Guide to Profitable Sales
The Creative Brief
It is typical to work with an advertising creative agency in the step from taking your positioning summary to the development of different concepts to make it ready to use in advertising and promotion. You may plan to reach your intended target with television, print, digital, sales literature/script/consulting selling responses, sky writing or who knows. It helps to have a fresh set of eyes on your story to consider alternative ways to ‘say it’ or ‘tell your story’ in a most persuasive manner. Advertising agencies employ artistic, and copy/story telling talent specifically charged with being creative. That’s the good news and you want it. However, somehow you also need to prepare these talented people with enough background to contribute most effectively. You do that with something called a “Creative Brief”. Here is an outline of one to fill out. Keep glancing back at your positioning summary, need gap, and value ladder as you fill this out.
Outline
PROJECT: (What is requested? e.g. logo, tagline, concept(s) development, print ad, video, digital banner ad, e-mail template, website design, etc.)
PURPOSE: (What is it for? Create brand identity awareness, drive traffic to website, drive trial at retail, pre-qualify sales prospect, etc. )
BACKGROUND: (History of client/category, performance of other campaigns, coordination requirements, calendar, placements, etc.)
ENVIRONMENT & OPPORTUNITIES: (Insights about the Market and Category)
TARGET: (Psychographic Vignette, demographics, firm-o-graphics, etc.)
COMPETITION: (List of key competitors and list of any advantages/disadvantages)
MESSAGE: (What is the single most motivating/differentiating thing about the brand/product/service? Reference Need Gap findings)
INSIGHT: (Key points of important to targets and relative position differences from competitors? Reference Value Ladder)
ADDITIONAL MESSAGING: (Additional insights)
TO AVOID IN MESSAGING: (Any ‘off limits’ terminology, references, implied endorsements, etc.)
Prompt me
Questions to ask yourself to assist in writing a complete, inspirational and smart creative brief.
PROJECT:
• What is the overall objective?
• What issue is holding you back from reaching your objective?
• Why is communication needed at this particular time?
• What is the role for advertising?
• What is the communication challenge?
PURPOSE:
• Do we think this will get people talking about the brand?
• Will this generate publicity for the brand?
• Is it to entertain, to challenge, to demonstrate utility, to spawn user-generated content, to order?
• Why aren’t they currently doing what you want them to do?
• How will the target encounter the communication?
ENVIRONMENT:
• How does their life intersect with the category?
• How do they think and feel about the category?
• What did people do before the category existed?
• What are the things they are talking about related to this market?
• What do they believe before we tell them anything?
• What are their cultural influences?
TARGET:
• Who is the most valuable?
• Who is the most impressionable?
• How do they find us?
• When are they most receptive?
• Are there any secondary audiences?
• Who loves what I have to offer and why?
• What are the most insightful things we know about them?
• What else are they doing when using my product/service?
COMPETITION:
• Who else is competing for our target audience's attention with similar or related messages?
• How does the competition speak to them?
• How are our messages different to theirs?
• Why would someone choose my brand over another one?
• What do competitive users currently think of what I am selling?
MESSAGE:
• What are we really selling to our customers?
• What results are we promising to our customers?
• Why should people care?
• What should they feel about our brand?
• What action do you want them to take?
• How do they get involved?
• What is the best starting point?
• What attitudes must we establish or change?
• What habits do we want formed?
• What do you want people to say about your brand?
• Why might they talk about this idea?
• How do we differentiate or stand out?
• What idea will surprise about our brand? What would make them squirm a bit?
• What's the consumer/industry insight that would drive us to think differently?
• What 'reasons to believe' assure meaning and truth in our brand promise?
• How can our brand help the customer?
• What would make a real difference to people if only they knew about it?
• How will it be remembered and retold? What one sentence would you want them to say?
INSIGHT:
• What is the higher-level end-benefit? [Value Ladder finding](/business/ladder.html)
• Do they currently think of of us at all?
• What is the mindset of the person who is using my product/service?
• How do they feel about our Brand?
• What is the customer doing?
• Why are they doing it?
• What level of participation do we want or need?
• What's in it for the target; why would they want to participate?
• Have we made it easy for them to participate?
• What is true about the people who use this product?
• Where is the consumer using my product/service?
• How is the user's life different as a result of using my product?
• What one thought could turn our product’s selling point into a movement?