The brief is one of the most important documents in any new client project. Think of it as a roadmap that gets the client and the agency to the same destination.
A typical brief covers company or product background, target audience, deliverables, key messages, budget, timeline, and sometimes goals or KPIs. Most people would call that complete. But a good marketer knows to look closer.
These briefs do a solid job of outlining what the client wants. What they rarely explain is why the client wants it, or what business problem sits underneath. That’s where the brief breaks.
In this blog, we’re challenging the average brief and sharing how to move past the “what” and get to the “why.”
Why Briefs Break
Clients often come to an agency with a solution already in mind, whether that’s a new website, a digital campaign, or a specific creative asset. The brief then becomes a plan to execute that solution, rather than a chance to ask whether it’s the right one.
There’s also a tendency to assume everyone shares the same understanding of the objective. Terms like “increase awareness,” “drive engagement,” or “generate leads” can mean very different things to different people. Without digging deeper, those assumptions can quietly lead to misalignment.
Why Ag Briefs Need Even More Context
Marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all, and agriculture brings a few extra layers that a standard brief can easily miss.
Seasonality and timing are huge. Planting, growing, and harvest cycles influence when audiences make decisions, what information they need, and when marketing will be most effective. Those windows can vary widely by geography and commodity.
Audience complexity is another big factor. Agriculture isn’t one audience. A farmer, dealer, retailer, agronomist, and other industry stakeholders can all influence a purchase decision, but each has different motivations and information needs.
The buying process is more complex, too. Purchases can involve significant financial investments, long consideration periods, established relationships, and multiple decision-makers.
Industry knowledge and credibility matter. Messaging needs to reflect how the audience actually operates, the challenges they face, and the terminology they use. It’s not enough to target an agricultural audience. You have to understand them.
The Questions Every Brief Should Answer
So what should a client brief actually explore? Anything that helps the agency solve the business problem, not just check off a list of deliverables.
Here are the questions we think every brief should answer:
- What business challenge are we trying to solve?
- What do we want our audience to think, feel, or do differently?
- What’s preventing that from happening today?
- How will we measure success?
- What have we already tried, and what did we learn?
- What constraints or considerations could affect our approach?
A strong brief gives the agency enough context to recommend the right solution, not just execute one that’s already been decided.
How R+B Gets to the Real Objective
We take a different approach to kickoff than many agencies. Instead of jumping straight into tactics and creative, we start by understanding what the client is ultimately trying to accomplish. The details come easier once the bigger picture is clear.
Our account team works with the client to understand the business challenge, audience, expectations, and what success looks like. From there, we bring in subject matter experts across media, creative, SEO, and other teams. They help shape the approach and spot questions or opportunities the client may not have considered.
Along the way, we’re not afraid to challenge the initial request. If a client asks for a specific tactic, we want to understand why they believe it’s the right solution. Sometimes it is. Sometimes there’s a better way to reach the objective.
We know the objective is clear when everyone can answer four questions. What are we trying to achieve? Who are we trying to reach? What do we want them to do? How will we measure success? That alignment should happen before the work begins, not halfway through the project.
Challenging the Brief Isn’t Challenging the Client
Challenging a brief doesn’t mean dismissing the client’s expectations, telling them they’re wrong, or making the process more complicated. It means bringing a perspective they might not have considered.
In the end, we want the same thing the client does: time and money spent on work that actually moves the needle. Asking better questions up front is how we get there.
What changes when the objective is clear from day one
Having a clear objective is what makes the process a much smoother ride than working on conflicting ideas all throughout the project timeline.
When everyone is aligned from day one:
- The team makes sharper recommendations and creative has clearer direction.
- Fewer revisions, scope changes, and wasted hours.
- Debates shift from personal preference to “does this serve the objective?”
- The relationship shifts from producing deliverables to solving business problems.
What Changes When the Objective Is Clear From Day One
A clear objective makes the whole project run smoother. Instead of working through conflicting ideas from kickoff to launch, everyone is pulling in the same direction.
When everyone is aligned from day one:
- The team makes sharper recommendations, and creative has clearer direction
- Revisions, scope changes, and wasted hours drop
- Debates shift from personal preference to “Does this serve the objective?”
- The relationship shifts from producing deliverables to solving business problems
A Good Brief Starts the Right Conversation
A good brief doesn’t need to have all the answers. It just needs to start the right conversation.
Clients shouldn’t feel like they have to walk in with a fully developed marketing strategy. Figuring that out together is part of the job.
Have a brief that could use a second look? Reach out to us today so we can begin the conversation.