Chris Allen, MD of Pitch Marketing on the PRmoment Podcast

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we’re talking to the managing director of Pitch Marketing Group. Pitch is a sports marketing and consumer PR firm in London. It has a fee income of over 5 million pounds and 46 employees. Clients include Red Bull, NatWest, Beats By Dre, EA FC and Formula 1.Chris joined the business as an account manager in October 2012 and became the MD in 2021. Pitch became an EOT in 2023.On the show today, we’re going to talk about the rise of sports marketing as a significant sector within communication and Chris’s journey from account manager to MD of his firm.Before we start, check out the programme for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum. It’s on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London. Face-to-face tickets are expected to sell out, so if you want to come along, don’t hang about.Testimonials from previous delegates on the PR Masterclasses microsite. It really is an incredible programme, a great atmosphere and well worth your time if you are a PR agency leader out there.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2 mins Chris outlines what good sports marketing looks like.6 mins What is the difference between sports sponsorship and sports partnership?8 mins What skill set do you need to be good at sports marketing?11 mins What does a good sports marketing campaign look like?14 mins What channels are the most significant when it comes to sports-related content?20 mins Sports marketing has the reputation of being reassuringly expensive - is that right?23 mins What do brands want from a sports sponsorship?“Awareness is one thing…but someone like Gallagher (Insurance) wants their audience to know what they do and why they’re different to their competitors.”32 mins Chris talks us through his favourite ever piece of work: Betfair’s Switching Saddles campaign with Victora Pendelton.38 mins Chris’s personal story is a nice one - from account manager to MD in 12 years at Pitch. He talks us through how that came about.