The brief is the boring document everyone will love you for
I hope you haven’t experienced the feeling when a campaign is nearly finished, but the designer sends a message asking: “What exactly are we trying to say here?” Or when the deadline is tomorrow, but the team is still debating who the target audience is.
That’s the hangover of a poor brief. Luckily it’s avoidable.
This isn’t a guilt trip. It’s a friendly reminder that a strong creative brief is one of the best gifts you can give to your agency, to yourself, and to your entire team. Especially when working in medical marketing or life science communications, where accuracy, timing, and compliance are everything.
A strong brief matters especially in medical marketing
A good brief isn’t bureaucracy. It’s a roadmap. It tells us where we’re going, why we’re going there, and who we’re trying to reach. With a clear direction, there’s less back-and-forth, fewer last-minute revisions, and a higher-quality result.
If you work in pharma, medtech, or life sciences, you know how many layers a campaign must go through. A well-prepared brief makes all this smoother. Even your medical reviewer will appreciate it.
At KarpaloGroup, we work daily with medical marketing campaigns across the Nordics. We understand how messaging needs to adapt from Finland to Denmark and how good briefs save time, money, and nerves. Especially when navigating regulatory complexity.
Six key elements every creative brief needs
- Objective
What is the campaign really trying to achieve? Be specific. - Strategy
How does this fit into your larger marketing plan? Is it part of a launch, an HCP engagement program, or a digital ecosystem? Make the big picture visible. - Audience
Not just “doctors.” Be precise: neurologists, Scandinavian pharmacists, oncology nurses in Sweden. The more specific, the better. - Medical references
If the product relies on specific clinical claims, publications, or substantiated messages, include them in the brief from the start. - Budget
Budget is not a dirty word. It sets the framework for what’s realistic whether it’s a national campaign or a series of LinkedIn videos. - Timeline
What’s the real deadline? If media is booked or the product launch is date-bound, state it clearly upfront.
To sum it up
A good brief is an investment in campaign success. It doesn’t take time, it saves time. It makes medical marketing in the Nordics smoother and more efficient. And most importantly, it makes you the kind of project owner everyone wants to work with.
If you have an upcoming briefing session and need a second opinion or an extra pair of eyes, we’re here to help. No jargon. Just clarity, experience, and Nordic-level precision.
Johanna Kestilä
CEO
KarpaloGroup
Contact me in LinkedIn
+358 40 705 4494
