What is a Briefing and How to Create One?

Importance of a Briefing

• A briefing is an essential tool for marketing and advertising professionals; working without one or with a low-quality briefing can lead to disastrous outcomes.

• It serves as a communication document between companies and marketing agencies, outlining project goals, timelines, and resources.

Types of Briefings

• Business Briefing: Focuses on the current situation and historical context of the company along with its business objectives.

• Marketing Briefing: Summarizes information about specific marketing actions intended for implementation.

• Advertising Briefing: Contains necessary details for launching an advertising campaign.

• Creative Briefing: Derived from the advertising briefing, it includes specific graphic design details like style guides.

Key Elements of an Effective Briefing

• Objectives should be clearly defined using SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound).

• Identify the target audience or "Buyer Persona," detailing demographics and motivations to guide communication strategies.

Company Overview & Market Analysis

• Include a description of the company’s products/services, values, history, and desired tone of communication in initial contacts with agencies.

• Analyze market conditions including brand positioning, sales figures, recent campaigns' results, and competitor analysis.

Project Requirements & Constraints

• Clearly outline project characteristics; this may vary from open-ended briefings to well-defined actions already planned by the client.

Managing Client Expectations in Marketing Campaigns

Setting Realistic Goals and Timelines

• It is the marketing agency's responsibility to clarify situations and propose more realistic objectives when initial goals are insufficient for achieving desired actions.

• Establishing concrete or approximate deadlines for campaign launches and execution phases is crucial to ensure accountability and clarity.

• Agencies must manage client expectations effectively to create achievable timelines, thereby preventing last-minute delays that could jeopardize campaign success.