A Guide To Crafting The Best Creative Brief
Before starting a creative project, expectations and goals must first be clearly defined.
For a marketing campaign, a creative brief will outline the purpose of every component of communication and help keep everyone on the same page.
Here is an outline to help guide your next creative brief in 4 main parts:
Part 1: State Problem and Solution
What is the problem?
What is the purpose of this project? What are our challenges?
What is the solution?
Who is the client? What is the business? What is the product/service? How are we solving the problem at hand?
Part 2: Determine Relevant Audiences
Who are our target audiences?
Describe in great depth the intended consumers, including demographics and psychographics.
Who are our competitors?
Who are the top competitors solving the same problem? List/describe them.
Part 3: Carefully Craft Controlled Messaging
What main message it to be conveyed?
This should include a statement that encapsulates the single most persuasive or compelling benefit of the product/service.
How will we communicate the message?
Aside from obvious call to actions, what mediums will be used to communicate our messages in a nonverbal, subliminal way?
How is this [product/service] positioned in the market?
Every piece of communication must tie back to our brand identity. Who are we serving? What is our standpoint? What is our brand personality?
What action do we want people to take when they receive our messages?
This is the most important part of our campaign. Elaborate on exactly what call to action we want to express to people. What emotion do we want our audience to feel?
What are our distinguishers?
What sets this solution or business apart from the competition?
Part 4: Establish Project Specifications
What are the project deliverables?
Who is responsible for delivering what? Are we delivering a full-service rebrand? Creating a new brand? Developing a website? Designing a logo? Creating content? What are the project expectations? This can be in list form simply outlining the exact tasks to be performed.
What is this effort expected to accomplish?
What is the greater goal of this particular project? What do we want to happen after the intended audience sees this piece of work?
What restrictions are there?
Are there assets to use? Brand guidelines? Certain words or phrases that must be used? Time constraints? Any special requests or specific limitations must be mentioned here.
