Nic Forster, co-founder and managing director at Thinking Hat Media: “Pitching in 2025 feels like it’s gone through a reset. Clients are sharper, more commercially focused than ever and are putting greater emphasis on fast results — which will be appreciated in the boardroom.

“The pitching processes we've been involved in this year have been more demanding than ever. It has forced agencies to really know who they are, what they stand for, and what measurable value they bring to the table.

“For us, our best pitches so far in 2025 were those that felt less like sales exercises and more like strategic conversations, rooted in insight, authenticity and frank discussions about bottom line thinking.

“Competition is fierce, and budgets are under more scrutiny than ever, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s driven more creative thinking, bolder ideas and a greater sense of accountability.

“But, sometimes it feels as though we could all do with a refresher on pitch process etiquette. It's only happened to us once this year, and the offender shall remain nameless but if an agency puts a huge amount of man hours into conceptual thinking, strategising and presenting, please don't ghost them. Hopefully 2026 will see the end of that.”

Jasmin Athwal, head of growth, EMEA at We Communications: “Remember when November meant a flood of RFPs and last-minute pitches? Cue the annual chorus of complaints about festive-season chaos and debates over who’d be spending Christmas in pitch rehearsals.

“Looking back, those were simpler times, but the energy and excitement of that period isn’t gone, it’s just evolved. This year, we’ve seen activity arrive in sharper bursts rather than steady waves. October, for example, was one of our busiest months for pitches and RFPs in recent memory. While there’s still optimism that the traditional golden period for new business will deliver opportunities, the rhythm of when and how they appear has changed.”

Across 2025, we’ve noticed three clear trends shaping business development:

1. Proactive prospecting pays off. The briefs that do land tend to come from brands we’ve previously engaged through thought leadership, events and social content. Proactive marketing isn’t a “nice to have”, it hasn’t been for a long time. If you want opportunities, you have to go out and bring them in. We are proud of the work we do and sharing it is critical.

2. Budgets and timelines are tightening. RFP budgets are down around 30–50% compared to two years ago. And RFP processes are longer and slower to convert. With every penny under scrutiny, in-house teams are understandably cautious before committing spend.

3. Ghosting persists. Too many agencies still invest time and energy into proposals only to be met with radio silence. I was a big supporter of the PRCA Pitch Forward framework launched in 2024 to promote a fairer, more transparent and efficient pitching process. But there’s still work to do to make this a reality across the industry.

“As the industry changes and demands faster, better, more commercial outcomes, so must the way we engage. In this environment, it’s honest counsel, expertise and experience that will cut through.”

Tom Hunt, managing director at Antidote Communications: “There’s been much talk of a dry year but I think that misses the real story.

“The work hasn’t disappeared, but the rules of engagement have changed.

“Prospects aren’t looking at fewer agencies, but are being ruthlessly selective about which ones get through the door. The winners are demonstrating that they’re not just keeping pace with rapid market changes, but leading from the front.

“With the ability to measure comms ROI in more ways than ever, and emerging service offerings like GEO fitting naturally into tech-savvy agency wheelhouses, the ability to show measurable outcomes has become table stakes for consideration on who makes an RFP shortlist.

“On pitch etiquette, too many agencies still overcomplicate things. Too recently (and not at Antidote I should add), I’ve proofed 80-slide proposals, followed by 50-slide ‘condensed’ PowerPoints to run through in the room. You almost feel guilty. The most successful pitches I've witnessed? A well-branded handout and a whiteboard. No scripts. No theatrics. Just chemistry, confidence, and capability.

“We need to remember we're in the people business. Prospects buy two things: trust that your team can deliver, and confidence that you understand their brief better than they do.

“Looking ahead, the economic uncertainty will persist, making prospects even more discerning. But in my view the winning formula remains unchanged; exceed the brief, inspire confidence with the right team, and position your agency to meet clients where they are today, while anticipating where they'll need to be tomorrow.”

Lorna Hughes, managing director at Harvard: "This year has been a mixed bag for new business. While there’s a lot of opportunity and we’ve won some brilliant new clients, there isn’t as much movement as we’ve seen in previous years. 

"A lot of that seems to be down to nerves. The socio-political landscape, and the economy itself, don’t easily lend themselves to brands taking a risk with a new agency, or investing in large projects. There's huge appetite for creative work, but budgets are tight so sign-off can be hard.

"AI is another major trend we’re seeing play more of a role in new biz. More and more RFPs want to know how we use, and don’t use, the tech. But it’s hard to know if brands want it, or are worried about it. Which is a sign of the transitional time we’re in. 

"We’ve both won, and lost, pitches because we embrace AI, build our own tools and are comfortable in that world. Looking ahead to next year, things feel more buoyant. We’re already working on some larger FY26 opportunities and just generally, prospects and contacts seem to see next year as a time to grow. Things look positive after a nervy 2025.”

Amy Simpson, co-founder of Yours Sincerely: "With agencies of all sizes impacted with reduced budgets, preferences for project work over retainers and a general dragging of feet - the field has been blown wide open. We’re finding ourselves up against some of the biggest London agencies, who two years ago wouldn’t have put their hat in the ring. The competition is fierce.

“The frequency of pitch opportunities is the lowest I’ve seen in my 20+ years and tender opportunities in particular are down at least a third from this time last year. Whilst there are still some good briefs out there, the competition is now so high brands are asking for more for less and know there will be a race to the bottom. Having a solid qualifying process is now more important than ever, and brings some logic and robustness to what is a chaotic market.

“With Earned Media being recognised as a crucial element for brands discoverability in AI search, PR should be a priority for brands over the next 12 months and I’d hope to see budget being correctly apportioned here - it’s certainly where we’re seeing a rise in enquiries."

Stephanie Forrest, CEO and founder of TFD: "The last few years in B2B tech PR have been challenging, and this has felt particularly acute in 2025. Pitch cycles are longer, ghosting is rife, and agencies are having to work twice as hard for half the budget.

“But, it’s far from bleak. We’ve joked in the office that the word of the year should be boomerang because of how many opportunities we thought had gone quiet, came back around.

“Our focus on quantum has also paid dividends. After initial market volatility at the start of the year, the sector has gathered rapid pace with landmark investments and record deals. This has created more opportunities, as quantum companies look to partner with agencies that have quantum experience to drive brand awareness and capitalise on the momentum in the industry.

“We’ve also seen an increased uptick in leads in the past few months and have just signed a number of new clients, making us optimistic about the year ahead."

Shona Mathew, business director at Kindred: “We saw things nudge slightly earlier this year and had a really busy summer of pitches. This meant we had to do some holiday juggling in July and August as we had some exciting opportunities on the table. More news on those soon. 

"In all honesty, we’ve seen this quieten down a little bit in the last few weeks and can’t quite put our finger on why. We know lots of organisations are poised and ready to see what lands in the budget, and given this falls pretty late in the calendar, it may well have put a pause on a couple of briefs that would have otherwise progressed. 

"Therefore, if the summer cycle is an indicator for the rhythm of new business in 2025, we anticipate further briefs and opportunities as the festive season approaches, and would not be surprised if we are working on new business decks while sat in our Christmas jumpers, eating copious amounts of Quality Streets and listening to Bublé on repeat.”