5 tips for providing contextual feedback to creative agencies

Providing feedback to creative agencies can be a difficult process, but it is an essential part of any successful and mutually beneficial business relationship.

The key is to be honest, precise and professional to ensure the agency can deliver the best creative output. Here are some tips on how to navigate the delicate path as a client and provide contextual feedback to creative agencies. But first let’s understand what ‘contextual feedback’ is.

Contextual feedback is a way to encourage improvement that focuses on the positive rather than the negative. It is intended to help a person or organization identify areas of strength and areas for improvement while providing valuable insight and guidance. Contextual feedback should be honest, but stated in a way that is respectful and non-judgmental. It should be specific, with concrete examples and suggestions for improvement, rather than vague criticism.

For example

Customer feedback: ‘I don’t like the pink color, please explore another one.

It is unclear from the above feedback why the pink color is not preferred. Is it the visual appeal or is it inconsistent with the overall concept? The client can provide more context, such as – ‘as the target audience is predominantly male, a different color would be best’.

This feedback explains why it is not advisable to use pink color and provides enough reasons for the agency to investigate alternative options.

A client guide to providing constructive, contextual feedback to...