Authenticity – The Hidden Superpower
I’ve always believed in the power of authenticity. In fact my personal mantra for 2025 is Embrace & Authenticity.
Authenticity fosters trust and connection, helps build meaningful relationships, boosts creativity and innovation and most importantly, helps personal fulfilment.
At a recent Matchmaker roundtable attended by PR agency leaders that I’d hosted, we were discussing tips and insights for converting pitches. Our brilliant host provided a superb list of recommendations but one that stuck out for me personally was for agency teams to be authentic. Especially now when trust is high on client’s minds.
But clients need to allow agencies the opportunity to show up as their authentic selves – whether it’s being able to hold a pitch at the agency offices so that they can see, feel and experience the agency, or ensuring that a Tissue meeting is a non-negotiable, face-to-face, element of the pitch process.
Being Head of Matchmaker, the PRCA’s agency search and pitch management service, I offer guidance and support to both clients and agencies throughout the pitch process.
And yes you’ve guessed it, allowing agencies to be their authentic selves is always very much on the top of the list when discussing the brief / pitch process with clients.
I will always recommend that clients take time to visit agencies in their own environments and will always argue the case for pitches to take place at agency offices. This enables the client to see the agency team as their authentic selves but also allows the agency to deliver a sprinkling of magical dust.
Reluctance, time and budget constraints, stakeholder availability, geographical spread, remote working – all challenges that can stifle the opportunity to shine authentically.
Not all clients are able to visit agency offices throughout the pitch process. Some organisations follow strict guidelines of ‘no client/agency contact’ prior to pitch, particularly public tenders.
The industry is filled with so many brilliant people – creative, innovative, strategic, vibrant and… authentic.
Whilst at a Conference last year I heard a brilliant description of what an agency means to a client, “agencies bring the sunshine to our teams’.
So let agencies be their authentic selves and bring the sunshine into your pitch process.
Helping agencies and clients alike understand the true value of authenticity allows for more sunshine at all stages in the pitch process.