Our 2025 Canadian Agency Pitch Report is officially live, and the data tells a fascinating story. While the total volume of pitches dipped slightly by 7.4% compared to the previous year, the real takeaway isn’t the quantity- it’s the vibe shift in how brands are choosing their partners.

With 163 pitches tracked last year, we saw some massive industry pivots:

We Have the Data—Now We Want Your Truth

The report gives us the what, but we need you to help us understand the how. Statistics show us who won, but they don’t capture the actual “State of the Pitch”—the late nights, the chemistry sessions, or the process itself.

Last year’s inaugural “State of the Pitch” survey confirmed a painful reality: 31% of pitches in Canada were rated as “bad or very bad.” We saw avoidable issues like agencies being given less than two weeks to respond, cattle call pitches with over a dozen agencies, and demands for free strategy and creative upfront.

If you were one of the agencies involved in those 163 pitches last year, we need your voice. Whether the process was a gold standard of respect or a grueling marathon that should have been an email, your feedback is the only way we can move that 31% dissatisfaction rate downward. We want to move beyond anecdotes to quantify the boots on the ground experience of the 2025 cycle.

This isn’t about who won or lost. It’s about how the pitch was managed. Your insights help us advocate for a healthier, more transparent pitching ecosystem in Canada.

Join the Conversation

Your feedback is entirely confidential—we aren’t looking for data that links back to specific advertisers. We just want the truth.

Our 2025 Canadian Agency Pitch Report is now available! And while the total number of pitches dipped slightly (down 7.4%), the real story isn’t about the volume – it’s about the vibe. The way brands choose their partners is fundamentally changing. And if you’re navigating the market right now, here are the three big shifts you need to know:

1. The Rise of the Independents

Perhaps the most exciting revelation in this year’s report: Homegrown talent is officially having a moment. Independent agencies secured a staggering 79% of all Agency of Record (AOR) wins this past year. This is perhaps a message that Canadian marketers are moving away toward agency partners who offer agility when markets get well, weird, and a perhaps(?) a cry for direct access to senior leadership.

2. A Tale of Two Sectors

Not all industries are moving at the same speed and we’re seeing an interesting rotationof where the budgets are flowing:

Who’s hot? Travel & Tourism (which jumped from 6 to 14 pitches) and Pharma/Healthcare. People are out exploring again, and health remains a top priority. Who’s not? The pandemic darlings of Tech and Automotive have both experienced a significant cooling period as those markets mature.

3. Media Remains the “Big Six” Stronghold

While independent agencies are winning the hearts of creative directors, the global “Big Six” holding companies still hold the keys to the Media kingdom, accounting for nearly 63% of media wins.

Looking Ahead: Making AI Work (For Real)

As we settle into 2026, the conversation has shifted. Agencies and their clients are done talking about AI as a shiny new toy; now, it’s an operational must-have. But the winners won’t necessarily be the agencies with deepest AI solutions. It’ll be the those who can deliver high-level strategic value in what promises to be a continuing market of unpredictability.

Curious about the full breakdown?

If you want to see the exact data points and more granular insights, reach-out to me for the full 2025 Canadian Agency Pitch Report.

Our annual Canadian Agency Pitch Report is complete! Findings reveal a 15% increase in pitch activity in 2024 compared to 2023. The report, which tracks agency pitch activity across Canada, finds that despite economic headwinds, 176 pitches were tracked in 2024.

We believe the continued upswing in pitch activity, particularly following the record-breaking 195% increase in 2022, demonstrates a dynamic shift in the marketer landscape

Key findings from the report include:

Even with the most modest improvement in economic conditions, we expect this trend to persist into 2025, as AI-driven solutions continue to redefine agency and marketer responsibilities.

The goal of the report is to provide the marketing community and Canadian agencies with an overview of the buoyancy of the Canadian agency pitch market, while providing insight on the most and least active sectors year over year.

The full report can be purchased by clicking here

Yes, the sixth annual Canadian Agency Pitch Report is ready – and let’s just say it’s an eye-opener with a stratospheric 195% increase in pitches over 2021!

With the help of a fantastic network of marketers, clients, agencies, industry friends and colleagues,  we tracked 124 Canadian agency pitches during 2022. And while our efforts may never be entirely complete, the report provides an exclusive window into Canadian new business across AOR, Media, Digital, PR and Multicultural agency pitches.

This year we’ve ranked agencies by number of wins, provided some additional perspective on big six holding company wins versus independent agencies, as well as providing our regular summary of pitches by name and vertical, together with the agencies that won.

While there are various US and global reports out there, there’s nothing that offers this level of detail specifically for the Canadian market. So we hope the report again provides the industry – and Canadian agencies in particular – with an overview of the buoyancy of the Canadian agency pitch market, while providing insight on the most and least active sectors year over year.  

One point I wanted to address this year were the number of requests for the dollar value of pitches to be included in the report. We heard you and like all those who asked, we’d love to have included this, but getting that information without it being the widest of ranges has been an all but impossible task without sources risking their respective confidentiality or other non-disclosure agreements.

My thanks to everyone who helped keep us up-to-date over the past year and a special thank you to my friends and industry colleagues who provided input into the construct of the document, together with your suggestions for additional content in years to come. 

To order your copy or discuss the report, please contact me directly, or click here to order online.

Photo: Adobe stock image

Five years ago, with the help of an awesome network of marketers, clients, agencies, industry friends and colleagues, we started tracking all the Canadian agency pitches we were aware of. And while our efforts can never be entirely complete, we created the first ever Canadian Agency Pitch Report, summarizing Canadian agency pitches.The response was overwhelming. And both marketers and agencies reached-out to share more information, ask for our our perspective on the state of the market.

Since then, we’ve continued to track agency pitches across Canada as we became aware of them, or once we’d heard which agency(s) had won new clients.

There’s no obligation for clients or agencies to share their agency pitch activity or new business wins, so the report can never be 100% complete. But unless we’re missing something, the data we have doesn’t appear to exist in a single location anywhere else.  And while there are various US and global reports out there, there’s nothing we’re aware of that offers this level of detail specifically for the Canadian market.

Our 2021 Agency Pitch Report delineates between Creative AOR, Media, Digital and PR pitches, and identifies companies by name and vertical, as well as winning agency(s).

Key findings contained in this year’s Canadian agency pitch report reveal a 68% increase in AOR activity over 2020, returning agency pitch activity to levels not seen since 2018. Agencies within the big six holding companies, more than doubled their win rate, with their best win ratio against independents since 2017. And most active pitch sectors proved to be in Retail and Packaged Goods.   

We hope the report provides the industry – and Canadian agencies in particular – with an overview of the buoyancy of the Canadian agency pitch market, while providing insight on the most and least active sectors year over year.  

My thanks to everyone who helped keep us up-to-date over the past year which has again proven so challenging for everyone.  And a special thank you to my friends and industry colleagues who provided input into the construct of the document, together with your suggestions for additional content in years to come. 

To discuss the report, or to order your own copy, please contact me directly, or click here to order online.