| One of my esteemed associates suggested that I | | | | these audiences? |
| focus on what a client brief should include, given that I | | | | - What motivates and characterizes the target |
| profess a robust brief to be the foundation to building | | | | consumer/purchaser/specifier groups? |
| solid PR programs and to recruiting the right agency | | | | - Which (online and offline) media channels most |
| talent. | | | | influence these groups? |
| My thoughts may not be all-encompassing, and I | | | | - Which other organizations (NGOs etc) also influence |
| recognize that a degree of tailoring is always | | | | purchase decision? |
| necessary. In essence, however, I have 3 guiding | | | | - What impact have these media/groups had? |
| principles in setting up a good brief: | | | | - What have been the company's past, public issues? |
| | | | Were they resolved? |
| 1. CONFIDENTIALITY: No brief must ever be submitted | | | | - Which marketing/corporate outreach initiatives have |
| to any outside service provider without a legally | | | | seen most success? |
| endorsed NDA (non-disclosure agreement). I am happy | | | | - Where has the company failed to reach/penetrate |
| to provide an example of this. | | | | its markets? |
| 2. INTEGRITY: Extreme care must be taken not to | | | | - What are the company's key marketing objectives |
| include material of a financially sensitive nature (always | | | | over the next 1-5 years? |
| worth running a brief past the IR team). An equal | | | | 4) The Internal Community |
| amount of care must be taken not to 'spin' content. | | | | This section recognizes the interdependencies |
| The brief is not a PR document, but a frank and | | | | between external and internal communications planning |
| honest review of the company's opportunities and | | | | and focuses on how the internal corporate culture can |
| issues to build robust PR response. | | | | impact or promote external PR success. |
| 3. RELEVANCE: The brief should be geared towards | | | | - How many employees are located across the |
| framing the issues and opportunities that the agency | | | | company? |
| can be expected realistically to support. This demands | | | | - What are current employee engagement strategies |
| that clients have given first thought to what their | | | | dialogue channels?... |
| marketing/agency expectations are and that they | | | | - ...How effective are they? |
| understand what peripheral information is important in | | | | - What is the employee retention record? |
| helping agencies better understand the company and | | | | - What are the outcomes of any employee surveys? |
| climate in which they'll be expected to operate. | | | | What are the key issues? |
| For me, word count does not matter. Content does. | | | | - Are any major corporate restructuring initiatives |
| And this, in my view, is what a good agency brief | | | | planned? |
| should include: | | | | - How is internal and external communications |
| 1) The Corporate Story | | | | structured? |
| This section must give as much flavor about the | | | | - Who are the key spokespeople/external |
| dimension, character, values and principles of an | | | | ambassadors?... |
| organization to help PR agency familiarization but also | | | | - ... How competent or well equipped are they? |
| to aid external corporate positioning. | | | | 5) PR Agency Objectives |
| - What is the company provenance/history and track | | | | This section deals with the very specific company |
| record? | | | | requirements of the PR agency and should relate |
| - What have its milestone achievements been? | | | | clearly to the above company analysis. It should form |
| - What are its stated mission, vision, values? | | | | the basis of the final agency quote and be embedded |
| - What are its key metrics (financial/geographic) and | | | | within subsequent contractual obligations. For example: |
| growth ambitions? | | | | - What credentials (skills, experience, specialism, |
| - Is it a market leader or challenger?... | | | | contacts) must the agency demonstrate? |
| - ... And how does it shape and execute that role? | | | | - Which geographies will they serve? |
| - What characterizes the company's leadership and | | | | - What will be their messaging and corporate |
| internal culture? | | | | positioning contribution? |
| - What is its business model and structure? | | | | - What strategic market/PR/media insight should the |
| - What are the company's issues and crisis alert | | | | agency contribute? |
| procedures? | | | | - Which markets/audiences should the PR agency |
| 2) The Trading Environment | | | | engage? |
| Here follows an analysis of the company's trading | | | | - What (online/offline) influencer programs should the |
| prospects and opportunities, coupled with a realistic | | | | agency deliver? |
| analysis of the marketplace threats/issues that the | | | | - How must the agency integrate with the business? |
| agency may be required to take into account as it | | | | - How should the agency evolve its client PR skills? |
| develops PR plans. | | | | - How will success be measured? What are the key |
| - Who is the competition? | | | | performance metrics? |
| - What is driving their strategy against the company? | | | | - What is the budget? |
| - Which media channels do they exploit? | | | | - How will the agency ensure transparency against |
| - What is the company's relative performance? | | | | spend? |
| - What is the company's market differential (eg. | | | | - How will they report (to whom, by which method, |
| technology, innovation, commercial) | | | | with which frequency)? |
| - Where are the trading threats - and opportunities? | | | | A good client brief is the precursor to any agency |
| - What are the regulatory barriers? How are these | | | | pitch and final selection; it sets clear client-agency |
| being addressed? | | | | expectations and is integral to final contractual |
| - How does the company plan to raise future market | | | | obligations; it is the reference against which ongoing |
| entry barriers?... | | | | agency performance can be objectively measured |
| - ...Or exploit current market conditions? | | | | and reviewed. |
| - What is the company's product/service roadmap? | | | | A good agency, as I mentioned in my last post, will |
| - What key sales and marketing initiatives are planned | | | | engage with this brief, may challenge it and generate |
| over the next year to drive growth? | | | | value-adding discussion to help move the company |
| 3) The Market Environment | | | | forward in its thinking. |
| This section begins to deal directly with the company's | | | | My passion for a good client brief stems from the |
| public outreach strategy and begins to provide insight | | | | conviction that, without a brief, there is no performance. |
| into the more direct role a PR agency can be | | | | And without performance, the communications role will |
| expected to play in support. | | | | never be viewed as a robust, commercially-minded |
| - Who is the company trying to reach? | | | | and trusted entity within an organization. It is ultimately, |
| - How are these audiences segmented? | | | | therefore, a tool of professional and personal credibility. |
| - What is the current company proposition/message to | | | | |