Why AMC’s The Pitch Missed The Mark

For the last few Sunday nights, I’ve been watching The Pitch on AMC. For those unfamiliar, each week it provides a glimpse into two top-tier ad agencies, as they compete to win a new client. They have seven days to come up with a winning idea, which they then pitch to the client.

It’s a great reality show concept. With lots of drama and tension built in. AMC did a great job editing down what could only amount to a monstrous amount of footage into action-packed compelling 60 minute episodes.

But, I couldn’t help but think about how much some of the agencies missed the mark. I’m not even talking about some off-the-wall pitches. ZAMBIES and the off-color perfume commercial for the luxury hotel chain are just two of the weirder pitches. Alas, I digress.

The biggest issue was how few of the agencies actually took the time to market themselves before, during and after the show. These agencies were featured for 60 minutes on a cable TV show. Even the agencies, who didn’t win the Pitch, could benefit a lot from the potential exposure and awareness. Yet of the 14 agencies on the Pitch, I can count on one hand the number, who actually participated on social media (especially Twitter) during the show. Heck, one of the agencies, didn’t even have a Twitter account.

That’s social media management 101. Be where you audience is. (I get that show aired at 11 p.m. EST, which is kind of late, but it also aired right after Mad Men, which has a similar audience as the Pitch.) There were hundreds of tweets during Mad Men and The Pitch each night. By livetweeting and engaging with the show’s fans, they could build awareness for their own agency, as well as add value through additional show commentary. Everybody likes a sneak-peek or to hear more about what actually happened. It shouldn’t just be the agency’s account tweeting. I would have loved to see more of the account and creatives, who were on The Pitch, live-tweeting the episode.

Now, I don’t know if AMC will do a second season of The Pitch. But, if they do, I really hope they encourage (or even require) each agency to participate online during their show’s episode. That’s where they could build up a lot more buzz and momentum, and perhaps even appeal to people who don’t work in advertising and marketing.