Article by Shane Coughlan, Managing Director, Eleven Miles

It’s tough out there. And by the looks of it, it’s only going to get tougher. But, of all the challenges we face right now, the perennial sticking point for most agencies has been the challenge of how to get to a “brilliant brief”.

According to a survey recently cited in The Drums part of the BetterBriefs project:

 “33% of marketing budget is wasted on poor briefs and misdirected work.”

If you’re reading this it’s likely you, like me, think that number may well be much higher. And that matters. Because times are tough and we need to deliver as efficiently as we all can. To illustrate the point, just glance at any recent headline in the advertising press and the chances are it will include the words “budget” and “cuts”. So asking for more, better work, for less, is a very common theme right now.

I don’t blame the client - why wouldn’t they? We’re all being squeezed. But the brief is the start and end of project success.

Imagine if we took some of that 33% of wasted budget and put it into a more rigorous briefing process? Hold that thought…

A good brief. A brief which has been considered and discussed, that has been interrogated and laden with distilled and accurate information. A brief that is agreed by all. It’s an art, and it’s not a quick win. In fact it can be one of the longest parts of the process - because when you get it right, everyone enjoys the process (and the quality of the work that comes from it).

When the brief is wrong (or not quite right) it causes delays, angst, stress and unfortunately budgets begin to suffer as a result.

The Drum’s article summarises the real challenge though - one of quality, and perceived value.

Some 80% of marketers think they write good briefs, and only 10% of creative agencies agree, according to the study of over 1700 marketers and agencies. 

So what does make a good brief?

• Brevity. Because nobody said I wish it was a longer brief. So write it, read it, edit it, read it again.

• Clarity. Of what is required - the single most common pitfall is lack of clarity about what the specific task is.

• Conviction. Try to be as single minded as you can. And sometimes that might mean saying “we need an idea to get people to want our product vs x competition.”

• Communication. Discuss, debate, agree before people start working on it, and burning precious energy.

• Detail where it adds value. Sharing 5 supporting documents on audience personas is great, but will not create a better brief. Detail of the primary audience and what we know about them will.

In recent months, we’ve been running collaborative brief writing and feedback writing workshops with our clients, we’ve also created our simple, one stop Guide To Writing a Good Brief. There are common themes, but also a common goal that “yes, we all agree if the brief isn’t right we shouldn’t brief it in”. And it’s bearing fruit…a little more time up-front is seeing savings by reducing the cycle of amends at the end.

The right brief can unlock so much potential and give everyone the best tool imaginable to review the work against. For clients looking to create noise, and agencies wanting to do better work, the tough part of the brief is worth the care, attention and energy it needs.

If you’re interested in hosting a creative brief writing workshop, get in touch and we’ll work with you on what your business needs to bring the energy needed behind better briefs.