January20, 2025
Why our small agency actually loves RFPs
By Rob Lewis, ECD
January 20, 2025 | 7 min read
While much of the ad industry may curse the much-maligned RFP, Rob Lewis, co-founder and ECD of Denver-based Good Conduct, believes they give his team a fighting chance against a barrage of increasingly consolidated agencies.
We’d rather get knocked out than never make it in the ring. That’s our philosophy when it comes to RFPs (Request for Proposal).
Yes, RFPs are the three letters that most agency leaders dread. While the advertising industry often views them as resource-draining exercises that devalue creative work, RFPs might be among the few remaining equalizers in our industry, particularly as mega-mergers create increasingly massive holding companies that threaten to edge out independent voices.
I learned this lesson early in my career. Fresh-faced and frustrated at a shop that wasn’t producing inspiring work, I had my sights set on a creative hot shop across town. After moonlighting on some freelance projects and persistence bordering on pestering, I landed an interview. The executive creative director was direct: “We like you, but you’re up against candidates with better resumes and bigger, more conceptual work.”
Rather than accept defeat, I countered with an offer to tackle a conceptual project for free, proof that I could compete at their level. While they didn’t take the free work bait, a paid freelance assignment materialized a week later.
Two weeks after that, I got the job.
We frequently find ourselves in similar situations four years into running Good Conduct.
Brands consider hiring our young agency alongside competitors with decades of experience and case studies featuring household names. We could rest on credentials alone, or we could step into the ring and compete on what matters most: ideas.
RFPs: the great creative equalizer
In today’s agency landscape, where some of the industry’s best talent is launching independent shops, the creative playing field is more level than ever. While we can’t compete on years in business or legacy client relationships in our portfolio, we can absolutely go toe-to-toe on creative thinking.
To be clear: I’m not advocating for the massive unpaid pitches that drain tens of thousands from agency budgets. But a focused concept battle that primarily costs time and intellectual energy? That’s not just fair - it’s an opportunity to prove who wants it more and who has the strongest vision for the client’s challenge.
RFPs offer another crucial benefit: they’re the industry’s equivalent of dating before marriage.
Do the clients appreciate your creative approach?
Do you align with their risk tolerance and brand voice? Sharing concepts and discussing briefs with potential clients reveals compatibility before you’re standing at the altar with someone who looked great on paper but isn’t the right fit.
Even losing can still be a win
The connections made during these pitches expand your network with decision-makers who like you enough to invite you to compete. We’ve lost pitches but gained meaningful relationships that opened doors months or years later. Sometimes, it’s less “no” and more “not right now.”
Here’s what makes this perspective particularly relevant now: We’re experiencing a creative renaissance driven by independent agencies. Small shops are producing some of today’s most innovative work, bringing fresh perspectives that challenge conventional thinking. When brands engage with agencies outside their usual geographical or cultural comfort zones, whether that’s bridging the coasts or tapping into emerging creative hubs, they often discover unexpected approaches to their challenges.
Should you love RFPs?
Perhaps not as much as winning business outright. But in an industry where relationships and track records often determine who gets a seat at the table, RFPs can be the entry point that newer, smaller, or geographically diverse agencies need. They’re not just presentations, they’re proving grounds where ideas can trump inheritance.
So yes, we’ll keep stepping into the ring. Because in a business that’s increasingly about who you know, RFPs remain one of the few paths for proving what you can do.
Rob Lewis is co-founder and executive creative director at Good Conduct, an independent creative company democratizing world-class thinking for ambitious brands. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Original arcticle here