the art of the pitch

the first pitch is always a big one, just ask any of the quasi-famous public personalities asked to awkwardly throw the baseball at an MLB game. all eyes on you, everyone (usually) hoping you don’t completely miss the mark, and the smell of beer, popcorn and hotdogs filling the air.

well pitching in advertising is a lot like that. especially if your client happens to be bud light, orville redenbacher, oscar meyer, or any frankestein-esque mixture of the three. the only real difference is the first pitch is THE pitch and it’s not simply ceremonial. 

throughout my time at the sojc, i’ve had a lot of opportunities to pitch. be it classes, clubs, or NSAC (!!!) there’s a few things i have gleaned:

1. actively listen to your fellow presenters. if you space out, or just anticipate what your next move is, the client can tell. have an authentic conversation both with your presenters and with your client — keep it real + not obviously rehearsed
2. have the answers to every question the client could ask on deck. keep your creative related to your strategy especially. have your team poke the necessary holes in the campaign so you can plug them when the time comes. sink or swim baby.
3. cliche, but important. if you mess up, you’re the only who knows. keep going. improvise. be honest. just don’t stop and get mad at yourself. 

remember, pitching makes perfect ;)

see you tuesday anomaly!

@kyle4prezident (5.6.18)