Marketing Briefs in an Agency – Melanie Wiese; Wunderman Thompson (Perth)

Summary

Melanie, the National Chief Strategy Officer at Wonderman Thompson, shares her extensive experience in brand strategy and the importance of creating effective marketing briefs. She emphasizes the need for collaboration between agencies and clients, ensuring that the brief addresses both business objectives and consumer insights. Melanie stresses the significance of understanding a brand's purpose and avoiding common mistakes such as relying too much on data or assuming marketing briefs are simple communication tasks. She also offers valuable advice for marketing students and new graduates, urging them to gain life experiences and truly understand the brands they work with to craft impactful strategies.

Takeaways

• 😀 Melanie is the Chief Strategy Officer at Wonderman Thompson, overseeing a strategy team of 16 across Australia and working with the APAC and global teams.
• 🌍 Wonderman Thompson employs 20,000 people globally, with 140 employees in Australia, operating in 17 countries, and being a part of the WPP network.
• 📝 A great marketing brief is crucial for successful creative work. It should be well-thought-out and not rushed, serving as the foundation for strategic storytelling.
• 🔍 Briefs should not just assemble data points but focus on the story you want to tell about the company, product, or service.
• 💼 Melanie's experience with marketing briefs spans across writing, receiving, and collaborating with clients to refine briefs that lead to effective campaigns.
• 🤝 Collaboration is key. Best practice involves working with the client to develop a marketing brief that reflects the organization’s objectives and business goals.
• 📊 In addition to data, qualitative and ethnographic research play a vital role in uncovering insights that inform a successful brief.
• ⚡ Creativity is central to an effective brief. It should inspire the creative team with a concise, focused direction, not an overwhelming amount of information.
• 🚫 Common mistakes include assuming the problem is only about communications, not understanding the full business problem, or overloading the brief with irrelevant data.
• 🔮 The future of marketing briefs may involve AI generating them, but Melanie stresses that innovation should focus on ensuring the briefs remain strategic and purpose-driven, not just data-driven.

Q & A

What is Melanie's role at Wonderman Thompson?

Melanie is the National Chief Strategy Officer at Wonderman Thompson and leads a strategy team of about 16 strategists across Australia. She also works with the APAC team and globally for KitKat.

How many people are employed at Wonderman Thompson and in how many countries?

Wonderman Thompson employs 20,000 people globally and has offices in 17 countries. In Australia, they have about 140 people.

What is the significance of a marketing brief according to Melanie?

A marketing brief is crucial because it serves as the foundational document for creating effective and inspired communications. Melanie emphasizes that a brief must clearly tell the story and align with business goals, requiring significant effort and thought.

What is the difference between a marketing brief and a creative brief?

A marketing brief is written by the client and given to the agency, which helps translate it into communications strategies. The creative brief is an agency-facing document that distills the marketing brief and provides instructions to creative teams to inspire and guide their work.

What does best practice for writing a marketing brief involve?

Best practice includes collaboration with the client, conducting research, and understanding the business context. It also involves distilling the brief into a concise and inspiring direction that helps guide creative work.

What are some common difficulties or mistakes associated with marketing briefs in agencies?

Common mistakes include assuming the problem is only about communications, not understanding the broader business context, overloading briefs with unnecessary information, and underestimating the value of qualitative research.

What does Melanie wish she knew about marketing briefs earlier in her career?

She wishes she understood that creating great marketing briefs takes time and effort, and that insights are not just facts, but revelations that shift perspectives and lead to significant change.

What innovations does Melanie foresee for marketing briefs in the future?

Melanie is concerned that AI might take over the creation of marketing briefs. While AI can assemble data efficiently, she believes the human element—selecting the right insights and framing an argument—is crucial for creating effective marketing briefs.

What advice does Melanie give to students learning about marketing briefs?

Melanie advises students to understand the purpose of the business they are working with and to dig deeper into why they are in the market. She also stresses the importance of understanding the bigger context, including purpose, business goals, and consumer needs.

What general advice does Melanie give to new marketing graduates?

She encourages new graduates to gain life experience, like traveling and engaging with diverse people, rather than just focusing on internships. She values practical skills, the ability to work hard, and life stories over just having academic or internship experience.