The gap between how marketers and agencies rate briefs is widening, not closing
StatBrand & Creativity
In the USA the same question was asked in 2015 and again in 2021. Marketers went from 58% to 90% saying they write good briefs, while agencies went from 27% down to 6%. The gap did not close, it roughly tripled.
Source
The BetterBriefs Project - Topline Global Report (premiered at IPA EffWorks Global, October 2021) (2021)
Matt Davies and Pieter-Paul von Weiler, with Flood + Partners
Slide 16, BetterBriefs Topline Global Report 2021, USA
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StatMarketers rate their own briefs eight times more highly than the agencies receiving them doStatMarketers believe their briefs give clear strategic direction; agencies almost never see itStatMarketers and agencies do not even agree that briefs are written in plain languageStatThree quarters of briefs are not good enough, according to the people who have to use themStatAgencies describe the typical client brief as unfocused, unclear and dullStatWhat agencies say is missing from briefs is objectives, not inspirationStatAgencies think most clients do not know what a brief is supposed to containStatBoth sides agree good creative work is hard to produce without a good briefStatThe brief is the most valuable and most neglected tool in marketing, and both sides say soStatWriting briefs does not get easier with experience, it gets harderStatNine in ten briefs change after they have been presented to the agencyStatRebriefs are recognised as waste by the people who order them