A creative brief is like a road map. A great brief leads to imaginative and persuasive ads, Web sites or videos. And gets you there quickly.
A bad brief starts you off in the wrong direction. So you have to stop, figure out where the heck you're going, and start again. Or worse, you follow that brief to Trash Town, a total waste of time.
Creative brief sample for 2013 Creative brief blog Creative brief workshops + 9 templates Creative Brief - Six Tips Slidesshow:
1) Start with a specific, attainable objective.
The objective should be clear and specific. Never ambiguous or overloaded.
A beautiful objective:
"The purpose of this campaign is to position ElectroQuick as a less expensive, equally effective alternative to BigBrand."
An ugly objective:
"The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness, generate blogger buzz, and create excitement for the client's new ElectroQuick by positioning the client as a leader in global technology with a unique humanistic yet professional brand image that compares favorably to BigBrand."
One way to write a lovely objective: specify what the audience should think, feel or do.
Here's a way to get an audience to think, remember, or understand.
Examples & video
Here's a way to get an audience to feel, to experience a delightful emotion.
Examples & video
Here's a way to get an audience to do something - to click, call or visit.
Examples & video
2) Think Strategically:
Think Branding Positioning & Direct Response.
Branding, Positioning & Direct Response are strategic because they can have the greatest impact on sales, profits and the value of a company.
Branding is about telling your audience:
"This is who I am,
this is what I look like,
and this is what I can
do for you."
Examples & video
Positioning is about finding a niche in the prospects mind. And filling it with one thing that sticks.
Examples & video
Direct Response is about triggering an action that results in a sale.
Examples & video
3) Match the brief to the project.
A creative brief asks and answers questions that are specific to the project.
So a single creative brief template won't work for every type of project.
You can create your own creative brief templates, tailored to your clients and projects.
You can also get a complete set of templates, examples and training workshops instantly at AdCracker / Workshops & products.
4) Create a persona to represent the target audience.
Meet Linda.
She's 18 to 24, single and recently on her own either at college or in an apartment. While she tends to use the same household cleaning products her mother uses, she is interested in trying "younger" products that reflect her sensitivity to the environment. But she is skeptical that "earth friendly" can still be "strong and effective."
5) Write it down, right from the start.
Working from verbal input, without a written brief, is how amateurs waste time and money.
6) Give the target audience a voice in the creative brief.
Give voice to the customer with research. Or by interviewing the client's sales, customer support or management staff for:
- Quotes / testimonials
- Persuasive approaches
- Consumer insights
And the best tip of all:
Keep the creative team close to the client,
and even closer to the customer.
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