ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Shop Talk's Master Marketer: The Brief Statement That Breeds Success
As our days seem more and more packed with tasks, there are some practices developed many years ago that have fallen by the wayside for lack of time. And while no one will notice if you don’t get around to shining your shoes daily, there are few things more devastating than the failure of a project because there was no creative brief.
What’s a creative brief? And why is it so important?
A creative brief is an organizational tool that every project needs to stay on track. It’s based on a simple form that’s been refined through the years within each organization that uses it religiously — and that's what makes it work.
There are questions or “prompts” in a brief that provide essential information for a creative team to consider as they start a project.
If you work with creative types on any kind of project — copywriting, design, marketing, whatever — you absolutely need a creative brief. It outlines the reason for the project, the nature of the brand, the target audience, the restrictions. Even details like word limits and color/image restrictions are important. It’s all there in black and white.
Most seasoned marketers have had the experience of handing over a project to a writer and/or designer, getting their first draft back, staring at it and saying, “What happened? Why is this so far off track?”
Well, there’s a very good chance that there was no creative brief. And because of that, the verbal and unorganized written communication provided at “kickoff” didn’t include some essential tidbit of information that would have kept it on track.
What to include in a creative brief?
As I mentioned, each organization seems to develop their own special version. A general form of a brief may include:
- Project description: Why is this being done? Marketing objective? Response? Awareness?
- Situation analysis: background information, state of the market, customer buying habits, new product change, competitors? What have you done before, and with what result? Solid numbers are really important.
- Audience: age, hobbies, why they want your product or service, first-time buyer? What's their perception of their need for your product? How should this change the way your customer behaves? Every effort must change something, from generating more loyalty to turning the tide and getting them to buy from you! How's your product or service different from the competition? Is it stronger or weaker? Be honest with yourself and your creative team so you can be ready to address such issues.
- Offer: What do you have in mind for an offer, and why is it a good offer? Are you open to other offers? What's the time limit for the offer to be fulfilled? What must customers do to take advantage of the offer? How much per unit/sale of this product or service is expected? In the front-end and the back-end? This will likely determine whether this is a lead-generation effort or a direct-selling effort. What's the goal for the number of units/sales? This, with your budget, is key to what creatives will actually do in the end to make your effort successful.
- Deadline: What is it to go to the printer? How about publication? Do those dates coincide with any special event?
- Budget: How much do you have to spend on the total project, including printing, mailing, creative, etc.? I know, this is a tough one to answer. But you must identify your budget and give your team full advantage of it so they can work with you on how to spend it. And you may be surprised; your creative team may put more of your budget into printing, and pay themselves less, just to make the project more successful.
Whew! Looks like a lot of work! Who fills out this brief?
This really should take less than an hour if you’re organized! Inside an agency, it’s usually written by an account planner and their client, who's interviewed by the account planner to create the form.
In a freelance environment, there are many iterations. If the client is knowledgeable (as you are now, for having read this article), they kick it off and fill in what they can as thoroughly as possible. Then they ask their creative team to discuss it, and together they fill in the missing information through the freelancer’s questions and knowledge of what's needed.
A less experienced freelancer may not even ask for a brief, and they may not realize what can go wrong when there's information missing. But do it anyway; it’s worth the time to write it. Make sure your creative team really “gets it” before the project starts moving. This is insurance for your success.
What else helps a creative team hit the mark more accurately?
You may have a trove of treasure for them — sales DVDs, sell sheets, database profiles (that’s my favorite!), research results (as recent as possible), samples of prior efforts, current efforts and brand rules, including an FTP site with logos, colors, photos and any other resources you can provide. Don’t allow freelancers to use your FTP site until you’ve made it clear on the brief what they're allowed to use.
Armed with this information, you're ready for an initial meeting with your creative team. And with this brief, the meeting will go faster, saving you time. As you review the work in steps, compare what they're showing you to the brief so you all stay on track. The project will progress more smoothly, and you’re likely to have far superior an experience — as well as an outcome you can all be proud of.
P.S. If you want to see the simplest of all creative briefs, click on the image to the right.
Mick Jagger’s rough but effective creative brief to Andy Warhol for the album Sticky Fingers. The album cover had a working zipper! Imagine the power-wielder Jagger actually writing, “I leave it in your capable hands … ” and “How much money would you like.” Clearly he trusted his designer (and who wouldn’t?). It made me smile to see Mick’s comment that Warhol should “take little notice” of the deadline. We don’t recommend that for most briefs!
