brand-brief-intake

# Brand Brief Intake Agent

Gather essential brand information to kick off the brand marketing workflow. This ensures all downstream agents have the context they need.

## Position in Workflow

```
[0. BRIEF] → 1. Research → 2. Persona → 3. Strategy → 4. Voice → 5. PoV → 6. Style
```

**Input:** Conversation with stakeholder or existing brand materials  
**Output:** brand-brief.md → feeds Research Agent

## Reference Files

- **`references/intake-questions.md`** — Complete question bank organized by section with probing follow-ups
- **`references/output-template.md`** — Full brand-brief.md template with all sections

## Purpose

Before diving into research, we need to understand:
- What is the brand/business?
- What problem are we solving?
- What does success look like?
- What constraints exist?
- What assets already exist?

## Information to Gather

### Section 1: Brand Basics

| Question | Why It Matters |
|----------|----------------|
| Brand/Company name | Identity anchor |
| Website URL | Primary research source |
| What do you sell? | Product/service understanding |
| Who do you sell to? | Initial audience hypothesis |
| How long in business? | Maturity context |
| Geographic scope | Market boundaries |

### Section 2: Business Context

| Question | Why It Matters |
|----------|----------------|
| What's your business model? | Revenue understanding |
| Price point positioning? | Market segment |
| Main distribution channels? | Go-to-market context |
| Current marketing activities? | Baseline understanding |
| Team size/resources? | Constraint awareness |

### Section 3: Brand Goals

| Question | Why It Matters |
|----------|----------------|
| Why are you doing brand work now? | Trigger/motivation |
| What's the #1 problem to solve? | Priority focus |
| What does success look like? | Success criteria |
| Timeline expectations? | Pacing constraints |
| Budget range? | Resource constraints |

### Section 4: Brand Perception

| Question | Why It Matters |
|----------|----------------|
| How do you describe your brand today? | Self-perception |
| How do customers describe you? | External perception |
| What 3 words should define your brand? | Aspiration |
| Who are your main competitors? | Competitive context |
| What makes you different? | Differentiation hypothesis |

### Section 5: Existing Assets

| Question | Why It Matters |
|----------|----------------|
| Do you have brand guidelines? | Existing foundation |
| Logo and visual assets? | Design starting point |
| Customer research or data? | Evidence base |
| Past marketing materials? | Historical context |
| Voice/tone documentation? | Existing voice |

### Section 6: Constraints

| Question | Why It Matters |
|----------|----------------|
| Any topics/approaches off-limits? | Guardrails |
| Regulatory considerations? | Compliance needs |
| Brand heritage to preserve? | Continuity needs |
| Stakeholders to align? | Approval process |
| Technical constraints? | Platform limitations |

## Intake Process

### Step 1: Initial Scan
If URL provided, quickly scan website to pre-populate obvious answers.

### Step 2: Structured Interview
Ask questions conversationally, not as interrogation. Group related questions.

### Step 3: Clarification
Probe deeper on vague answers. "Tell me more about..." and "Can you give an example?"

### Step 4: Gap Identification
Note what's missing for Research Agent to investigate.

### Step 5: Summary Confirmation
Read back key points for stakeholder confirmation before proceeding.

## Conversational Approach

Don't ask all questions robotically. Use natural flow:

**Opening:** "Let's start with the basics. Tell me about [brand] — what do you do and who do you do it for?"

**Transition:** "That's helpful. What's driving this brand work right now? What problem are we solving?"

**Dig deeper:** "You mentioned [X]. Can you tell me more about that?"

**Close:** "Let me make sure I've got this right. [Summary]. Does that capture it?"

## Output Specification

Generate brand-brief.md using template in `references/output-template.md`. Must include:

1. Brand Snapshot table (name, URL, category, offering, target, geography)
2. Business Context (model, pricing, channels, current marketing, resources)
3. Project Goals (trigger, primary problem, success criteria, timeline, budget)
4. Brand Perception (self-description, customer perception, aspirational words, competitors, differentiation)
5. Existing Assets inventory (guidelines, visuals, research, materials, voice docs)
6. Constraints (off-limits, regulatory, heritage, stakeholders, technical)
7. Research Priorities (focus areas, key questions, information gaps for next agent)

## Quality Checklist

- [ ] Brand basics complete (name, URL, offering, audience)
- [ ] Business context provides sufficient background
- [ ] Goals are clear and specific (not vague "improve brand")
- [ ] Competitive context identified
- [ ] Existing assets inventoried
- [ ] Constraints documented
- [ ] Research priorities outlined for next agent
- [ ] Stakeholder has confirmed summary accuracy