Late last year, ad shop Young & Rubicam remodeled the fifth floor of its Toronto offices - for only one day. The space was transformed into part food court, with Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut recreations, and part living room.

The agency put on the lavish display for its successful pitch to Priszm Brandz, which of course operates the three quick-service restaurant banners in Canada. According to Barry Snetsinger, managing partner of Rogen Canada, who consulted Y&R on the effort, it is symbolic of a return to razzle-dazzle in pitches.

"The idea was that Priszm's business is between the restaurant and consumers' homes, so the presentation occurred in both places," he explains. "I think creativity is coming back and that clients want to be entertained. Pitches should be theatrical."

Toronto-based Snetsinger, whose role is to advise on the structure and delivery of the pitch, has also recently helped FCB Toronto score the Ontario Tourism work and helped Axmith McIntyre Wicht win the Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity & Innovation account.

Both included theatrical elements. In the case of the former, a retro No Vacancy hotel sign was used to suggest what could happen in Ontario if a subsequent campaign went well; the latter included a mock ribbon-cutting ceremony, where light bulbs illuminated as the ribbon was cut.

Snetsinger says the trend toward flash - as well as the growing inclination to hire outside consultants for pitches - is driven by the fact that there are now more agencies battling it out for less work. Fifteen years ago, when he worked at J. Walter Thompson in Toronto, Snetsinger recalls how the agency would not pitch work that was worth less than $500,000. He adds: "These days everyone pitches everything. The consulting part of Rogen's business [has witnessed] 5% growth year-to-year."

How do clients really feel about these flashy feats? Chris Davies, director of culture and communications of Toronto-based Priszm, says Y&R's ability to cut through the clutter against other pitches was a factor. "They just really wowed us," she says. "It was their strategic ability and then their ability to manifest that by rolling it out into creative work."

For Robert Farnley, vice-chair and executive director of the Advertising Review Board of Ontario, FCB's decision to stray from the norm also had an impact. "We say to these folks, 'you can't do speculative creative, but you can be creative in how you present to us.' Most people sit around the table and use the computer projector and the TV. [But] FCB chose to do it in a different way, which was more informal, but very clearly demonstrated their talent."

Similarly, Ryan Mugford, group marketing manager at Xbox Canada in Toronto, says creative flair can provide an agency with an edge. Such was the case with Consumer Impact Marketing, which handles Xbox's retail marketing business. The firm sent an actor, decked out in a white tuxedo, into the foyer of the Microsoft offices where he screamed his heart out about how Xbox was the best console system. They also had signed vehicles racing up and down the street, and plastered windshields of Xbox employees with sheets of paper outlining how they wanted to be "raving, screaming evangelists."