Briefing the agency – making sure it works for you
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your future planned brand definition;
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your promotional plan and desired outcomes for the brand;
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your single-minded proposition (unless you are engaging its
help to determine one for you);
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supporting evidence for this proposition;
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the preferred media;
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any restrictions on your ability to promote – financial, legal,
moral and so on;
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timings and budgets.
Agencies that show too much concern with the last of these
points before understanding your purpose and objectives may be
helping you with your selection process more than they think.
Once the brief is complete, select the agencies you wish to
have a response from. Don’t go for too many. First, the briefing
process is time-consuming. Second, receiving the agency
proposals will be even more time-consuming. Third, it is unfair
on an agency to ask it to put in a significant amount of work if
it is one of a large number under consideration.
Getting to the shortlist of agencies to brief will be a combina-
tion of references from colleagues, perhaps ruling out those
used by the competition, and an assessment of their track
record of success in similar areas. This last is not a question of
‘advertising awards’ and the like; rather, it is an assessment of
how successful the clients of the agency have been.
Some ‘rules’ on briefing the agency
1. Take the time to give a full briefing.
2. Give the agency a written copy of the brief.
3. Be very clear on objectives, timings and budgets.
4. Agencies should welcome your creative thoughts, but try to
leave the final creative process to the experts.
5. Ask for the agency’s questions.
6. Encourage a critical assessment from the agency.
7. Give the agency as much information as possible on your
selection process – timing, criteria, competitors, etc. Help it to
do a good job; this is not an obstacle course you are setting it.