SBP 120: Creative Briefs That Don't Suck. With Pieter-Paul von Weiler and Matt Davies.

In this episode of The Sleeping Barber Podcast, Marc Binkley and Vassilis Douros sit down with Pieter-Paul and Matt Davies from BetterBriefs to talk about one of marketing’s most overlooked tools: the creative brief.

From common pitfalls to practical fixes, they explore why so many briefs miss the mark — and what marketers and agencies can do to write ones that actually drive great work. Expect candid insights, real-world challenges, and a few strong opinions on what it takes to brief better.

Enjoy the show!

Our Guests:

Pieter-Paul von Weiler https://www.linkedin.com/in/pieterpaulvonweiler/

Matt Davies https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-davies-a7570433/

Founders of Better Briefs

former creative agency strategists

Won a couple of Grand Effies and IPA Effectiveness Award

Now they help brands create better briefs that inspire more effective work

Follow our updates here: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/sleeping-barber/⁠⁠

Get in touch with our hosts:

Marc Binkley: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcbinkley/

Vassilis Douros: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vassilisdouros/⁠

Chapters 

00:00 The Importance of Creative Briefs

07:11 Understanding the Briefing Process

13:59 Challenges in Brief Writing

20:48 The Role of Strategy in Briefs

28:12 Evaluating Ideas and Creativity

34:56 The Cost of Poor Briefs

43:47 The Power of Partnership in Marketing

48:24 The Importance of Training and Communication

52:01 Navigating the Briefing Process

55:07 The Human Element in Creative Work

58:43 Optimizing Creative Processes

01:01:12 The Role of AI in Marketing

01:05:10 Post Pod with V & Marc

Background Research & Links:

Better Breifs https://www.betterbriefs.com/the-betterideas-project