How to Brief a Creative Agency as a Queensland Government Communicator

A good brief doesn't just describe what you want made. It explains why it needs to exist and what it needs to change.

The difference between a brief that produces strong creative work and one that produces months of revision cycles is usually visible on page one. Not in the length of the document, and not in how detailed the deliverables are. It's whether the brief was written from the audience's perspective or the agency's.

Here's how to write one that actually works.

Start with the behaviour, not the message

The single most useful thing you can put in a government creative brief is a clear description of what you need the audience to do differently after seeing the campaign. Not what you want them to know. What you want them to do.

“We want Queenslanders to understand the importance of flood preparedness” is a message brief. “We want Queenslanders in flood-prone areas to complete a household emergency plan before storm season” is a behaviour brief. The second one is harder to write, because it forces a specific answer, but it makes every creative decision after it easier. The agency knows what success looks like. The approval process has a real benchmark. And the evaluation at the end measures something that actually happened.

Be honest about what's already been tried

If your agency has run campaigns on this topic before, say so. What worked, what didn't, and why if you know it. This isn't admitting failure. It's the most useful intelligence you can hand a creative team, because it stops them recommending something your audience has already seen and ignored.

The best briefs carry their own history. What does the audience currently believe? What have they already been shown? What makes this behaviour feel hard, irrelevant, or someone else's problem?

Define your audience specifically

“Queensland adults” is not an audience. Neither is “regional Queensland communities” or “young people.” Those are population descriptors.

A useful audience definition covers what that audience currently does, believes, and runs into in relation to the behaviour you're trying to shift. Age, location, and demographics are a starting point. Attitudes, habits, and barriers are where the brief gets useful.

If your agency has audience research, attach it. If it doesn't exist, say so — a good creative partner might recommend it as step one before anything else starts.

Be clear about what the work needs to achieve commercially as well as creatively

Government campaigns pass through approval layers that commercial campaigns don't. That's just the environment, but the brief should be upfront about it.

If there's ministerial interest, say so. If there are sensitivities around language, imagery, or community representation, name them early. If whole-of-government brand requirements apply, include them. Surfacing this at the brief stage costs nothing. Discovering it at final approval costs weeks.

Deliverables are the last thing to define

Most government briefs lead with deliverables. “We need a 30-second TVC, three social cuts, a print banner, and a digital display series.” Sometimes that's exactly right. Often it isn't.

Deliverables should follow from the audience, the behaviour, the channel landscape, and the budget — not come before them. A creative partner working from a well-written behaviour brief will often come back with a different channel and format recommendation than what was specified. That's the system working, not a problem.

If your agency has genuine format constraints — broadcast commitments already booked, an existing digital placement — include them. But where there's flexibility, leave the door open.

Welcome to the Fold

We work with Queensland Government communications teams across all stages of campaign development, from brief writing and audience strategy through to production and delivery. We're appointed to the Queensland All-of-Government Creative Services Panel (GGS0120-25) and six other government panels. If you've got a brief that needs a second pair of eyes before it goes out, send it over.