The Critical Role Of The Brief In Making Great Creative

A new report from the Association of National Advertisers finds that over 75% of both agencies (82%) and brands (79%) ranked a “tight brief with clearly defined objectives” as the most important factor enabling the achievement of “great creative work.”   

The report is anchored by a written survey done in 2024 of 914 agency and marketing executives (502 marketing, 412 agency) involved in the creative process. The sample was culled from the judges pool of the ANA’s primary awards programs including the REGGIE, B2, In-House Agency, and Multicultural awards.  

advertisement

advertisement

According to the report, other highly rated factors leading to great creative work include quality consumer insights of the target audience; constructive and timely feedback from stakeholders; a strong, aligned client and agency working relationship; and client’s belief/support that great creative work drives business outcomes.  

Conversely poor creative briefs, "lacking in focus and clarity,” was rated as the top roadblock to great work by both client and agency respondents by a wide margin.  

Among other qualities of great briefs, the report also found:   

  • Either the client, the agency, or both have synthesized data and decks so the brief can be concise, focused, and unambiguous. 

  • The briefs are clear but not prescriptive, providing guardrails but not handcuffs – they contain the “what” and the “why,” but leave the “how” to the agency creatives.  

  • The briefs avoid marketing jargon – they’re written in plain and simple language any consumer would understand.  

“Our study re-confirms [2017 ANA research] that an excellent brief remains the top contributor to effective creative work, and great creative, in turn, contributes to brand and business growth,” remarked Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA. “This direct connection makes the creative brief one of the most important documents a marketing team can create.”  

The report, “Better Creative Briefs for Better Brand Building,” also includes points of view from leaders at United Airlines and Newell Brands, and features sample briefs – including one that led to a Cannes Lions Grand Prix.  

“The truth is that writing an excellent creative brief takes tremendous time and effort,” writes Melanie Huet, CMO, Newell Brands. “Mark Twain famously said, 'If I had more time I would have written a shorter book.’ This same concept holds true with creative briefs. Some of us believe that a simple, concise brief with one message is the preferred method. A spectacular brief is singular in its request. It is also done in collaboration.”  

More from the 50+ page report can be accessed here.  

 

Next story loading loading..