B2Bridge

A briefing (or a brief, as some abbreviate it to make it sound were it stands for), is one of these chameleon words. Changing the context is changing the meaning. But it all boils down to the same essence:

• A briefing is an act or instance of giving precise instructions or essential information (Merriam Webster).

Of course, this blog doesn’t address to lawyers, army officers or presidential informants. So let’s restrict ourselves to a briefing in the world of marketing and communications, and refer to it as the creative brief(ing) – the “briefing to the creatives”.

Still, the chameleon changes colors according to its habitat. Googling will provide you with as many definitions as there are agencies on the Web. A first quick search yielded two workable definitions in B2B communications:

Creative brief(ing)

• A document that guides the agency’s creative team in developing concepts, messages, and materials. It includes elements such as the goal and main messages of the communications piece(s), the actions you want the target audience to take and barriers to those actions, the demographic and psycho-graphic characteristics of the audience, and other key insights about the audience that should be considered when developing the communications piece(s). (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• A written statement that serves as the creative team's guide for writing and producing an ad. It describes the most important issues that should be considered in the development of the ad (the who, why, what, where, and when), including a definition and description of the target audience; the rational and emotional appeals to be used; the product features that will satisfy the customer's needs; the style, approach, or tone that will be used in the copy; and, generally, what the copy will say. (Contemporary Advertising, 8/e,William F. Arens)