Using ChatGPT to Help Decode Client Briefs

Man looking at RFQsDelivering great results starts by defining the problem properly, and one of the best clues to the business problem is the project brief from the client. Two standard ways of assessing the brief are a) to apply your own experience (relating to research, the topic, and of the client), and b) conversations with the client. However, a new addition to these is the use of AI to probe for additional insights into what the client needs.

In this post, I will illustrate how to use ChatGPT to review a brief to probe for insights into the client’s research and business questions and provide clues as to what the client is likely looking for.

To create this demonstration, I downloaded a brief from CultureHive, which has a number of real briefs that people can use. The brief I selected was titled The Stables and related to a live music venue near the UK city of Milton Keynes.

Accessing the Brief
I downloaded the brief as a PDF file and uploaded it to my ChatGPT account (after ensuring that ChatGPT would not use it for learning or remember it). Once it was loaded, I asked ChatGPT “Review this brief from a client for a research project, ignore the date and suggested price. Tell me when you are ready to answer questions about it.” The reason for ignoring the budget and date is that the brief was delivered in 2000 and had a budget of £10,000.

The Business and Research Questions
I asked ChatGPT “Tell me what is the key business issue that the client is seeking to address and what are the other business questions they are asking. Also, tell me the research questions the brief is asking.”

I will share the results in full as I think the depth is what is interesting.

“Key Business Issue
The primary business issue that The Stables is seeking to address is the development of a strategic marketing and audience development plan that will help increase attendances and develop both existing and new audiences for the organization. This plan will support The Stables’ business plan by enhancing its engagement with a diverse range of audiences and ensuring its sustainability and growth.

Other Business Questions
In addition to the primary business issue, The Stables is also seeking to address the following business questions:

  1. How can The Stables increase attendance among its current visitors?
  2. How can The Stables attract non-visitors and convert them into regular attendees?
  3. What programming and usage of new space will appeal to both current and potential visitors?
  4. What are the demographic profiles of current visitors, and what insights can be gained from this data to inform marketing strategies?
  5. What are the current visitor attendance patterns, and how can this information be used to improve engagement and attendance rates?
  6. What are the barriers to attendance for non-visitors, and how can these be mitigated?
  7. How can The Stables segment its non-visitor population into target groups for more effective marketing?

Research Questions
The research brief outlines several specific research questions that need to be addressed:

  1. Programming Preferences:
    – What artists and groups do current and potential visitors want to see in the new space?
       – Are there other ways that visitors and non-visitors would like to see the space being used?
  2. Demographic Profile:
    – What are the age, ethnicity, and gender demographics of current visitors?
       – Where are current visitors coming from?
  3. Visitor Attendance Patterns:
    – What is the current frequency and turnover (churn) of The Stables visitors?
       – What are the averages in terms of the number of people per booking and spend per booker?
       – Do The Stables visitors attend events from more than one genre, and what is the current crossover?
  4. Increasing Attendance:
    – Is there scope to increase attendance from current visitors, and what will be the most cost-effective way to do this?
  5. Non-Visitor Segmentation:
    – Who is not visiting The Stables?
       – How can this mass of non-visitors be segmented into target groups?
  6. Barriers to Attendance:
    – What are the inherent physical, social, intellectual, and financial barriers preventing people from visiting?
       – How can these barriers be overcome?
  7. Attracting New Visitors:
    – Who are the potential new visitors, and where can The Stables find them?
       – What does The Stables need to do in order to attract new visitors?

These research questions are aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of both the current audience and potential new audiences, as well as identifying effective strategies for increasing engagement and attendance at The Stables.”

Whilst I am sure that most of us would have come up with a list of Business Questions and Research Questions that are just as good as these, I find that there are usually some items in the ChatGPT list which are different in some degree or emphasis to the ones I generate.

Other Strands
After identifying ChatGPT’s suggestions for the business and research questions, I tend to follow several other lines. Examples are:

  • What type of research might the client expect me to use?
  • What findings might the client expect me to find?
  • What sort of findings would be good news to this sort of client?
  • What sort of findings would be bad news for this sort of client?
  • What additional questions should I ask my client to understand better what they need?

Does It Always Help?
Actually, I do find it always helps. This sort of use of ChatGPT never leads to ideas that are fundamentally better than the observations I develop by myself. However, in every case, it comes up with some elements that are useful, i.e. that add something to the mix.

Story Finding with ChatGPTWant to learn more about using ChatGPT to improve your Story Finding?
NewMR and ResearchWiseAI are offering courses that utilise ChatGPT, include Story Finding with ChatGPT, on 4 September, 2024. Check it out by clicking here.