How to write a brief that solves the right problem

Write the business problem first, and make every other part of the brief answer to it. A brief that solves the right problem names what is going wrong in the business and sets one objective. It describes a specific audience, offers one insight, lists the constraints and agrees how success will be measured before any work starts. At IW Agency, we think the brief is a business tool before it is a creative one. Its job is to aim the agency's talent at the problem that costs money.

Why do so many briefs miss the real problem?

Most briefs miss because the people who write them and the people who read them see different documents. In a global study of more than 1,700 marketers and agency staff, 80 per cent of marketers said they write good briefs. Only 10 per cent of creative agencies agreed (BetterBriefs Project and IPA, 2021). Respondents estimated that 33 per cent of the marketing budget goes to waste on poor briefs and misdirected work.

Inexperience doesn't explain it. Later research found that the marketers who write briefs "don't necessarily lack experience or seniority" (Marketing Week, 2022). We see a more common cause: the brief opens with a deliverable, such as a new pack, a campaign or a website. A deliverable is already a solution, so the problem gets written to fit it.

Conclusion: A brief that starts with a deliverable has already chosen the answer.

What do you need before you start writing?

You need four things in place before the first line. The BetterBriefs guide written with Mark Ritson has a chapter called "Marketing strategy shapes briefs". Strategy comes first, and the brief takes its direction from it.

1. A strategy. Positioning, target and objectives should already exist, ideally in a brand platform. If they don't, the strategy is the first brief.

2. Evidence. Sales data, research and customer feedback show that the problem is real and how big it is.

3. An owner. One named person signs off the brief and later judges the work against it.

4. A budget range. Without one, the agency can't tell a campaign problem from a positioning problem.

How do you define the business problem?

Define the business problem as a change you need in what people do, and state why that change matters commercially. It is the most important line in the brief.

1. Start with the symptom. Write down what you see: falling share, an ageing customer base, a category that has gone quiet.

2. Ask why until you reach a cause. For example, sales are down because younger households don't buy. They don't buy because the brand never comes to mind when they shop.

3. Put a value on it. Estimate what solving the problem is worth. That figure also frames the budget, as described in how to make the business case for brand investment.

4. Write it as a tension. Put the ambition and what must not be lost in the same sentence.

The Gustavsberg case is framed exactly this way. It asks how a functional brand could "evolve from serving professionals to inspiring people – without losing what made it great". The Hatting case starts from the category rather than the product: rye bread had become predictable, in a category long defined by muted tones and functional messaging.

How do you set the objective and describe the audience?

Set one objective that says what should change, by how much and by when. Then describe the audience as people in a buying situation, not as a demographic.

1. Choose one objective. Pick the single change the work must achieve, such as winning new households or defending price. Rank any secondary goals below it.

2. Make it measurable. Give a baseline, a target and a date.

3. Describe behaviour. Say what the audience buys now and when the need arises. Category entry points are a practical way to name those moments.

4. Write about the audience. The BetterBriefs guide is direct: "Don't talk about the brand here, talk about the target."

The audience is where briefs fail most visibly. In BetterBriefs research in the UK, only 38 per cent of creative agencies were clear on the target group in the briefs they received. A further 34 per cent of marketers were unclear on it themselves (Marketing Week, 2022). The guide also warns that "demographic cliches like "millennials" are as sure a sign as any that you have not got a strategy."

How do you find the insight and the single message?

An insight is a truth about the audience that explains the problem and points to a way of solving it. The message is the one thing the work must make people believe or feel. We think the insight is where the emotion in the work begins, so it should be about people rather than product features.

1. Look for the tension. Find what people want that the category makes hard. A frozen-food brand might find that parents trust the quality but feel guilty serving it.

2. Check it against evidence. An insight nobody recognises in research or conversation is only a guess.

3. Write one message. In the words of the BetterBriefs guide with Mark Ritson: "A single-minded brief contains only one key message. That message is not a tagline."

4. Add only relevant proof. Good messages, the guide says, "are not shopping lists."

How do you set constraints and measure success?

Before the work begins, the brief should state what the agency can't change and how everyone will judge the result.

1. List the fixed points. Include budget, deadline, channels and legal requirements, such as the EU green claims rules for packs and campaigns.

2. State what stays. When IW renews an established brand, every asset is judged first: logo, colours, typefaces and pack details. Each one is kept, refined or complemented with something new, using the logic in modernising a heritage brand.

3. Choose two or three measures. Pair one business measure, such as sales or price, with one brand measure, such as consideration.

4. Agree the baseline now. Without a starting point, nobody can show what changed.

5. Name who you must keep. In a renewal, we follow both the existing customers and the new ones the brand wants to reach.

How do you know the brief is ready?

A brief is ready when someone outside the project can read it once and repeat the problem, the audience and the message. Check these points before it goes out:

• The business problem fits in two sentences and has a value attached.

• There is one objective, with a baseline and a date.

• The audience is described by behaviour, not by age band.

• The insight is backed by evidence.

• There is one message, supported only by relevant proof.

• The constraints and success measures have been signed off.

Then brief in person. The guide's final chapter, "Briefing the brief", treats the handover as part of the work. Early signs that the brief works are agency questions about the audience rather than the format, and a first presentation without surprises. A rough concept test can confirm the direction before the budget is committed.

Conclusion: When the agency repeats your problem back, the brief has worked.

What does this mean for your brand?

• Write the problem before the deliverable. Remove any format from the first line.

• Reread your last three briefs. Check whether a colleague in finance could name the problem in each one.

• Fix the strategy first. If a brief can't state the target and the position, the strategy is what's missing.

• Agree success up front. Set the baseline, the target and the date before the agency starts.

Frequently asked questions

What should a creative brief include?

A creative brief should include the business problem, one objective, the audience, one insight, a single message with supporting proof, the constraints and the success measures.

How long should a brief be?

A brief should be long enough to cover those parts and no longer. Most strong briefs fit on one or two pages.

What is the difference between a marketing brief and a creative brief?

A marketing brief sets out the business problem and the objectives. A creative brief turns those into one message and one direction for the creative team.

Should the agency help write the brief?

Yes. A good agency challenges the brief before it starts the work. Our guide on how to choose a brand agency explains what to look for.

Is there a creative brief template?

The headings in this guide work as a template. A template only helps if the thinking behind each heading is done.

Is your brief aimed at the right problem?

Look at the first line of your current brief. If it names a deliverable, rewrite it as the business problem before the agency starts. If you want a second pair of eyes on yours, write to us at hello@iwagency.com.

Sources

• One third of marketing budgets could be wasted — IPA, 2021

• The best way for a client to brief an agency — BetterBriefs, Mark Ritson and IPA, 2022

• Best practice guide unveiled to tackle ineffective briefs — Marketing Week, 2022