Effective this month, clients must pay agencies 100,000 baht (US$2,570) for a full campaign pitch and 50,000 baht for a strategic pitch.
The policy has been accepted by the association's 44 member agencies, which account for more than 80 per cent of local advertising billings.
Hong Kong attempted to introduce a pitch fee in 2001, but the initiative failed because of enforcement difficulties.
Besides deterring clients from inviting up to 10 agencies to pitch, the Thai 4As hopes the fee will also prevent clients from abusing the pitch system.
"Some clients have no intention to move their accounts but put them up just to scare their existing agencies into negotiating a better fee," saidAdvertising Association of Thailand president Parames Rachjaibun.
"Some already have an agency in mind but call a pitch to make it look transparent, and some want to pick up strategies and then hand their account to a small production house or creative boutique."
While these instances are still in the minority, they are "common enough to cause concern", he said. The pitch fee, he said, would not cover the costs associated with a pitch - which can run up to a million baht - but will act as a deterrent. To ensure compliance, all pitches will now go through the ad association which will collect the fee on behalf of the agencies. Part of this will be kept to cover administration costs, and the balance given to the agency. The winning agency will return its fee to the client upon its appointment.
Parties exempt from the pitch fee include Government agencies who "don't have it built into their budgets", clients who are conducting a pitch among agencies it already works with, and multinationals conducting global pitches, Parames said.
The AAT will shortly meet with Marketing Association of Thailand representatives to address any concerns.
