Pitch fee introduction not being ignored: HK4As head

Hong Kong 4As chairman Jeffrey Yu has denied that member agencies and clients were largely ignoring the pitch fee policy, which was introduced in March. Reacting to suggestions that resistance was too great and that enforcement would be too difficult, Mr Yu said that since the introduction of the scheme, a total of 18 companies have paid or will pay HK$20,000 (about US$2,600) to each agency they had invited to pitch for an account. The firms include Cheung Kong, Standard Chartered Bank, CNN and Hong Kong & China Gas Company. "These are not Mickey Mouse companies. These are among the biggest corporations in Hong Kong. Because they are following the rules, others will too," Mr Yu told MEDIA. "Definitely there will be resistance, but it's a matter of applying social pressure. Also, education to make people aware about the underlying meaning of the pitch fee will take time because it is a tedious process. But we are starting to gain momentum. No one should be expecting us to have splendid results overnight," he added. Mr Yu said the pitch fee was not about offsetting the cost of preparing a pitch. "It's about respecting the agency being called in for a pitch and respecting the work being done for the pitch. The amount of money being paid is only a token amount," he said. The 4As has published guidelines on how to choose an advertising agency and on compensation.

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