A few weeks ago, I went to a nice restaurant with my best friend from college. We had the most baffling experience. We had a waiter who sold us on the chef’s special. He described a classic Italian seafood dish and had my mouth watering before he was even done. This guy seemed to know what I wanted before I even had a chance to look over the menu. He was good. I made sure to inform him that I have an allergy to clams. Basically, I break out in hives and swell up like a misshapen strawberry – not ambient dinnertime entertainment. He assured me that the chef would make it safe and delicious. So I was feeling good about our waiter. He had a good tip coming. Then things took a turn for the worse. The server returned to my table multiple times to ask me about the type of pasta I wanted and how saucy I liked my food. He even interrupted my conversation to apologize profusely because he had forgotten to inform the chef of my clam allergy. The dish would have to be remade. If you know me, you’re probably familiar with the eye-roll and exasperated sigh that commenced. At this point, I was done. I honestly didn’t care what he brought out. I had my Epi-Pen at the ready because I didn’t trust this guy anymore. I mean, he’s supposed to be the professional, right? But it was like he didn’t actually work there. He should have been the mediator between me and the chef and cooks in the kitchen. Clearly there was a disconnect.
How eager do you think I was to ever go back to that place? Even though the food was exceptional, the experience beforehand was mind-boggling. It ruined it for me.
An agency is a lot like a restaurant. This same frustrating thing can happen, but hopefully not very often. Fortunately, we’ve come up with a solid process that helps us avoid miscommunications. Miscommunication is annoying for us, but most importantly, it’s annoying for the client. It ends up costing them more money and time to get what they wanted all along. Let’s be real. Even though we’re amazing, our clients probably don’t want to talk to us every day. That’s a bit much.
In an agency, the account executives (AEs) are a lot like servers in a nice restaurant. They interface with the client and bring what they’ve learned back to the agency so the cooks (creative team) can work their magic. This process sounds easy, but sometimes it winds up being more like a game of telephone – a he-said she-said where nobody quite knows what’s going on. The best way to minimize these kinds of errors and ramp up efficiency is to rely on the creative brief.
Usually, AEs don’t think like creatives, and creatives don’t think like AEs. That’s why they’re out there in their business suits and pencil skirts talking to clients, while we, the creative team, are in our little world, hunched over our computers… probably not even wearing shoes. And that’s okay! Actually it’s fantastic because together, we make the agency work. The challenge is making sure the suits and the creatives are on the same page. That’s where the creative brief comes in. It simplifies everyone’s lives and cuts out room for error so the client gets what they want at a price that makes them happy.
So, what are some questions to ask when compiling a creative brief?
- What is the problem? At times, the client might not even know how deep the problem runs. This is where we need to ask the big questions and immerse ourselves in research.
- Dig even deeper. Many times, a potential client will come to us asking for a logo. Always ask why. Often times, there are other issues that need to be addressed. More research.
- Who is the target market? Tell us exactly who we are speaking to. When we craft a message, our target needs to be small and concise. When we aim small, we miss small.
- Where? Where will the message be displayed? Will we run digital ads, social media, retargeting, billboards, magazine ads, etc.?
- When? What is the timeline? When you open navigation on a road trip, the app displays exactly how long the drive will take. Similarly, the project manager in an agency knows the reasonable amount of time each type of project will take. Without them, timelines would be all over the place. Specific deadlines and reasonable expectations are key.
- What is the end goal? When we reach potential customers, where do we want to lead them? What information do we want to impart? What deliverables will accomplish this goal?
The day-to-day activities and atmosphere in a creative agency are often casual and appear loosey-goosey. Following this process is one area where we need to color inside the lines. The finances and reputation of our clients are at stake. If the cash register doesn’t ring for them, it doesn’t ring for us either. Their success is our success, and their failure is our failure. That’s why it’s important to understand the value of our clients’ time and money and provide them with the best value. One way to do this is by eliminating inefficiencies and miscommunications caused by poorly done or nonexistent creative briefs.
About Teleos
Based on Teleos’ proprietary T5 Analysis, the Agency guides businesses in how to communicate the benefits of their products and services to the needs of potential customers. Teleos crafts end-to-end marketing solutions that define the brand, resonate with audiences, and creates marketplace momentum. We know that design is more than pretty: it’s how a business works.
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