Most weak campaigns start with a weak brief. Not because the client did not care, but because nobody asked the right questions at the start. After fifteen years of taking briefs from banks, hotels, food brands and clinics, we have a short list of what makes the difference.
Start with the business problem, not the deliverable
A brief that says “we need ten posts a month” tells us what to produce but not why. A brief that says “walk-ins dropped since the mall opened across the road” tells us what to solve. The second one usually leads to a different, and better, set of deliverables.
Say what is already decided
If the budget is fixed, the launch date is fixed, or the CEO hates the colour orange, say so on page one. Agencies waste the most time exploring directions that were never possible. Constraints are not a problem for creative teams; surprises are.
Describe the customer like a person
Age ranges and income brackets are a start, but “a mother in Khalda comparing two nurseries on her phone at 11pm” gives a writer something to write to. Tell us where the customer sees you, what they already believe about you, and what would make them act.
Agree on how success is measured
Leads, store visits, app installs, share of voice: pick the one that matters most and say how it will be tracked. One clear measure beats five vague ones, and it lets both sides make honest decisions when the first results come in.
A good brief fits on two pages. If yours is longer, it probably contains decisions that should be made with the agency, not before it.
