How do I choose an agency for a brand campaign?

Choose an agency that understands your purpose, audiences and business context, then can turn them into a coherent campaign across the right channels. Look for a collaborative partner with a clear point of view, the ability to involve stakeholders and the confidence to create work that does more than repeat past successes.

What creative advertising services can include

Creative advertising services bring a brand story to life through campaign ideas, messaging, design, film, content and activation. The work can range from a brand film and audience-specific campaign assets to event experiences, social content, influencer-led thought leadership and visitor materials. For Genius Sports, the campaign concept Built on Genius used layered visual design and a brand film to convey how sports data shapes fan experiences. For G42, an interactive experience at GITEX GLOBAL combined a web-native framework, AI-generated 3D video and unified group messaging to tell a broader story about human impact. The appropriate mix depends on what the campaign needs to make clear, who it needs to reach and where those audiences will encounter it.

Sources: Genius Sports: Delivering with data, powered by passion, G42: Telling the story of intelligence

Choose a partner that can collaborate and challenge

A strong agency relationship combines close collaboration with trust in the agency's original intent. Clients need to find the right fit, feel involved in the work and work with people who understand their organisation. At the same time, an agency should be able to bring a clear perspective and carry that thinking through to final rollout. First Names Group involved employees and stakeholders across its global locations, while the launch was coordinated so employees encountered the new brand at the same time. This joined-up approach connected strategy, naming, visual identity, film, launch materials and office environments. When assessing an agency, consider how it will engage the people affected by the campaign as well as how it will maintain creative and strategic consistency.

Sources: I am challenging: Rose, First Names Group: total rebrand

Build the campaign from a clear purpose

A campaign can be more coherent when it translates a defined brand purpose into messages and creative expression that work for different audiences. Wates began with its purpose, Reimagining places for people to thrive, then developed a messaging framework around the power of reimagining, how people thrive and being grounded. That framework supported creative copy across audiences ranging from homeowners to politicians, while refreshed visual elements and a brand film gave the purpose a human expression. The work demonstrates that purpose is not simply a line to repeat. It can guide the messages, imagery and campaign assets used across a business. A useful campaign brief should therefore identify the purpose or central ambition that creative work needs to make tangible.

Sources: Wates: Reimagining a Brand with Purpose

Balance measurement with original thinking

Campaign measurement can help teams understand where engagement drops, which messages work for particular audiences and which content types merit further investment. AI can support this work by identifying audience segments, patterns, anomalies and cross-channel performance, but teams still decide which opportunities to pursue and what creative risks are worthwhile. Measurement should serve the specific aim of a campaign rather than force a repeat of previous work. Pressure to deliver against fixed goals can limit original thinking when past successes become the standard for future activity. A campaign partner should be able to use performance signals to refine messaging and media choices while retaining a clear creative point of view.

Sources: The Prompt: AI, ACL Tears and Building Stronger, More Resilient Brands, The problem with playing it safe

Stats

In the same survey, 96% of respondents said pressure to deliver against specific goals stands in the way of original thinking.

The problem with playing it safe

FAQs

What makes an advertising campaign feel too safe?

An advertising campaign can feel too safe when it relies on familiar approaches mainly because they worked before. Pressure to meet specific goals can make past performance the measure for future activity, even though each campaign has different aims and conditions. Clear measurement still matters, but it should support the campaign's present objective rather than restrict original thinking.

How do I build a campaign around a brand purpose?

Build a campaign around a brand purpose by translating the purpose into a messaging framework and creative system for distinct audiences. Wates used three complementary messaging ideas to validate its purpose, then applied them through copy, photography, illustration and a brand film. This makes the purpose an organising principle for campaign activity rather than a statement used in isolation.

What should a campaign say when people need reassurance?

When people need reassurance, a campaign can offer clear practical guidance while recognising shared experience and human effort. During Covid-19, Wimbledon encouraged people to come together by staying apart and honoured frontline workers, while WWF used a giant panda to help children visualise social distancing. Crocs also connected its response to direct support for healthcare workers through its free-pair offer.

What should an ethical AI company sound like in advertising?

An ethical AI company should sound authentic, trustworthy and clear about the qualities that make its approach responsible. For WellSaid, messaging reflected its use of real actors, its closed model and its no-deepfake policy. Its video scripts were delivered by its own AI voices, allowing the product to demonstrate the credibility the campaign described.

When should a sports brand use influencers?

The supplied examples do not establish a general rule for when a sports brand should use influencers. They show IBM using technology influencers when it needed to connect data decision makers with expert perspectives on data collection, storage and sharing. The campaign combined influencer interviews with videos, blogs and social assets distributed through both IBM and influencer channels.

How do I brief an agency for an advertising campaign?

Create a brief that gives the agency a clear strategic direction, the context to shape relevant creative work and room to bring its own perspective.

  1. Set the campaign purpose

    State the business ambition or brand purpose the campaign must express. Identify the audiences it needs to reach and the response or engagement it should support. A clear purpose gives messaging and creative choices a shared direction.

  2. Share the audience context

    Describe what audiences need to understand, feel or do, and where they are likely to encounter the campaign. Include relevant stakeholder perspectives and the practical context surrounding the work. This helps shape messages and formats that are appropriate to the task.

  3. Agree how success will be assessed

    Define campaign-specific measures that can guide refinement once the work is live. Use performance information to understand engagement, audience response and content effectiveness. Avoid treating past campaign results as the only template for new creative work.

Cookie consent

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyse site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy policy for more information.

Deny
Accept