Amen.

Could. Not. Have. Said. It. Better.
The money shot:

"I suspect I’m spoiled because once, long ago, I worked at an agency that held creative briefs in the highest regard. They actually allotted more time in the schedule for the brief than was given to doing the creative. But, it worked. The brief was a thing of beauty; concise, well-written, full of pertinent information and lovingly crafted onto a single page. Not four pages. Not six. Just one page.

In a strong, bold face at the very top of the page was the USP; you could tell people had sweated over this sucker to get it spot on. Nights had been spent working on the direction and the strategy. The background work was done, but wasn’t overwhelming. It was simply there to give as much support as was necessary, nothing less and nothing more. The target audience was so clear, I could picture this person in my mind and have a conversation. The objective was definite and achievable. The supporting arguments were solid. From this one page, this advertising treasure map, any half-decent creative team in the land could have picked it up and churned out great work within a few days. That was, and is, the power of a good brief. And man, I miss it."

Kudos to Felix @ The DenverLongmont Egotist





(hat tip: DuranDurandrea)