Garbage in garbage out

"Their brief is all over the place!"

A friend of mine who runs a hybrid software development studio was on a rant about a client who kept changing the scope of a web app.

It was beginning to affect team morale, let alone resulting in wasted resources. He summed off the conversation saying,

Garbage in, garbage out.

This is true in marketing too. (And life!)

Your creative team (or vendors) are only as good as you are.

Don't brief a vendor hoping they'll produce magic. They won't.

YOU are the magic.

Your job is to get the best possible result from them. Be it a website, copy, design. Anything.

Not sit back and wait for them to pull something amazing out of thin air.

And you have hired them based on parts of their track record that is most relevant to your business.

A tight brief will limit their creativity.

Too loose, and they'll do as they please.

Your brief must be the North Star that not only clarifies your objective beyond doubt, but also guides them to do the kind of creative work they haven't done before.

In short, your brief must inspire them.

Nothing like below.

(By the way, check out Tom Fishburne's work at https://marketoonist.com/)

You'll guide but not restrict. You'll instruct but won't stifle.

And if you ask them to keep you involved right from the beginning, you all just might create something you both love.

Remember, not to get too involved.

Most importantly, you shall know exactly what you want.