Pearlfinders is a part of The Intelligent New Business Group, which undertook the first survey to try and understand best practice for proactive new business technique in 2002. In 2007, indicators from a smaller sample group, suggested significant change was on the horizon, so it was decided to pay a wholesale revisit to decision-makers at major brand spenders in 2008 - and on a wide variety of topics. The findings were presented in a series of sell-out seminars in London in May 2008.

This year, rather than polling CMO's on the questions we wanted to find out the answers to, which unavoidably steers the outcomes, we instead asked a representative sample of agencies for the questions that they would like to put to them instead. Then, in order to guarantee a qualitative outcome for the research on these questions with the decision-makers, we elected not to mass-email them multiple-choice options, but to access them by telephone and put the questions directly to them. The result was that we were able to explore the subjects with them in free-flowing conversation, which we documented as we went.

In total, we spoke in-depth with 52 key decision-makers, who provided detailed responses to on average 10 of our questions each, which in turn gave over 500 responses in total to the questions posed. This activity was carried out between January and March 2008. For the full results as a PDF, please click here.

Agencies putting the questions included: iris NY, Que Pasa, Marvelous Mobile, Landor, Simpson Carpenter, Planet, EHS Brann Discovery and Marketing Supply Chain.

We spoke to 52 senior decision-makers at organizations including: Disney, General Motors, Kimberly-Clark, Tesco, Kraft Foods, GlaxoSmithKline, Sony, and InterContinental Hotels.

We have grouped their responses into the following series of topics: Procurement, Pitches, Spend, Review Triggers, Agency Marketing, Challenges & Business Issues, and Initial Meetings.

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