The marketing brief often signifies the beginning of a project.

The objectives have been agreed, the budget has been allocated, and the scope has been defined.

In some organisations, Procurement is involved before this point, helping to shape decisions before the brief is finalised. But in many others, they’re only brought into the conversation once it’s time to find the right agency or production partner.

But what if it’s too late?

Our recent Spendshift webinar brought up one simple but powerful idea: Procurement creates the greatest value before the brief is written, not after.

It’s a shift in thinking that challenges the traditional roles of both Marketing and Procurement. But, more importantly, it has the potential to improve the commercial outcomes as well as the quality and effectiveness of marketing itself.

Why the brief shouldn’t be the starting point

The brief is the result of a series of decisions that have already been made. So by the time it reaches Procurement, many of the strategic questions have been answered.

·      What problem are we trying to solve?

·      What capabilities do we need?

·      Should this be delivered internally or externally?

·      Do we need a specialist partner or an integrated agency?

·      How should technology, automation, or AI support delivery?

And the list goes on.

These decisions shape the success of the project long before supplier conversations begin. But if Procurement only enters the discussion once the brief has been signed off, its role becomes largely transactional.

They lose the opportunity to influence the bigger picture and must stick to negotiating terms, assessing suppliers, and managing commercial risks. This is a limitation of the process.

Marketing is more complex

Marketing looks very different from just a few years ago.

Campaigns are no longer built around a handful of hero assets. Now assets need to exist across multiple channels, formats, audiences, and markets. Production has become continuous rather than campaign-based, and AI is introducing entirely new ways to create, adapt, and scale content.

The Spendshift Report 2026 reflects this shift, showing investment continually moving towards production as organisations respond to increasing content demands.

Because of this, decisions about delivery models matter more than ever:

·      Should work be brought in-house?

·      Which capabilities should remain with specialist partners?

·      Where can automation genuinely improve efficiency?

·      How should suppliers collaborate across an increasingly complex marketing ecosystem?

These aren’t Procurement questions or Marketing questions—they’re business questions. And to answer them, they need both sides of the table.

Start conversations earlier

One of the biggest misconceptions about Procurement is that its value lies in negotiating lower prices.

But commercial expertise is only part of the story.

Procurement brings a perspective that Marketing may not always have: it understands supplier markets, commercial models, contract structures, governance, and long-term capability planning.

Both Marketing and Procurement perspectives are valuable, which is why bringing them together produces stronger decisions.

Rather than asking, “Who should we appoint?”, organisations should first ask:

·      What capabilities do we actually need?

·      Which operating model will best support our ambitions?

·      Where should we invest for long-term value rather than short-term savings?

·      What combination of internal teams, technology, and external partners will deliver the best outcome?

These are the conversations that shape successful marketing programmes.

The benefit of Procurement helping to shape the brief

A subtle but significant change in mindset is needed:

Procurement shouldn’t be seen as the function that validates decisions once they’ve been made—it should be part of making those decisions in the first place.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean that Marketing loses any control of creative direction or that Procurement takes ownership of the marketing strategy. It’s just two teams coming together and contributing their expertise before solutions are set.

This leads to organisations being more likely to choose the right delivery model, engage the right partner, and build supplier relationships that support long-term growth rather than individual projects.

Three questions to ask before writing a brief

If you want to strengthen the collaboration between Marketing and Procurement, start by asking these three questions before the briefing process starts:

1.     What problem are we trying to solve?

Avoid jumping straight to deliverables and first focus on the business challenge. A better understanding of the problem often leads to very different solutions.

2.     What capabilities do we need?

Your capabilities may be different each time; sometimes you may need an agency, others a specialist production expertise, or even internal capability supported by technology. Defining capability before supplier selection leads to better long-term decisions.

3.     What does success look like for both Marketing and Procurement?

Each team may prioritise different things, but the strongest outcomes come when both define success together.

Asking these questions helps to reduce the likelihood of rework, supplier changes, and misaligned expectations later.

Better briefs are a result of better conversations

Procurement is moving away from its long tradition of managing spend and selecting suppliers.

As marketing ecosystems become more sophisticated, there’s the opportunity for Procurement to move beyond the final stages of the process and become a strategic partner that joins conversations that define long-term success.

The best briefs are built through collaboration. And the organisations producing the most effective marketing will be the ones that make better decisions before the brief is ever written.

Want to hear the discussion firsthand?

This article was inspired by insights from our recent Spendshift webinar, where Tina Fegent, Anne-Sophie Guyader, Austen Donnellan, and Bérangère Fond explored how Marketing and Procurement can work more effectively together.

If you’d like to hear the conversation in full, you can watch the complete webinar on our YouTube channel.

▶️ Watch the full Spendshift Webinar now