Skip to main content
Back to Frameworks
Growth · Scale-up

Agency Brief Template

The quality of creative work is directly proportional to the quality of the brief. A great brief inspires agencies; a bad brief wastes everyone's time and money. This template covers every element of an effective agency brief: business context, objectives, target audience, single-minded proposition, mandatories, budget, timeline, and evaluation criteria. The most important discipline: one brief, one job. If you can't fit it on two pages, you haven't made the hard choices.

When to use this framework

  • →You're briefing a creative, media, PR, or digital agency on a new project
  • →You want to improve the quality of work you get back from agencies
  • →You're running a competitive pitch and need a consistent brief format
  • →You're training junior marketers on how to work with agencies effectively
  • →You're reviewing a brief before it goes out and need a checklist
Related:Creative Brief Template RACI Matrix SOSTAC Planning Model

Sign in to unlock full access

You're browsing as a visitor. Create a free account to fill in worksheets, download PDFs, and save your progress.

Get startedSign in
Sign in to download
Worked Example

Airbnb

1. Business & Brand Context

Give the agency enough context to understand your brand, market position, and recent history. Don't assume they know everything.

Airbnb is the world's largest community-driven hospitality company, with 7M+ active listings in 220+ countries. Founded in 2008, grew by disrupting hotel industry. Post-COVID, pivoted messaging from 'travel anywhere' to 'belong anywhere → live anywhere.' Recent brand refresh emphasised the Bélo symbol and community. Current challenge: perception shifting from 'authentic local stays' to 'overpriced party houses' in key markets.

What business problem does this work need to solve? Connect creative work to commercial outcomes.

Rebuild trust with hosts and guests in European markets (UK, France, Germany) where regulatory scrutiny and negative media coverage have eroded brand sentiment. Host retention is down 8% YoY in these markets, and guest NPS has dropped 12 points in 18 months.

What exactly are you asking for? Campaign, single asset, strategy document, media plan? Be specific about deliverables.

1. Integrated campaign concept (TV/digital hero + social + OOH) 2. 3x host-focused content pieces (video, 60-90 seconds) 3. Refreshed host recruitment landing page 4. Social media toolkit for local markets 5. Campaign measurement framework

2. Target Audience & Insight

Who must this work reach and influence? Go beyond demographics — what are their attitudes, behaviours, and media habits?

Primary: European hosts (aged 35-55) who are considering leaving Airbnb for competitors or going back to traditional letting. They're practical, community-minded, and feel unsupported by the platform. Secondary: Potential new hosts who've considered listing but worry about reliability, rules, and support. Media habits: Local news, Instagram, Facebook community groups, property forums.

What is the human truth that this work should tap into? A good insight reveals a tension the audience feels.

Hosts didn't start hosting for the money — they started because they loved sharing their home and meeting people from around the world. But they feel like Airbnb has forgotten them in its rush to grow. They feel like they're running a business on a platform that treats them like a commodity.

What should the audience think, feel, or do after seeing this work?

Think: 'Airbnb still cares about hosts like me.' Feel: Pride in being an Airbnb host, not just a landlord. Do: Renew their commitment to hosting (stay on platform, upgrade listing, recommend hosting to friends).

3. Proposition & Message

One sentence. The single most compelling thing you can say to your audience. If you write two, the agency will pick the wrong one.

Airbnb was built by hosts, and everything we do starts with making hosting better.

What evidence supports the proposition? Product truths, data, testimonials, awards.

1. New Host Advisory Board with real hosts shaping policy 2. £100M investment in host support and tools in 2024 3. Simplified co-hosting feature (share hosting duties with someone you trust) 4. Host-protection insurance upgraded to £2M coverage

How should the work feel? Provide guardrails, not a creative straitjacket.

Warm and genuine — like a conversation between neighbours, not a corporation talking at its contractors. Grateful but not grovelling. Honest about past mistakes without being defensive. Confident about the future without overselling.

4. Mandatories, Budget & Timeline

Non-negotiables: brand guidelines, legal requirements, formats, platforms, approval processes.

1. Must feature real Airbnb hosts (not actors) in hero content 2. Bélo symbol visible in all executions per brand guidelines v4.2 3. Legal review required for all claims about host protection and insurance 4. All content must be adaptable for UK, French, and German markets (cultural adaptation, not just translation) 5. Accessibility: all video content captioned, all digital assets WCAG 2.1 AA compliant

Be transparent. Agencies can't scope work without knowing the budget. A range is fine.

Total campaign budget: €3.5M–€4.5M. Breakdown: Production: €1.5M. Media (digital + OOH): €2M. Agency fees (creative + production management): €500K-€800K. Contingency: €200K.

Briefing date, tissue meeting, first creative review, final delivery, go-live.

Brief issue: March 10. Chemistry meeting: March 17. Tissue session (territories/routes): April 7. Creative review (developed concepts): April 28. Final creative approval: May 19. Production: June–July. Campaign live: September 1 (aligned with back-to-school travel surge). Flight duration: 8 weeks.

What criteria will you use to judge creative routes? Be explicit so the agency knows what success looks like.

1. On-strategy: Does it deliver the single-minded proposition? 2. Authenticity: Does it feel genuine, not corporate? 3. Host-centric: Would a real host share this on their own social media? 4. Distinctive: Could only Airbnb run this campaign? 5. Scalable: Does the concept work across TV, social, OOH, and 3 markets? 6. Measurable: Can we tie the work back to host retention and sentiment metrics?
Your Worksheet

Fill in for your brand

Sign in to use this worksheet

Create a free account to fill in frameworks with your own brand details, download completed worksheets, and save your progress.

Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in

Take this framework offline

Download a blank PDF to fill in by hand, use it in workshops, or pin it to your wall. If you've filled in the worksheet above, you can download your completed version too.

Create free account to downloadAlready have an account? Sign in