AMC is giving The Pitch a second season, despite earning ratings that left something to be desired and a less-than-warm welcome from the industry it showcased.
The show featured agencies going head-to-head in real-world account reviews for brands like Waste Management, Popchips and Subway, among others.
“Simply put, we love the show,” said Joel Stillerman, exec-VP of original programming, production and digital content at AMC. “‘The Pitch’ hits all the criteria we look for in an unscripted show: honest characters, original premise and quality production.”
“The Pitch” ignited heated debates among ad agencies, where critics said the series did not accurately portray the industry or the pitch process. It showed CEOs and top marketing executives attending initial meetings with agencies, for example, a rare occurrence in reality. And the format didn’t allow any time for the “chemistry check” meetings where marketers consider their cultural fit with agencies, often a major determining factor in ultimately awarding business.
“We are not surprised by the criticism, but there’s a wide range of opinions out there,” Mr. Stillerman said. “We are happy there’s a lively discussion going on within the industry.”
The Pitch featured 15 small or mid-size shops in its first season, including Toronto agency The Hive. Other agencies included Ad Store, Bandujo Advertising and Design, BooneOakley, Bozell, Conversation, DiMassino Goldstein, FKM, Jones Advertising, Kovel/Fuller, McKinney, Muse Communications, SK&G, WDCW LA and Womenkind.
Several top agencies declined to participate, including Omnicom Group’s BBDO, TBWA, DDB and GSD&M; Interpublic Group of Cos.’ Mullen, DraftFCB, Carmichael Lynch, Gotham and Hill Holiday; WPP’s Ogilvy, Grey and Wunderman; Publicis Groupe’s Bartle Bogle Hegarty and Fallon; MDC Partners’ CPB and independents such as Cutwater.
“I’d like to believe it will be easier to bring on agencies and brands now that they have seen the show and know what it is all about,” Stillerman said. “But just like season one, it won’t be for everyone. Agencies need to decide for themselves if they want to be included.”
Eli Holzman, executive producer at Studio Lambert, the studio responsible for The Pitch, said he received calls from several agencies and brands that were interested in appearing once the first few episodes ran.
Critics shouldn’t expect a TV show to be able to depict every nuance of an industry in a restricted amount of time, Holzman added. “By nature, we need to boil down the 350 hours per episode we shot into 42-minute episodes,” he said.”
The first season received a nomination for the Critics’ Choice Television Awards in the competition reality show category but garnered mediocre ratings and criticism from within the ad industry.
The Pitch brought in an average of 303,000 viewers per episodes, according to Nielsen. In comparison, “Comic Book Men,” a reality show set in Kevin Smith’s comic-book shop, averaged 1.5 million viewers for its first-run episodes.
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