How to Write Effective Creative Briefs in an Ad Agency

Creative briefs are fundamental for the success of advertising agencies and design firms. It facilitates the communication among account executives, production teams and clients. I would like to share with you some ideas around how to write an effective brief.

Get Everyone on the Same Page

First and foremost, I would recommend keeping in mind the main purpose why we write creative briefs. When writing a brief, make sure to identify the main factors that drive the creative strategy from your client. An effective creative brief should contain complete information about a project, key messages, objective and target audience. I personally speak with many creative directors on a daily basis and one of the main challenges they experience is how to bring to the agency complete information so the creative team and your client are on the same page.

Keep Creative Briefs Consistent

Are briefs initially filled in by clients or by your account executives? We have seen many advertising agencies using workflow management software to facilitate the development of briefs. Having said that, depending on the project management software you use, you will have the opportunity to create creative brief templates, which can be used by your clients through a client portal. For instance, at FP we offer a client portal where your clients can log in and submit different briefs depending on the type of work required. Thus, you can develop a brief template for brochures, website development, collateral, to name a few.

Remember the Bigger Picture

As part of a comprehensive brief, I would suggest to start with an overall project description, business objectives, provide a clear set of expectations, client strategy, target audience, timeline, delivery date, budget and any other information that will help you and your creative team to better understand your client’s vision.

Function Point is an all-in-one online project management software that is specifically designed to help creative agencies be more productive. To learn more about FP, reach out to one of our software experts.

I hope you will bear these tips in mind the next time you write a brief. If you found this blog post useful, please feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues!