The findings of the quarterly Ingenuity+ Pitch Predictor survey have been released.

Based on input from 500 UK marketing directors and CMOs, the “bellwether” figures provide an insight into how likely they are to pitch their business, find new agencies to augment or replace the roster they work with.

Here is what you need to know:

Most marketing directors are planning to hold a pitch

Almost three out of four (73%) marketing directors will “definitely be holding a pitch” for all or some of their marketing within the next 12 months. The figure is up four percentage points (ppts) since September 2024.

Overall, 99% of the respondents plan to definitely or potentially pitch some or all of their business in the next twelve months. Richard Robinson, executive director at Ingenuity+, said this means “it’s going to be a busy year for brands, agencies and intermediaries alike.”

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TV advertising, digital marketing and social media will remain key

Marketing directors say TV, digital marketing and social media will be the top three disciplines they plan to pitch in the next 12 months.

However, the numbers who claim they will pitch these disciplines has doubled, with TV advertising “shifting a staggering” 40ppts from 33% to 73%, said Robinson. While digital marketing has increased by 32ppts and social media by 25ppts.

“In fact, the only areas experiencing a decline in sentiment in Pitch Predictor are PR and production,” Robinson added.

Poor operational discipline is hurting agencies

A total of 32% of respondents identified ‘poor agency operational discipline’ as the greatest frustration with the way their lead agency works with them today (up 10ppts from 23%).

This demonstrates “a worrying decline in perceptions of agency ways of working”, said Robinson.

“In parallel the calibre of agency employees perceived as ‘not good enough’ declined 11ppts from 18% to 29%, communicating a lack of confidence in the people tasked with managing the brand.”

He added: “At a time when growth is the number one KPI for every marketing leader, the need for agencies, and most especially the lead agency, to step up and demonstrate they can be trusted to take care of the tiny noticeable things (or TNTs for short) is fast becoming a critical asset and point of unfair advantage to increased longevity.”

Budgets continue to rise

As many as 72% of those surveyed said their overall marketing budget has increased compared to 12 months ago (up 10ppts from 62%).

This aligns with budget predictions from the IPA and the Advertising Association/WARC “who forecast budgets will break all records in 2025 to reach in excess of £41 billon”, said Robinson.

Confidence has risen for the wider Agency ecosystem

Confidence levels are up. This is especially felt among marketing directors who were “very confident” with their agency partners in general, something which has increased 12ppts, from 18% to 30%.

This suggests “improving sentiment in the total roster of partners”, said Robinson.

“At a time when the focus and pressure is being felt most keenly by the lead agency, this implies the work of agencies in the wider portfolio is being recognised and acknowledged,” he added.