Emmanuelle Salvador’s Strategic Approach to Pitching

As director of business development at the luxury division of Publicis, Emmanuelle Salvador has spent the past eight years shaping the growth and transformation of international luxury brands.

She began her career at DDB working on Givenchy Beauty and Yves Roches, before joining BETC Étoile Rouge, where she moved into new business and worked on major pitches for brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Lanvin and Prada Beauty.

She then joined Mazarine, where she expanded her scope to include digital business transformation, social strategy, and experiential projects – building on a foundation in creative advertising. Her role also took on a more international dimension, working closely with teams in New York, Shanghai, and Dubai.

Since 2023, she has led new business at Publicis Luxe, where she has helped structure the agency’s global luxury offering and secured new accounts including Boucheron, Bottega Veneta, Accor (Sofitel, MGallery) and La Roche-Posay.

LBB> How has the business of ‘selling’ in the creative industry changed since you started?

Emmanuelle> Today, in the creative industry, it’s no longer just about presenting an idea or a campaign; it’s rather about our ability to respond to a brand’s pivotal moment of transformation – often unspoken, sometimes even undefined.

The role of new business is to recognise that moment, bring clarity to it, and shape a sensitive yet transformative response for the brand’s business.

And in the luxury industry, that requires as much strategic rigor as it does cultural sensitivity – because moving a brand forward without compromising its essence is a matter of precision.

LBB> New business and sales can often mean hearing ‘no’ a lot and quite a bit of rejection - how do you keep motivated?

Emmanuelle> In this industry, a ‘no’ isn’t a disaster, it’s a reality check. It means that either we haven’t found the right solution yet or we’re not speaking the same language.

The real trap is staying stuck on the rejection instead of focusing on what it teaches us. Rejections are part of the game.

What matters is not trying to convince at all costs, but knowing when and how to adjust your approach. It’s through this process of personal and collective adaptation, that we make progress.

LBB> What was the best piece of advice you got early on?

Emmanuelle> One piece of advice I took on board early is that in a pitch, if you don’t define your role, you end up taking one on by default, and only halfway.

Pitches are playgrounds of creative tension and shared leadership, where everyone is trying to make their vision count. And that’s a good thing. But in that context, setting your scope is essential: what you lead, what you arbitrate, what you stand by.

It’s about establishing legitimacy without imposing it, creating structure without rigidity – because in a pitch, it’s not your title that gives you influence, it’s the clarity you bring around you.

LBB> What are your thoughts about the process of pitching that the industry largely runs on?

Emmanuelle> Pitching remains a necessary part of the industry, but it must be approached with strategic focus.

It’s not about pursuing every opportunity, but selecting those that align with a clear growth plan. Winning means presenting a strong, clear proposition backed by evidence and delivered with confidence.

This isn’t a fatality – it’s an opportunity to challenge the client’s brief, bring innovative ideas, and showcase true creativity.