At first glance, most briefs seem comprehensive. They include goals, timelines, budgets, and a list of deliverables. But many traditional marketing, product, or design briefs are built from the inside out – emphasizing internal objectives rather than the real-world experiences of customers. This can result in strategies driven by assumptions rather than insights.

When briefs lack a deep understanding of the people they aim to serve, teams may find themselves chasing the wrong problem, misinterpreting market opportunities, or launching solutions that fall flat. Without customer context, it becomes harder to define what success really looks like.

The Limits of Goal-Driven vs. Need-Driven Briefs

A common pitfall is creating briefs focused solely on brand or business outcomes – like increasing market share or launching a new feature – without grounding them in what consumers are actually trying to accomplish in their lives.

For example, a brand may outline a brief to "increase usage among Millennials" without explaining why Millennials might struggle with using the product in the first place. That disconnect often leads to campaigns or product iterations that don’t resonate.

Why Briefs Often Miss the Mark:

• Company-Centric Thinking: Focusing too much on internal KPIs rather than external behaviors and motivations
• Lack of Behavioral Insight: Overlooking the tasks or circumstances that drive consumers to seek solutions
• Misaligned Teams: Without a shared understanding of customer needs, different functions interpret briefs differently

Even well-written briefs can inadvertently steer teams away from meaningful innovation. When the starting point is “we need a new campaign” or “let’s optimize this product,” rather than “our customers are trying to achieve X,” creativity can be limited to near-term ideas instead of breakthrough solutions.

In contrast, briefs informed by real-world customer context – particularly through methods like Jobs to Be Done – shift the focus to what really matters: solving true problems in relevant, human ways. This creates a shared baseline for research, design, marketing, and development efforts to build upon.

Understanding the limitations of traditional brief writing isn’t about placing blame – it’s about identifying gaps and enhancing your approach. That’s where the JTBD framework comes into play.

The Jobs to Be Done framework – often abbreviated as JTBD – is a customer-centered way of thinking that helps businesses understand why people buy or use a product or service. The core idea is simple: Customers don’t buy products just for their features; they “hire” them to complete a specific job in their lives.

These "jobs" refer not to occupations, but to the tasks, goals, or progress people are trying to make. A classic JTBD example? A person doesn’t buy a drill because they want a drill – they buy it because they need a hole in the wall. And maybe even more specifically, they want to hang a shelf to organize their space before guests arrive. The “job” is the deeper, human need driving the purchase.

Jobs to Be Done in the Context of Brief Writing

When you apply the JTBD framework to marketing briefs or product development plans, it becomes easier to define projects from the customer’s point of view. Instead of focusing solely on features, specs, or broad demographics, you understand what your audience is trying to achieve – even across different life contexts.

This shift brings powerful clarity to your briefs. It anchors cross-functional teams around a shared understanding of why a solution matters and what it must enable users to do. That alignment avoids miscommunication and keeps everyone focused on solving real problems.

Why the JTBD Framework Works So Well:

• Focus on Human Motivation: JTBD captures the deeper functional, emotional, or social goals people are trying to achieve
• Grounded in Context: It considers the when, where, and why behind a person’s choices, not just what they do
• Aligns Team Thinking: Whether in market research, innovation strategy, or product development, JTBD creates a common language for decisions

For market research professionals, Jobs to Be Done can guide the design of studies that go beyond traditional preferences – exploring actual customer behavior and unmet needs. These insights then feed directly into clearer briefs grounded in evidence, not assumptions.

When implemented well, JTBD improves both the inputs and outputs of research and strategy. It helps unearth richer consumer insights, reveals overlooked opportunities, and ensures that design briefs and marketing plans are attuned to real-world use cases – not just abstract personas or business goals.

In short, applying the Jobs to Be Done framework to brief writing bridges the gap between product teams, marketers, researchers, and designers. Everyone starts from the same question: What job is our customer trying to get done? That question unlocks greater relevance, faster alignment, and smarter innovation.

Writing a better marketing or product brief using the Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) framework starts with a shift in perspective. Instead of focusing on what your brand wants to communicate or build, the priority becomes what your customer is trying to achieve. From there, everything else aligns – messaging, product features, and even design decisions – around that core job.

Start With a Clear Customer Job

Begin your brief by defining the customer’s main goal or “job” – the task they are hiring your product, service, or message to complete. Use qualitative market research or past consumer insights to identify this job. Think in terms of real-life moments. For example, “Get a healthy dinner on the table quickly after work” is more useful than “Buy more frozen meals.”

Structure Your Brief Around the Job

Once you've identified the job, tailor your brief sections to reflect how your strategy will support the customer in completing that job. Key sections may include:

• Background and Context: Describe the customer segment and the specific situation they’re in when they need to get the job done.
• Customer Need: What functional, emotional, or social needs are tied to this job?
• Opportunity: How can your offering better enable this job than current alternatives?
• Success Criteria: Define how your team will know the solution meets the job effectively – faster, easier, cheaper, or more emotionally resonant.

Clarify Target Audience Through Jobs Lenses

Instead of demographic targeting alone, try segmenting your audience by “job similarity.” Two people from different walks of life might encounter the same struggle – like rebooking a canceled flight or planning a healthy lunch for kids. Understanding the shared job opens up new ways to serve diverse consumers with a focused strategy.

Keep Research Anchored in the Job

When conducting new consumer research, use your brief to guide interviews, surveys, or usability testing. Frame questions in the context of how the customer tries to complete their job. This ensures your data stays customer-centered and aligned with real needs.

By applying the JTBD framework to your brief writing process, you're not just improving communication – you’re sharpening the focus of your entire innovation strategy. It paves the way for solutions that resonate deeply and perform better in the market.

Seeing how the Jobs to Be Done framework comes to life in real marketing and product briefs helps bridge the gap between theory and execution. Below are a few simplified examples that show how teams across industries can apply JTBD thinking to meet customer needs and drive results.

Example 1: Food Brand Launches a New Snack Line

Customer Job: “I need a quick, guilt-free snack option I can eat between meetings without crashing later.”

The brand recognized that busy professionals weren’t just snacking for hunger, but to stay mentally energized and presentable. Their design brief centered around natural ingredients, one-hand portability, and silent packaging ideal for virtual work environments. Product attributes like high protein and low sugar were included because they directly served the job. The launch converted 18% more among their target group than prior snack campaigns.

Example 2: Fintech App Improves Onboarding with JTBD

Customer Job: “Help me understand my spending habits so I can save money without changing my lifestyle overnight.”

Rather than focusing on feature explanations in their onboarding brief, the fintech team's revised approach prioritized empowering the user. Simplified dashboards, automatic category sorting, and small habit suggestions anchored around the job made onboarding stickier and increased week-two retention by 29%.

Example 3: Outdoor Gear Company Enters Urban Commuting Market

Customer Job: “Help me commute by bike without feeling unprofessional when I walk into the office.”

The product development team used this insight to guide their marketing brief and product specs. This led to the creation of a sleek, waterproof commuter bag that blends performance and office style. Messaging centered on confidence and transition, not just utility. The product quickly became one of the company’s fastest-growing new SKUs.

Why These Examples Work

In each case, JTBD elevated the brief by keeping every strategy tied directly to what the customer was trying to accomplish. It’s not just about making a product or ad – it’s about enabling progress in someone’s real life.

When teams craft briefs through this lens, they plan more effectively, build cross-functional cohesion, and deliver outcomes that feel personally relevant to customers – all key drivers of business growth and brand loyalty.

One of the biggest benefits of using the Jobs to Be Done lens in brief writing is its power to reduce disconnects between teams. Stakeholders—from marketing to product to design—often approach a project from different goals or KPIs. JTBD provides neutral, customer-centered ground that everyone can rally around.

Tip 1: Make the Job a Section Header in the Brief

Literally build the job into your brief. By including it upfront as a bold headline or framing device, you signal to all departments that the main purpose of the work is to support this job. It refocuses team discussions from “what are we building” to “why are we building it.”

Tip 2: Visualize the Customer Struggle in Team Meetings

Walk through a real customer scenario as part of your project kickoff. Storytelling around someone trying to complete the job – and the friction they face – makes the problem tangible. Teams get grounded in empathy, not just data points.

Tip 3: Adopt Shared Language Across Functions

Use consistent language like “progress,” “struggle,” or “desired outcome” across meetings, decks, and documentation. This makes the job feel central and avoids siloed interpretations. Tools like consumer journey maps or JTBD templates can help standardize this.

Tip 4: Link Future Testing and KPIs to the Job

Align your success metrics with the user's job, not just internal outputs. For instance, instead of tracking clicks or downloads, ask: “Did this help the customer complete the job more successfully than before?” This keeps teams honest about impact.

Tip 5: Involve Insights Early and Often

Consumer insight professionals bring contextual understanding into early-stage decisions. Looping in a market research partner like SIVO from the brief-writing stage ensures that you're not guessing what the job is – you're validating it with real voices and behavioral data.

When your project brief clearly outlines the job to be done, it becomes more than a planning document – it’s a unifying tool. Over time, this approach builds a culture where innovation is driven by real customer goals, not assumptions or departmental agendas.