The guide to great creative briefs

Only 25% of new projects start with a creative brief. Everybody seems to agree that creative briefs are important. It makes you wonder why they’re used so infrequently.

It’s probably because they can be a pain in the neck. It’s intimidating to look at a blank sheet of paper knowing people are going to rely on it to create an ad that could be viewed by millions, and then point the finger at you if it doesn’t work. They’re also hard to get right. Lots of briefs are simply data dumps for customer research and product information. In a recent survey of 1,200 ad execs, 53% say creative briefs lack focus. A good brief takes deliberation and discipline.

This handy guide will cover how to write shorter briefs with maximum clarity, set boundaries that prevent scope creep and speed up review and approval processes.