An article by Steve McNamara. Steve has worked with, and helped write, creative briefs at JWT, BBDO, Rapp-Collins and Capital One. Steve presents seminars and webinars on creative briefs. He is also featured in the AdCracker video on creative briefs. AdCracker CD and Online Access give you all sample creative briefs, completed briefs and resulting print and TV ads, plus the Six Tips video.
1. Write it down, right from the start.
When I was a new Creative Director at Capital One a marketing manager called me saying, "Can't I just give you a brain-dump over the phone? I don't have time to write an advertising brief."
Sound familiar? If so, you should explain that a written creative brief will save time in the long run, and get the project off to a focused start.
Starting creative work based on a "brain-dump" is sure to burn kilos of cash. The creative team will spend hours cranking out ideas that don't reflect the brand's personality. Or fail to offer a compelling reason to act. Or neglect important details, such as positioning.
"Working from verbal input, without a written brief,
is how amateurs waste time and money."
2. Use the right brief for the project.
I learned this simple lesson at JWT, where we had just one creative brief. That one brief was great for regular projects from regular clients - say a print campaign for Citibank. But that one brief was not so great for quick-turn revisions on 10 banner ads, a 15 minute video or a 20 page Web site.
At AdCracker.com we recommend that you have at least three briefs:
> Classic Brief. This is the basic brief you'll use for new ads and campaigns for your current clients.
> Quick Brief. This is a brief for those small copy and design projects with tight deadlines. Easy to write, it eliminate mistakes. And saves money.
> Advanced Brief. This is the brief you should prepare for new business pitches, as well as new branding initiatives or campaigns. Look to the advanced brief for a super-thorough analysis of the target audience, consumer buying behavior, the client's positioning and so forth.
Beyond those three, you might want specialized briefs for direct response or for long format projects such as Web sites, brochures, or videos.
You can create your own briefs. Or buy a set from AdCracker.com, which includes completed samples, resulting ads, and a "How To" video. It's all available instantly when you buy AdCracker CD or Online Access. > Learn more.
AdCracker also offers seminars on creative briefs and other advertising topics. > Learn more.
"Most advertising or design shops have one creative brief.
Unfortunately, one size does not fit all projects."
3. Collaborate.
The preparation of the brief should be a collaborative process, a team project. Whether initiated by the client or the agency, the process should be open to input from creative, strategic planning, research, PR or the good folks down the hall in media. All stakeholders should have the opportunity to contribute.
The first draft should be tossed on the table with, "Here's where we're headed with this brief. What do you think?"
4. Spend extra time with the client.
Go ahead. Open your calendar. Pick up the phone. Schedule interviews with key executives in sales, customer service, marketing as well as management.
One goal of your interviews is to learn about the client's products and market. Another goal is to understand the client's culture and personality. You may want to reflect that personality in your ads - in the way you define the brand, in the way you position the company.
Also, look for interesting stories about the company, the founder / owner, or customers. You might find a campaign idea there.
Be sure to prepare your interview questions in advance. And bring a portable tape recorder to capture comments you can share with your creative partners.
5. Find a single, key insight.
The trick here is to look at buying behavior, or more specifically, discover one significant reason why consumers buy ... or why they don't buy.
Example: Many people in the affluent 50+ market are reluctant to buy our high-end HD TV because they believe the technology is complex, difficult to setup and to hard to master.
Example: The majority of Asian women buy the same cooking oil their mothers used, simply grabbing a familiar bottle off the shelf.
Where do you get this insight? The client may know intuitively. Or may have conducted research. Or may be willing to do so.
I have a tool that tells me where to look. I picked it up from a research guy at FCB. To get it, Google or go to Consumer Involvement Theory.
"Great advertising and design briefs have insights and anecdotes -
quotes from buyers, interesting stories about the company,
key research findings. Stuff like that."
"Bad creative briefs are incomplete, or dictate the creative,
or use ambiguous language. Fluff like that.
6. Include customer input or quotes in the brief.
Yes, that means you will have to ask real buyers what they like about the service. Why they bought the product in the first place. How it compares to competing offerings. And what words they would use to express a recommendation.
I learned the value of this trick at Rapp-Collins, where I would sometimes walk out on the sidewalk, video camera in hand, and snag interviews from people passing by.
Clients love to see real customers talk about their products, or even their product category. The creative team loves to hear real customers use real language to describe how they really feel - or don't feel - about investment services, premium ice cream, and snacks for their pet pooch.
Those wonderful glimpses of reality frequently find their way into the ads.
7. Write a tell all.
A common problem is that many briefs are ambiguous, lacking specific details, or incomplete. To avoid these mistakes, keep in mind that the brief should tell everyone on the creative team everything they will need to make the ad or campaign.
Ideally, the brief should be so complete that the writer and art director can deliver the project without going back to the brief writer for clarification.
A "Client Services Checklist" can help:
[ ] Do we have sufficient reference sources: previous ads, brochures, competitor ads, books, videos or Web sites?
[ ] Do we have contact info/ links for people, research or resources that can help the creative team?
[ ] Do we represent the client’s issues, concerns, wishes?
[ ] Is it clear what must be in the communication and what might be in the communication? Mandatories versus preferences?
[ ] Do we have a complete package of information for the creative team?
8. Sign on the line.
Before work begins, the client and the key contributors at the agency - the Creative and Account Directors - should "sign-off" on the final brief, signifying agreement on the objective, schedule and other details.
Among other benefits, this is an early step in the sales process. During the creative presentation you can refer back to the brief and explain how the wild and crazy stuff you're asking the client to buy "meets the brief" that everyone has signed.
9. Sum it succinctly.
Introduce the final brief to the client, to the creative team and others with a simple summary, "Here's who are we talking to, and this is the main thing we want to say."
Example: "This ad talks to working mothers, stretched for time, who feel guilty about the nutritional value of the meals they prepare. To them we say, Nature’s Kitchen gives you 12 delicious, healthy meals you can prepare in 30 minutes."
This simple summary is like a post-it note to sticks on brains. It will help guide creative development. And help you evaluate the resulting creative concepts.
"The two most essential questions in a brief are,
Who are we talking to, and what do we want to say?"
10. Think Big.
In my view there are three Big Ideas in modern advertising - ideas that influence persuasive communications in fundamental ways. Those ideas are:
- Branding
- Positioning
- Direct marketing / direct response
There are many books on the theory and practice of those Big Ideas. And many experts who teach or preach.
AdCracker too looks at branding, positioning and direct response advertising, but we do so from the "How to create" point of view.
AdCracker also looks at the Big Three from the most basic, behavioral perspective - how to influence the way people think, or feel, and act.
Big Ideas work across cultures, across continents. And one or more of those Big Ideas should be reflected in the brief. |
