--- title: Marketing Week research description: Marketing Week’s 2025 survey shows brief writing is a major skills gap. See why CMOs and teams struggle—and how BetterBriefs helps close it. image: https://www.betterbriefs.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-05-08%20at%2011.53.27%20AM-2.png --- [Skip to content](https://www.betterbriefs.com/library/marketing-week-research#main-content) - [Home](https://www.betterbriefs.com) - [About](https://www.betterbriefs.com/about) - [Academy](https://www.betterbriefs.com/academy) - [BriefCoach®](https://www.betterbriefs.com/briefcoach_trial) - [Consulting](https://www.betterbriefs.com/consulting) - [Resources](https://www.betterbriefs.com/resources) [Academy Login](https://academy.betterbriefs.com/) [![BetterBriefs-Brandmark-Slow-LONG](https://www.betterbriefs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Branding/BetterBriefs-Brandmark-Slow-LONG.gif?width=2957&height=589&name=BetterBriefs-Brandmark-Slow-LONG.gif)![BetterBriefs-Brandmark-Slow-LONG](https://www.betterbriefs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Branding/BetterBriefs-Brandmark-Slow-LONG.gif?width=2957&height=589&name=BetterBriefs-Brandmark-Slow-LONG.gif)](https://www.betterbriefs.com/) - [Home](https://www.betterbriefs.com) - [About](https://www.betterbriefs.com/about) - [Academy](https://www.betterbriefs.com/academy) - [BriefCoach®](https://www.betterbriefs.com/briefcoach_trial) - [Consulting](https://www.betterbriefs.com/consulting) - [Resources](https://www.betterbriefs.com/resources) [Academy Login](https://academy.betterbriefs.com/) ![](https://www.betterbriefs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-05-08%20at%2011.53.27%20AM-2.png?width=300&name=Screenshot%202025-05-08%20at%2011.53.27%20AM-2.png) [Pieter-Paul von Weiler](https://www.betterbriefs.com/library/author/pieter-paul-von-weiler)May 12, 2025, 8:00:11 AM # Marketing Week research #### Great to see other research out there validating the issues around the lack of training in marketing.   As part of their 2025 Career & Salary Survey, Marketing Week found that brief writing is a serious skills gap in marketing teams.  Some interesting findings from their study:  \- 35.5% of CMOs acknowledge a skills gap around brief writing in their business \- marketers working within large organisations (250 employees and over) are more likely (37.9%) to report a knowledge gap around brief writing than their counterparts within Small & Medium Businesses (25.9%) The difference between B2B and B2C marketers is interesting with more than a quarter (26.6%) of B2B marketers believe it’s a skills gap; this figure rises to 36.7% among their B2C peers.  Read the full article [here](https://www.marketingweek.com/data-agency-briefs-skills-gap/).    Pieter-Paul von Weiler is the co-founder of BetterBriefs, an advisory and training business that helps marketers write better briefs and deliver more impactful ideas.  A highly awarded former agency strategist, having worked at Publicis Amsterdam, Publicis London, Saatchi & Saatchi and AJF Partnership. Pieter-Paul has served as an Effie judge across Australia and APAC for over a decade. Together with co-founder Matt Davies, he wrote the [BetterBriefs Project](https://www.betterbriefs.com/research) and [The Best Way for a Client to Brief an Agency](https://www.betterbriefs.com/resources), a practical guide for marketers to improve the quality of briefs, co-authored by Mark Ritson and published in partnership with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). Pieter-Paul (together with Matt) also led the [BetterIdeas Project](https://www.betterbriefs.com/the-betterideas-project), a global study exposing the poor state of the creative evaluation process. The study aims to improve the creative decision-making and evaluation practices and was launched in partnership with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and the IPA.  ### [Pieter-Paul von WeilerSep 22, 2026, 1:37:12 PM7 min read When you’re onto a good thing, resist the urge to change it In Short: BetterBriefs’ view: marketers are often too quick to brief something new. If a campaign is still working, the better ... Start Reading](https://www.betterbriefs.com/library/marketing-brief-do-you-need-a-new-idea) ### [Pieter-Paul von WeilerSep 2, 2026, 3:36:52 PM6 min read The brief is the canary in the coal mine In short: A muddled marketing brief is rarely just a writing problem; it's a warning sign about the health of the client-agency ... Start Reading](https://www.betterbriefs.com/library/library/poor-brief-warning-sign-agency-relationship) ### [Matt DaviesAug 25, 2026, 12:40:01 PM4 min read The debrief: a look inside our latest Assessing Creative Ideas course Better brief writing is just the beginning. Once an agency comes back with their thinking, marketers face the next challenge: ... Start Reading](https://www.betterbriefs.com/library/a-look-inside-our-assessing-creative-ideas-course) #### Subscribe to our newsletter [![BetterBriefs-Logo-Slow-250px-GIF](https://20663496.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/20663496/hubfs/Placeholders/BetterBriefs-Logo-Slow-250px-GIF.gif?width=250&name=BetterBriefs-Logo-Slow-250px-GIF.gif)](https://www.betterbriefs.com/) - [Home](https://www.betterbriefs.com) - [About](https://www.betterbriefs.com/about) - [Academy](https://www.betterbriefs.com/academy) - [BriefCoach®](https://www.betterbriefs.com/briefcoach_trial) - [Consulting](https://www.betterbriefs.com/consulting) - [Resources](https://www.betterbriefs.com/resources) © Copyright 2026 - [Terms & Conditions](https://www.betterbriefs.com/terms_conditions) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.betterbriefs.com/privacy_policy) - [FAQs](https://www.betterbriefs.com/frequently-asked-questions) - [Library](https://www.betterbriefs.com/library) - [Compendium](https://www.betterbriefs.com/compendium) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "", "addressLocality" : "Victoria", "addressRegion" : "Australia", "postalCode" : "", "streetAddress" : "Melbourne" }, "knowsLanguage" : "en", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://20663496.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20663496/Branding/BB_stacked_social.png" }, "name" : "BetterBriefs Pty Ltd", "url" : "https://www.betterbriefs.com/library/marketing-week-research" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "abstract" : "Marketing Week’s 2025 survey shows brief writing is a major skills gap. See why CMOs and teams struggle—and how BetterBriefs helps close it.", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Pieter-Paul von Weiler" }, "dateModified" : "November 11, 2025 4 AM", "datePublished" : "May 11, 2025 10 PM", "headline" : "Marketing Week research", "image" : "https://20663496.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20663496/Screenshot%202025-05-08%20at%2011.53.27%20AM-2.png", "inLanguage" : "en", "keywords" : "[research, brief writing]", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@type" : "WebPage" }, "name" : "Marketing Week research", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://20663496.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20663496/Branding/BB_stacked_social.png" }, "name" : "BetterBriefs Pty Ltd" }, "text" : "Great to see other research out there validating the issues around the lack of training in marketing. As part of their 2025 Career & Salary Survey, Marketing Week found that brief writing is a serious skills gap in marketing teams. Some interesting findings from their study: - 35.5% of CMOs acknowledge a skills gap around brief writing in their business - marketers working within large organisations (250 employees and over) are more likely (37.9%) to report a knowledge gap around brief writing than their counterparts within Small & Medium Businesses (25.9%) The difference between B2B and B2C marketers is interesting with more than a quarter (26.6%) of B2B marketers believe it’s a skills gap; this figure rises to 36.7% among their B2C peers. Read the full article here. Pieter-Paul von Weiler is the co-founder of BetterBriefs, an advisory and training business that helps marketers write better briefs and deliver more impactful ideas. A highly awarded former agency strategist, having worked at Publicis Amsterdam, Publicis London, Saatchi & Saatchi and AJF Partnership. Pieter-Paul has served as an Effie judge across Australia and APAC for over a decade. Together with co-founder Matt Davies, he wrote the BetterBriefs Project and The Best Way for a Client to Brief an Agency, a practical guide for marketers to improve the quality of briefs, co-authored by Mark Ritson and published in partnership with the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). Pieter-Paul (together with Matt) also led the BetterIdeas Project, a global study exposing the poor state of the creative evaluation process. The study aims to improve the creative decision-making and evaluation practices and was launched in partnership with the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and the IPA.", "url" : "https://www.betterbriefs.com/library/marketing-week-research", "wordCount" : "432" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "WebSite", "name" : "BetterBriefs", "url" : "https://www.betterbriefs.com/" } ```