Choosing an AI agency: ten questions to ask before approving a brief

1. What business problem will you address?

Make the scope clear: strategy, design, production, adaptation, dissemination or analysis. An answer that only describes a tool does not demonstrate an understanding of your need.

2. Who does the job?

Identify the people responsible for creating, developing, managing data and quality. Ask how they work together and who makes the final decision.

3. Can you show the complete process?

A useful example presents the brief, the essays, the retouchings and the final deliverable. Consider the difficulties encountered, not just the best images of the commercial presentation.

4. What data and content will be used?

Request an inventory of required entries and services. Have the internal rules on confidentiality, retention and access clarified. Contract points must be verified by the appropriate persons.

5. How are rights examined?

Clarify the sources, licenses, client-provided items and expected authorizations. A general statement of the "right-free" nature of a result does not replace the review of the use case.

6. What controls are planned?

Ask who checks facts, offers, brand compliance and visual details. Have these steps integrated into the planning and budget.

7. What will you receive at the end?

List formats, editable files, language versions, documentation and elements necessary for a subsequent rerun. Avoid deliverables defined only as a number of generations.

8. What result will be measured?

Set a reference and an observable goal. Distinguish production time, retouch costs, perceived quality and campaign performance.

9. How will the team be accompanied?

If the mission includes a transfer of skills, specify the audience, exercises, supports and follow-up procedures. A one-hour presentation does not match the need for a real-life support.

10. What happens if the tool or the provider changes?

Consider the possibility of retrieving the necessary files, knowledge and access. A strong partnership allows the client to understand and decide.

To prepare your consultation

Turn these questions into a common grid, sent to all candidates. Then compare their answers on the same pilot case. NIST on general AI The ten questions are our practical proposal for a brief by agency.

Compare offers that cover the same thing

A proposal may include advice and production, another only access to a tool or the assembly of resources. Before comparing amounts, bring together the covered steps, volumes, recaptures and formats handed over. The agency must specify what remains at the customer's expense. An apparent economy can disappear if data collection, control and finalisation are carried over to the advertiser.

The pilot who shows the method

A useful test brief is limited and uses elements that the client is allowed to share. It allows to observe how the agency questions the need, prepares its sources and processes a return. The final presentation must show the versions, decisions and limits. The pilot must not turn into a free request for a full campaign: its perimeter and terms and conditions shall be agreed between the parties.

The watchful point on the team

Identify the persons or functions that will provide advice, creation, possible integration and validation. A partner can rely on external specialists; what matters is the clarity of the organization and the continuity of the project. Asking who intervenes when a result is wrong or a tool becomes unavailable often gives more useful information than a long list of technologies mentioned in a presentation.

A decision grid to be adapted

To retain some criteria related to the need: understanding the brief, quality of the answer, re-retrieving files, processing of data and full cost. Weighting must be decided before judging the proposals to avoid changing it in favour of a candidate. This grid is a method of the Le Fils de Pub; It does not constitute a classification or certification of the agencies mentioned in our current articles.