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RESOURCE POST · 05 6 MIN READ

How to brief an AI ad agency (template inside).

By Akanksh A R · Founder & Director, Voyagefilmmaker

Published · May 24, 2026

Half the bad AI ads we see could've been good ads. The work was fine. The brief was broken.

Here's how to write a brief that actually gets you what you want — plus a fill-in template at the end you can copy.

A · DIAGNOSISWhat most briefs get wrong

"Premium. Cinematic. Make it pop."

That's not a brief. That's a hope. Three things missing from most briefs we receive:

  1. What you're selling. Not the product — the feeling.
  2. Who you're selling to. Not "everyone." A specific person.
  3. What you don't want. Just as important as what you do.
// THE 7-SECTION TEMPLATE

Send us this. We'll quote in 24 hours.

This is the exact structure we ask every brand to fill out. No fluff, no committee decks. Just the seven things we need to scope properly.

⌖ SECTION 01

Brand snapshot

Brand name. One sentence on what you do. Three brands you admire (and why). Three brands you'd never want to look like.

⌖ SECTION 02

Project goal

What is this ad for — awareness, performance, brand film, launch? Where will it run? What's the one thing you want a viewer to feel afterward?

⌖ SECTION 03

The audience

One specific person you're talking to. Their age, income, daily life. What they care about that your product solves. What they already use instead.

⌖ SECTION 04

The message

The single line you want them to walk away with. Three supporting points (max). One thing you don't want said.

⌖ SECTION 05

The mood

5 to 10 reference images, films, or ads you love. 2 to 3 you hate. Specific colours (not "warm" or "premium"). Energy: slow & emotional, fast & exciting, or quiet & confident.

⌖ SECTION 06

The deliverables

Exact lengths needed (15s, 30s, 60s). Exact ratios (16:9, 9:16, 1:1). Languages and voiceovers needed. Final delivery format (MP4 H.264, ProRes).

⌖ SECTION 07

Budget and timeline

Real budget range. Hard deadline. Soft deadline you'd love to hit. Anything else we should know.

B · LITE VERSIONThe 5-minute brief

No deck? Send a voice note.

If seven sections feels like a lot, here's the lite version. Record a voice note covering:

  1. 01
    What's the brand?One sentence. Skip the marketing bio.
  2. 02
    What's the ad for?Launch? Performance? Brand awareness? Be specific.
  3. 03
    Who's it for?Name an actual person if it helps. Not "millennials."
  4. 04
    What feeling do you want?The one word someone should say when they finish watching.
  5. 05
    5 references you love + 2 you hate.Specific films, ads, photos. Not aesthetic categories.
  6. 06
    Budget range?A range is enough. "₹3–6L" lets us scope properly.
  7. 07
    When do you need it?Hard deadline. Not "ASAP."
C · RESPONSEWhat you get back

Within 24 hours of your brief.

  • Scope confirmation — here's what we heard.
  • Rough timeline — start date, milestones, delivery.
  • Budget range — firm number after one round of questions.
  • First-pass moodboard — just to make sure we're aligned.

If you say yes, we send a contract. If you say no, no hard feelings.

// COMMON MISTAKES

Five briefing traps to dodge.

Every one of these comes back to us in real briefs. Avoid them and your project moves twice as fast.

  1. M.01
    Too much information.Three references is better than thirty. Pick the ones that matter.
  2. M.02
    Vague mood words."Premium." "Cinematic." "Edgy." These mean nothing. Use actual films, ads, or images as references.
  3. M.03
    Hiding the budget.We can't quote a custom price if you won't tell us your range. Ranges are fine — "₹5 to ₹10 lakh" is enough.
  4. M.04
    Skipping the negative.Telling us what you DON'T want is more useful than telling us what you do.
  5. M.05
    Calling everything urgent.If everything is urgent, nothing is. Tell us real deadlines.
// FREQUENTLY ASKED

Five questions about briefs.

Q.01What should an AI ad brief include?

Brand snapshot, project goal, audience definition, key message, mood references, deliverables (length and ratio), budget range, and timeline.

Q.02How long should a brief be?

1 to 3 pages is ideal. Or a 5-minute voice note. Longer briefs slow down quoting and rarely add value.

Q.03Do I need to know the budget before briefing?

A range is enough. "₹2 to ₹5 lakh" is plenty for us to scope a project. Without any number, we can't custom quote.

Q.04How many references should I include?

5 to 10 positive references plus 2 to 3 negative ones. More references usually confuse rather than clarify.

Q.05Can I send a brief as a voice note instead of a document?

Yes. We prefer voice notes for first briefs. Documents work better for revisions and locked scope.

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