TBWA/ & Budwieser

First casualty of the Budweiser pitch. TBWA/ Media Arts London have decided not to pitch. With Tim Lindsay giving the reasons for this on his new blog here (or you can read below)

Long story short, they are simply to busy with existing clients and all the upheaval of moving into one office, to deal with such a big pitch, in such a short space of time

This could have been a big one for TBWA/ after all the trouble they've been having, with redundancies and account's jumping ship. Perhaps they can start their creative revival on an existing account, they do still have some good 'uns after all.

TOUGH DECISION

We had to make a really tough decision today.

You may have read on the front page of Campaign that Budweiser have asked us to pitch for their UK business. (What’s happening round at Fallon, by the way?). It’s a great brand and arguably a chance for glory, but an incredibly tough brief and a very short space of time in which to deliver it. We would have had to throw an enormous amount of resource at it – which would have consumed the agency for the next three weeks.

Trouble is, we’ve got a huge amount on. Two huge and exciting international pitches. Another big regional pitch about to walk in next week (we hope). Two RFIs from the AAR. A big Nissan task about to land. Lot’s of work on PlayStation in preparation for the arrival of a new European President. In August. When a lot of people are obviously on the beach. Oh yes – and with 150 Dean Streeters about to come up the road and move in with us.

So we’re not going to do Bud. It’s a tough call (and I can promise you Matt, Mark, Tom M, Julie, Ed and I went full circle on it at least twice this morning) but it’s the right call. We have to be able to do what we’re already committed to do well. And our first obligation is to existing clients.

I thought I detected a slight flicker of relief on Tom C’s and Paulo’s faces when they heard the news. Thanks for the work you put in chaps, it won’t go to waste.