Creative Brief and the Briefing Process

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Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, one of the most awe-inspiring works of art

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He worked like a man possessed

for many years, often lying on his back

on a suspended platform close to the ceiling

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What could have inspired him to go through so much,

to create such a masterpiece?

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It always begins with

THE BRIEF!

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Cardinal Alidosi, the ‘strategic planner’ of Pope Pius IV briefed Michelangelo

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There are FOUR possible briefs

he could have given him

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1. “Paint the ceiling!”

This is a terrible brief. It has given absolutely no direction.

Michelangelo will waste days trying to figure out ‘what’ he has to create.

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2. “Paint the ceiling using red, green and yellow!”

This is even worse. It still gives no direction

And needlessly restricts the creative person.

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3. “There are cracks in the ceiling.Paint over them and cover them up!”

This is awful. You have just told the creator

that his work actually has no great value. You can expect a corresponding quality of work.

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4. “Paint Biblical scenes on the ceiling!”

That’s better. At least now Michelangelo knows what he has to do.

Most briefs stop here.They are adequate but not good enough.

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Here is the brief that Michelangelo

apparently received

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“You are commissioned to paint our ceiling for the greater glory of God,

and as an inspiration and lessonto his people;

frescos which depict the creation of the world,

the fall and mankind’s degradation by sin and the divine wrath of God”

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Don’t just write WHO you are talking to;

bring in a sense of HOW we should talk to them

-How will you speak to this person?

- How will you touch them in a way none of our competitors have done?

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Food for thought

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Which is more effective?

A working woman, SEC B1, 25 to 39,

who also does cooking at home for her family

OR

A mother who is torn between the responsibilities

of her career and motherhood

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Which is more evocative?

29-45 year old bald man

in senior managerial position

OR

A vain CEO who has just started losing his hair

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Writing a brief

• Paint a vivid picture of the person you wish to engage in conversation

• Use emotive words (remember, emotional connections help build stronger brands)

• Put away the marketing executive’s dictionary

• Use words your Mum would understand

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Find the difference

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A teenager with pimples

A teenager who needs a strong dose of self-confidence

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A man who wants to buy an anniversary gift

A husband who has no idea what anniversary gift to buy

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An accountant who drinks martinis

An accountantwho wants to be like Sean Connery

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Timberland

Case Study

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The Challenge

“The brand, Timberland, had lost its outdoor credentials.

It had become an inner city, urban brand. And while it was incredibly successful as such,

it was losing its outdoor authenticity (interestingly, the very thing that made it attractive to inner city

youth).”

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The Planner’s Story

• “There’s a war going on right now. A war between the world of “IN” and the world of “OUT”

• Both are trying to gain the attention of people and hold them in their respective domain

• And, frankly, the world of IN is winning

• It's winning because it has done things to replicate the world of OUT and put them in the world of IN

• Making it unnecessary for you to ever need to go OUT

• For example, the world of IN replicates sunlight via light bulbs.

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The Planner’s Story

• It makes you feel like you're outdoors with artificial plants

• It brings you drinking streams via water fountains

• It creates windows so that OUT can be visible without ever needing to go there

• Fans replicate breezes and CD's bring you "Sounds of the Ocean”

• The world of IN does all sorts of things to make you feel like you're out without ever having to go there

• Thereby winning the war by keeping people in the world of IN”

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The Creative’s Response

• Following this story I realized that he had a fantastic and creatively inspiring idea

• An idea that was far more than a brand position, far more than a creative strategy, he had the creative idea itself!

• And a fantastic one at that the obvious answer is to show people at the top of a mountain, experiencing all of the splendour and glory of the great outdoors... and tell them to get out there

• But that's what everybody in this category does

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The Creative’s Response

• “So we decided to point the camera the other direction, point it inward, and show people the true world of where they spend the vast majority of their time... Inside

• We felt that by showing people just how drab and uninspiring the indoor world really is, we could get them to see the value of spending more time outdoors in Timberland gear

"Seek Out"

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• Briefs should reach into the heart of the brand and pull out something that people have never seen before

• They help add a fresh perspective to a brand

• They invite brand re-evaluation

• They can change the whole market

It all starts with great brief…

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Attributes of a Creative Brief

Creative Brief

Informative

Well ArguedInsightful

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Creative Briefing is the bridge between

smart strategic thinking and great advertising

What does the creative brief do?

• It distills all that the marketing plan wants to achieve

• Sharply brings focus to

The Proposition Target AudienceThe Style

STIMULUS

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The Creative Brief should include…

• The purpose of advertisement

• The problem and/or opportunity that advertising must address- focus in defining that one issue

• Must contain solutions to problem

• Understanding the advertising target audience vs. the marketing target audience

• Realistic view of what advertising needs to be and likely to achieve

• The single minded response that advertising must elicitC PipalMajik

The Creative Brief should suggest…

• Relevance of advertisement to consumers

• The single minded idea/proposition of the advertisement

• Ways to plant idea into the consumer’s mind

• Aspect of the brand’s personality advertising must express

• Ways to reach the target audience- touch points

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A Creative Brief..

• Should not be praising the product

• Is not an opportunity to show off how hard you have been working

• Should be creative – almost as good as ad

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Creative Brief involves consumers on both a rational

and emotional levels and which is capable of affecting

a change in both their thoughts and behaviour

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“If the creative brief is not itself creative, if it does not suggest solutions to problems,

present information in an expansive and interesting way,

and interpret that information with imagination and flair,

then its authors and presenters have no right to expect anything different from their creative team.”

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Questionnaire form of brief

• The very act of posing these questions forces the person preparing the brief to come up with answers to them

• It is important that any brief at least attempts to find solutions, as opposed to simply listing problems that creative team needs to overcome

• A set list of questions does provide focus to discipline and ensures that the team is given all the basic information they require to do their job

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Superficial and unenthusiastic briefing will spawn superficial and unenthusiastic

ads!

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The creative team needs to believe that a great campaign is possible before they can begin to create it!

Ten Principles of Powerful Briefing

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Principle 1:

Don’t follow the Brief!

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Don’t follow the Brief!

Don’t be limited by the constraints of a sheet of

paper

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Principle 2:

Brief is a noun, briefing is a verb

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Brief is a noun, briefing is a verb

It’s not only what you’ve written on the brief,

it’s how you communicate to the creative folks

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Principle 3:

Make it an event, an experience

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Make it an event, an experience

How can you stimulate & excite your

TA and bring alive your proposition?

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Principle 4:

Create a world, a context

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Create a world, a context

How can you help the creative team enter the consumer’s world?

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Principle 5:

Humanize the Consumer into a flesh-and-blood person

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Humanize the Consumer intoa flesh-and-blood person

Describe a real target person,Not just a statistical audience band

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Principle 6:

Tell a Story

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Tell a Story

Create empathy, involvement, passion & feelings

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Principle 7:

Do it at the right time, right place

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Do it at the right time, right place

Ensure that the creative team are in the most receptive frame of mind

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Principle 8:

Go beyond words

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Go beyond words

Use pictures, videos, songs… whatever it takes to bring alive your story

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Principle 9:

Get everyone together at one go

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Get everyone together at one go

Don’t brief multiple people multiple times,

ensure everyone attends the party!

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Principle 10:

Keep feeding

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Keep feeding

Provide additional reference material whenever needed, Keep the dialogue open, ongoing,

Be ready with new stimulus or inputs

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“Giving a creative team a poor brief is like pushing them onto a stage unprepared in front of an unfamiliar audience, and saying

‘Look, just entertain them, OK?’”

Vanella Jackson

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In the end what truly differentiates the product

is not just a great communication strategybut a great creative execution

Thank You

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