How to write a Marketing Brief (12-point checklist)

The struggle of every marketer:

In a recent discussion on a B-school alumni group, a marketing professional expressed her frustration in the process of iterating multiple designs & then finally arriving at a design that was initially proposed.

I would be surprised if a marketer hasn't faced this situation. Every time, you get a creative ready for approval, the brief changes. Experienced this?

There is nothing permanent except Change. And Marketing Briefs are no exception!

That brings us to how do we avoid landing in this situation? Here's what I had learnt during my initial years in Marketing.

The importance of documenting a Marketing Brief

There are 3 main factors that contribute to the multiple iterations one has to go through while working on a creative output.

1. How is the brief delivered?

The process of sharing a written marketing brief must be quite common across organisations. Yet, there are times when we are in a hurry and we may just type out an email or we may brief the agency over phone / orally in a meeting without actually documenting the brief. This saves us some effort at that moment but, remember, "A stitch in time , saves nine".

2. Who is briefed?

A client (marketing manager) is mostly directly in touch with the client servicing professional & not with the creative team directly. This could cause a loss in translation of the brief, if it is not penned down / documented.

3. Who has the final word regarding approval of the output?

You could be involved in the operational aspect of briefing the agency etc. However, do you get to roll out the creatives once you are convinced about the output, or do you need your superiors' / other function stakeholders' sign-off? If it is the latter, make sure you are on the same page with them regarding what the expectation from the creative is.

Documenting a brief helps us avoid multiple iterations arising out of misalignment between the parties involved.

My learning

In my first marketing role, my boss had put together a Marketing Brief Format and I started following it without making any exceptions, after I burnt my fingers and realized the price one has to pay for taking short cuts. This was a valuable lesson I learnt early on, in my very first marketing role. Hence, I am sharing this format below for the benefit of those who are just starting off their career in marketing.

Note: In case the industry matters, this format was prepared for Apparel Retail brand(s).

12-point checklist to write a good Marketing Brief

1. What is the basic objective of the communication?
2. Define the Target Audience & Market
3. Which collection/product line are you featuring in the communication?
4. What is the promise?
5. What are the key talking points in the communication?
6. What do you want the TG to do in response to your communication? Is there any call to action?
7. What is the desired creative treatment? (Static / Dynamic content; Text / Image etc)
8. What is the desired mode of contact? (Email / SMS/ Print / Digital / TV / Outdoor)
9. What is the campaign period?
10. How will the success of the activity be measured?
11. What are the mandatory things that need to be taken care of? (Eg: T&C)
12. What is the budget and timeline?

Documenting the brief in this manner post alignment with stakeholders helps avoid multiple iterations and also, aids review of the creative agency's output objectively against stated goals.

Are you a marketer or a creative professional? What is your approach to limit the iterations to get the desired creative output? Pls share your tips in the comments.