Do project briefs breed creativity?

Project briefs allow adland to keep the creative juices flowing. This is according to Kara Osborne Gladwell, UM’s UK and Ireland chief executive, who spoke to Campaign for a feature published earlier this month, exploring the industry's move towards project work over retained accounts.

According to Campaign School Reports data for the end of 2024, creative shops are more likely to have project-based clients, compared with media agencies. Among creative agencies, project relationships accounted for 51% of the total (41 agencies providing data), whereas media agencies totalled 21% (of 26 agencies).

The feature also dives into the reasons why this may be the case, as well as theories around why projects have increased in popularity in recent years.

Jonathan Emmins: Founder, Amplify
We all secretly, or not so secretly, know that creativity thrives under constraint. Guidelines, structure and deadlines aid the creative process rather than hinder it, with the strongest briefs setting expectations but leaving room for the most audacious ideas to come to life.

Some of our most innovative and inspired work emerged from restraints and challenging briefs. The Pinterest Presents brief, for example, had us pivot from in-person events to a global broadcast hosted by Tan France, a format still going strong today, with the latest edition about to drop. An "experienced by few, witnessed by many" approach that fundamentally changed how brands approach campaign planning today.