What a strange year. That was the first thought that came to mind when I started reflecting on my traditional New Year’s letter. A strange year, but above all, a heavy year. Someone who had been a sounding board for So Buzzy and for me personally for years lost their battle with leukemia. That hits hard. Much harder than you can imagine. At the same time, 2025 also felt far from light on the work front.
You could feel in every aspect that these are economically difficult times. A constant undercurrent of threat colored the entire year. I’ve been active in the advertising sector for almost twenty years, and I’m used to a lot, but this year was unprecedented. If you participated in a government pitch, you faced an average of fifteen competitors, sometimes even twenty. Where it used to be four or five agencies.
And I’m fully aware that we at So Buzzy are fortunate. We all know multiple agencies where people had to leave this year, and sadly, that’s not new. Especially in large agencies, it has been the case for years that if a major client leaves, part of the team is cut. But the scale this year… that was different. Suddenly, I saw large, well-known agencies competing in small pitches they would have never bothered with before.
So yes, we can count ourselves lucky that we didn’t have to make tough decisions this year. But at the same time, I know this is no coincidence or pure luck. We worked and fought hard for this. We seized every opportunity, kept learning, and consistently raised the bar. And it paid off. We didn’t just win exciting pitches for Tourism Flanders, BE.DIGITAL.FLANDERS, Florida Grapefruit, and the Agency for Integration and Social Inclusion, but our work was also recognized at the IAB Mixx Awards for Cera, we were featured on an Effie for Carrefour, and we were invited to Amsterdam because we were shortlisted for Greatest Creative at the TikTok Benelux Ad Awards with our Oedoededa case for VDAB. On top of that we even helped launch the Influencer Certificate in Belgium. And yes, we work hard, but when it’s time to celebrate, we’re happy to join in. That’s how it should be, right?
No wishlist for 2026, but a plea
This year, I’m not making a wishlist. This year, I’m making a plea. Not just on behalf of So Buzzy, but for every Belgian agency. To give them a boost, because even if it sometimes feels otherwise: you are not alone, we all struggle!
1. To pitch organizers
Organizing a pitch? Realize how many hours go into preparation. And that’s in times when the chances of winning are shrinking due to the ever-growing number of participants.
Also know that these are hours agencies aren’t compensated for (despite a pitch charter advocating otherwise). Work with a clear preselection: only allow the top three or top five to create a fully developed submission. Be transparent about what you’re looking for. If the goal is purely the lowest price, don’t ask for a fully fleshed-out plan. Quality won’t matter then anyway.
For pitches involving large projects, compensation should really be the norm. It’s not logical to expect dozens (often more than 100) hours of strategic and creative work for free. And don’t request full strategic trajectories during the pitch phase: strategy isn’t a casual exercise, it’s an expertise.
Finally, be realistic about timing. A pitch that must be submitted within one to two weeks can simply never deliver the quality you’re actually asking for.
2. To advertisers
We know you have little control over shrinking budgets. The economic reality applies to everyone. But don’t expect agencies to do more for less.
Let’s make smart choices and set priorities together.
For us agencies, it’s our responsibility to manage the available budget wisely and strategically. We’re happy to advise on how every invested euro can yield maximum impact. That might mean critically reviewing production processes: how can we smartly repurpose, vary, and scale materials so that quality and efficiency go hand in hand?
But we can only do this well if there’s sufficient transparency. Advertisers, communicate early and clearly about budget changes, so agencies can plan and allocate resources properly. Also account for the time needed for reporting, meetings, and feedback rounds. These aren’t minor details, they’re real hours that factor into the overall picture. And finally, timely, consolidated, and targeted feedback makes a world of difference for both efficiency and quality. This avoids unnecessary rounds, keeps the process clear, and ensures the best possible work is delivered within workable limits for everyone.
3. To agencies
Let’s not sell ourselves short. If we submit extremely low hourly rates just to win a pitch, nobody really wins. Even those selected don’t. With some luck, you break even, but more often you incur losses, both financially and in energy. Ultimately, we’re all losers, as a sector. We deliver quality work, and it deserves compensation proportionate to the expertise and time invested.
This year, we encountered pitches asking, for example, to travel at least one hour each way every week for a 30-minute client meeting for an entire year. It quickly became clear that, with the available budget, a disproportionate amount of time would go to meetings rather than actual content production. We proposed a more sustainable alternative and didn’t win that pitch. But that’s fine. Sometimes losing is actually winning if it means protecting yourself.
And perhaps that’s precisely the reflex we should adopt more often, something I know all too well as a pleaser and need to work on: dare to say no to unrealistic expectations and unclear briefs. That’s my personal goal for 2026.
Moving forward together into 2026
We’re all in the same boat. Sometimes it feels like you’re struggling alone, but believe me: you’re not. Even if social media only shows the shiny side. Let’s enter 2026 with more understanding, more respect for each other’s work, and above all: pride in what we continue to build every day, even in challenging times.