Losing

Credit: John Rooney/Associated Press

I have lost so many pitches.

So many. 

For those that aren’t in advertising, most pitches aren’t glamorous, Mad Men dramatics. For every down-to-the-wire battle for an international airline, there are six lacklustre skirmishes for oven-cleaner. And probably twenty written proposals simply fired into the void.

All losses aren’t equal.

One example. We had four meetings with the potential client. We showed our credentials, took a brief, presented a pilot campaign, g...