Survey: 79% marketers feel good about writing briefs, only 6% of agencies agree

Nearly 80% of marketers believe they are good at writing briefs, while only 6% of creative agencies agree, reflecting a lack of trust between creative agencies and their clients, according to the latest BetterBriefs report.  

The 2025 release of BetterIdeas Project gathered responses from 1,034 marketers, agency staff, and in-house teams across 54 countries, spanning both B2C and B2B sectors. The findings revealed a strong industry mandate to address poor marketing practices and a growing appetite to learn, improve, and elevate creative effectiveness on a global scale. 

The survey revealed that a majority of marketers (89%) and creative agencies (86%) agree that briefs are important to produce good creative work. However, over 90% of marketers and creative agencies agree that the brief is one of the most neglected tools when it comes to creating good work. 

78% of marketers think the briefs they write provide clear strategic direction, while only 5% of agencies agree, with over half of the agencies saying the briefs lack clear objectives, followed by unclear strategy (34%) and single-mindedness (10%).  

Most marketers feel positive about briefs, while creative agencies feel the exact opposite, with over 70% of creative agencies distrusting the creative judgement of the marketers they work with. Over 80% of marketers agree that the briefs they create contain clear and concise language while only 7% of agencies agree with this.

Meanwhile, 67% of marketers agree that their marketing briefs clearly define who the target group is, while only 36% of agencies agree. Over half of marketers and only 30% of agencies agree that the feedback provided for briefs is clear and constructive, while only 23% of agencies agree that the current client approval process works well.  

Only 15% of marketers and 23% of agencies said that briefs are always used when evaluating ideas, said the survey.  

Staggeringly, nine out of 10 marketers admit that their briefs change once they are briefed-in. 69% of marketers and 73% of agencies agree re-briefs happen too often.  

Asian marketers estimate that a whopping 37% of marketing budgets are going to waste due to poor beliefs and misdirected creative work, slightly higher than the global average of 30%.  

With ad spending this year projected to hit US$253 billion in APAC, according to dentsu, this equates to a staggering US$93 billion potentially being squandered due to poor marketing briefs. 

Pieter-Paul von Weiler, co-founder of BetterBriefs, stated, “Briefs play an essential role in summarising key strategic decisions brands make. They serve as a contract between brands and agencies. A well-crafted brief serves as a springboard for agencies to leap from and generate ideas. Unfortunately, we’re seeing a costly disconnect between brands and agencies in the Asian region when it comes to briefs, similar to what we’ve seen in other major advertising markets.”

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