How industry players can sail through unclear briefs with a creative compass

An unclear brief is not surprising to see in the ad industry, however, this is often due to the challenges industry players face in generating creative ideas and a lack of constructive feedback from clients, resulting in poor-quality work.  

According to a BetterIdeas project done in partnership with the IPA, up to 33% of marketing budgets are potentially wasted due to poor briefs and misdirected efforts. On average, it takes five rounds of creative development (or rework) to get to a signed-off idea. This is up from three rounds in 2007, as measured by the IPA. 

Don't miss: Survey: Over half of industry players say creative work doesn’t stand out

Furthermore, only 30% of agencies and half of marketers (52%) agreed they provided clear and constructive feedback. While in APAC, 75% of creative professionals said that work failed to impress, aligning with global concerns about stagnation in creative quality.  

When it comes to idea evaluation, only 27% of marketers and 30% of agencies agree that they are well-trained in the area. Only 15% of marketers and 23% of agencies agree that briefs are being used when ideas get evaluated. Additionally, 70% of creative agencies do not trust the creative judgment of the marketers they collaborate with. 

Sailing without a compass 

Andreas Krasser, CEO, DDB Group Hong Kong, told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the brief is one of the most important documents in the ad industry, yet it’s also one of the most undervalued, disrespected, and overlooked.  

“A poorly written brief has several detrimental consequences: it creates confusion, limits creative thinking, and often leads to mediocre ideas. These issues, in turn, result in dissatisfied clients, repetitive creative work, rebriefs, demotivated teams, and ultimately, less effective market outcomes,” he added. 

According to Rudi Leung, founder and director of Hungry Digital, an unclear brief is like sailing without a compass—directionless and doomed to drift. “Without clear objectives, ideas get judged on personal taste, not effectiveness, leading to endless revisions and diluted creativity.” 

When the brief is vague, creatives are forced to make assumptions, resulting in diluted creativity, said Maggie Wong, CEO, VML Hong Kong. “The creative work becomes unfocused and ineffective, failing to address the client's needs. As a result, the client is likely to be unhappy with the final product because it doesn't align with their (often unspoken) vision, which can damage the agency-client relationship.” 

On the other hand, one of the biggest challenges creative agencies face today is that most briefs come from advertisers who seldom secure top management approval before sharing them with agencies, said Desmond So, CEO, Uth Creative. “In many cases, advertisers expect agencies to take responsibility for interpreting the brief and developing something based on their own judgment. Only then do they evaluate whether the output aligns with their needs.” 

Furthermore, in many companies, sales figures often take precedence over the professional judgment of marketers, he added. “Top management may prioritise immediate results over strategic marketing insights, which can lead to a lack of understanding of what constitutes a good brief.” 

Training up idea evaluation skills 

To form a clear and constructive brief, idea evaluation plays a huge role at all times. One of the most effective ways to build shared creative benchmarks is simply getting agency and client teams together, said DDB HK’s Krasser. 

“Say, on a Friday afternoon over pizza and beers—to watch case studies from around the world. The key isn’t just to watch but to discuss: What made this impressive? Why did it resonate (or not)? This collective evaluation helps align expectations and develop a sharper creative instinct.” 

“When evaluating creative work, rather than relying on personal taste, consider these two fundamental questions: Does the idea answer the brief? Will the audience care? If the answer to both is yes, move forward. If not, it’s back to the drawing board,” he added. 

Rather than evaluating ideas based on personal taste, Hungry Digital’s Leung said industry players should judge a piece of work based on its strategic effectiveness. “There’s no perfect science to evaluating creativity, but there is a process. Agencies and marketers must develop the discipline to ask the right question: Does this idea create impact? Is it aligned with the brand’s values?” 

VML’s Wong said marketers should involve agencies in the early stages of strategy development to ensure that they have a deep understanding of the client's business and objectives.  

“We also need to encourage experimentation and risk-taking – let’s be willing to step outside of our comfort zones and try new things. Finally, recognise and reward creativity, it’s important that clients need to be willing to pay for high-quality creative work that makes a true business impact.” 

Enhancing trust between marketers and agencies 

Needless to say, a strong brief ultimately depends on the trust between agencies and their clients. Trust is not something one can implement or ‘train’, it comes from having strong relationships between people who respect and trust each other, said Chris Kyme, co-founder and creative director, KymeChow.  

“From an agency perspective, it has to be earned. Prove your worth. Don’t let clients down. If the client is good and respects you, over time the bond of trust will come. It’s been proven in the industry over many years. Just look at the history of Nike and Weiden & Kennedy.” 

Trust is built over time, but one way to establish it early in a new partnership is through honesty and transparency about the creative process, said Krasser, adding that agencies should properly onboard clients, explaining why investing time in developing the brief is crucial.  

“Rushing this stage almost always leads to a weaker outcome, which means creatives end up spending extra time refining—or even reworking—the strategy instead of focusing on execution.” 

If agencies are treated as mere vendors, they’ll act like vendors, said Hungry Digital’s Leung. “But if they’re seen as partners, invested in the brand’s long-term success, that’s when real magic happens.” 

“The most iconic brand-agency partnerships thrived on deep trust, not rigid contracts. However, trust becomes harder to build as both sides become more corporate. The solution? Less control and more collaboration. Creativity is still a people business; great work happens when trust leads the way,” he added. 

Join us this coming 17 June for #Content360 Hong Kong, an insightful one-day event centered around responsible AI, creativity VS influencers, Xiaohongshu and more. Let's dive into the art of curating content with creativity, critical thinking and confidence!

Related articles:

Marketers, are you writing good briefs? Agency folks weigh in
Ad industry CEOs open for business and ready to tackle tough briefs