How to (re)write a creative brief
From time to time the topic of ‘what makes a good creative brief’ comes up, so I’d like to offer my two cents on the matter. This article is meant to help creatives who are having trouble deciphering a brief.
I’ve worked at agencies of all types and sizes, with a variety of planners, and in that time I've developed into a bit of a strategy nerd. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that not all creative briefs are created equal. If you’re lucky and you’ve got a good planner, you’re probably getting great briefs. If not, then this article is for you.
What I’d like to do here is provide some help in turning a bad brief into a good, or even great, one. There's a saying that you can't unmake an omelette. But I think you can.
Before I do that, though, I’d like to point out the three most common types of briefs you might receive.
Three common types of briefs
The first is the aforementioned brief that you lucky ones have been getting: they’re succinct, smart, and with just enough restrictions to keep you from going off the rails, but just enough freedom to let you do great work. Even with considerations such as tone, budget, media, timing, etcetera, they rarely go past one page.
The second is the overly ambitious brief, either going too long or being too directive. I was recently briefed on a project in which the execution was pretty much laid out in the brief, which is just about the worst use of resources I can think of. I’ve also seen briefs that contain so much information that there are contradictory thoughts from one page to another.
The third is the cut-and-paste brief. While I acknowledge that many briefs are part of a continuation of a campaign in progress and that creatives “know what to do”, what I’m concerned with here is work that is relatively new to a creative team.
So, how to (re)write the brief?
The reality is, it’ll take a little time, but it’s time well spent, in my opinion, because it’ll lead to far less head scratching later (and give you an advantage over other teams working from the same brief). First, try to read the brief before the briefing meeting. During the meeting, take good notes and ask for clarity where necessary. Often, conversation can bring out some truths that may have gotten muddied in writing. Next, go back to your desk open your notebook (or laptop) and write three words:
GET:
TO:
BY:
Now, re-read the brief and try to find the truths that ring out the loudest for you. These might be instinctual, or they may be based on good Q&A from the meeting.
Now go back to your three words and finish the formula. GET:(target audience) / TO:(what action do you want them to take as a result of seeing your communications) / BY:(what’s the ONE thing you can tell them to get them to take that action).
Get buy-in for your briefer brief
The last step – and this is important – is to get buy-in from the account person or planner. Find them and nicely suggest that you want to make sure that you’ve got it right, “This is really just for my own good – I made a cheat sheet in order to keep myself honest”. Run it by them. They’ll either nod their heads and say yep, or they’ll provide input and make it better.
But remember that the brief is just the start
For the record, the GET/TO/BY formula is not my idea. But I go back to it again and again and it never fails. But it's worth noting that every project and client is different. The amount of background and information you'll want for a financial company will be greater than what you'll need for a candy bar. So when appropriate, don't discount the extra info attached to a brief, or even doing your own research. There can be gold in there.
Paul Laffy is a NYC-based Creative Director with a passion for great creative work and a keen sense of brand strategy. You can see his work at paullaffy.com.
Comments are always welcome.
Creative Director | Copywriter | Author
5 年Great piece!
Let’s make the ad industry admirable.
5 年Tight. My personal cheat sheet is “What’s the one thing you want the (audience) to do and how will you get them to do that (insight)?” I do like Get/to/by a lot.
Head of Creative Services at Republic Brands with expertise in data-driven creativity
5 年I'd offer a note about "target audience." Today, we know so much more about how people think and feel, and how their thoughts and feelings influence their behavior/actions. So, a broadly defined "target audience" is outmoded. The creative brief needs to identify the broad target -- i.e. everybody who's a potential buyer -- plus the contrasts among the "most likely" audience. A big, brand- and business-building idea should then hold up across versions that are personalized or tailored for all of the above -- the mass audience and one or no more than a few more targeted audience subsets. Complicated? Nah. The days when a single, big campaign moves the needle are over. Now, it's nailing the overarching idea -- and ensuring it plays smartly across channels, touch points and discreet audiences.?
Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Kosciusko REMC & Kosciusko Connect
5 年Kurt Kelsey I love the Get/To/By concept. Check it out! ??
Freelance Creative Director/Copy/Content at Corbocorp
5 年Now, you tell me? Seriously, great article Paul. Many briefs have left our heads spinning in the past. I like the horse-blinder effect of this approach.?