavy pitch deck — and the rider clauses your contracts need if they predate March 2024.

Inside the Appendices

9 paste-ready templates

1-page brief template · scoring rubric · RFI questionnaire · procurement-marketing matrix · reference-call template · pitch fee benchmarks · "ask never" list · Pitch Positive Pledge in plain English · glossary.

FROM THE FOREWORD
Most of what's in here is contrarian to how a normal pitch process is run. We're going to argue for fewer agencies, not more. Paid pitches, not free ones. Shorter briefs, not longer ones. Chemistry before creative, not after. One inspiring problem, not seventeen requirements.

From The 2026 Pitch Playbook · written by the team at OOB

ABOUT US

Who wrote this.

Our Own Brand is a London-based social media agency, founded 2018. 200+ brands, 40+ countries, in-house Labs team building the tools our strategists use.

We've lost competitive pitches to most of the agencies referenced in this guide. We've also won quite a few. The lessons in here come from both columns of that scorecard.

If you'd rather skip the pitch entirely: hello@ourownbrand.co · +44 (0) 208 050 1921 · ourownbrand.co