We’ve had a lot of discussions lately about client and agency communication.  We hear from both sides that they need to communicate better in order to have a stronger agency/client relationship.  That is why I found this article in AdAge to be so interesting.  

Through our agency performance evaluations, we hear from clients that they feel that the agency is creating work that is not on strategy.  When you probe a bit to figure out the source of the issue, it often comes back to the fact that there isn’t a clear brief for the agency.  Sometimes 2 or 3 people at the client are giving the agency direction and the input isn’t always consistent.  

We have clients who have found a way to create a successful brief by developing a format that must be used for each project.  The format is developed by the client and the agency so it’s clear to both sides what is required.  

The question for clients is – do you have a consistent way of briefing the agency?  If not, it would make sense to develop one.  At the end of the day, it will save the client and agency a lot of time and effort.