Work it through. Plan it out. Write it up.
(A short guide to brief writing)
After a career spent writing creative briefs, crisp and tight on a single side of A4, I now spend some of my time writing briefs for clients. Two sides of the same shiny coin, they exist in equal parts to instruct and inspire.
A great brief ensures accuracy in response and accountability between partners. You get out what you put in, so hold up your end by making sure the ingredients are fresh and well measured.
For both client and creative briefs there are three steps to success.
Work it through. Plan it out. Write it up.
Work it through
When clarifying the focus of your brief, what you rule out is as important as what you keep in.
It demands a command of the complete picture.
It helps explain the journey to the team who will work to it.
It reassures you that the answer you arrive at holds up under scrutiny.
It avoids just going with the first thought you have (but doesn’t rule it out).
Every brief needs utter clarity in its task.
This comes from a firm understanding of what you’re not doing as much as it does a clear vision of what you are.
Plan it out
When defining the substance of your brief, give your time and energy to the three c’s:
commercial, creative, communications.
The commercial challenge
A brief doesn’t come out of thin air. It exists to address a need that the FD should recognise as having value.
Think about what would happen if the status quo continued to exist and this brief didn’t. How and why would the business/brand be worse off?
Flip that conclusion over and you’ll be close to the commercial benefit to the business of nailing the brief you are writing.
Vary your language depending on the audience. On the Client brief write it as if presenting to an investor. On the Creative brief write it as if explaining to your neighbour.
The creative catalyst
A brief needs to present the case for change. At the end of all of this people are going to have to do something different based on what they see or hear.
What’s going to make them? A fact, a feeling, a sense of familiarity?
This is a single-minded statement with transformational properties.
On the Client brief it is the benefit described to the audience.
On the Creative brief it is the benefit uniquely expressed.
The comms conduct
A brief needs to be clear and realistic in its expectations; of both the audience’s reaction, and the media carrying the message that triggers it.
Do you expect people to feel different, find out more or start to fall in love?
Will that happen immediately, in response to frequency or imperceptibly over time?
On the Creative brief this should manifest as a floral description of the campaign channels. Not a list, but a vivid evocation of how they will be experienced, and simple explanation on how they connect.
On the Client brief this should be a challenge to the campaign team. This is what we need, how can it be done?
Write it up
Commit the brief to paper at the end, not at the start.
It’s the last step to put it into a template, don’t mistake it for the first.
For Client briefs in particular there is a tension between exercising simplicity and demonstrating due diligence.
Simplicity manifests in single mindedness. It doesn’t necessarily equate to the length of the brief itself.
Write a single page cover sheet, include the points listed above; a clearly articulated task, the commercial challenge, the creative catalyst and the comms conduct of the campaign.
Then fill your boots with a section on the brand, the audience and the category. Include an appendix with all the relevant research. The due diligence is important for all stakeholders. You must be robust.
But make sure that single page cover sheet is the first thing people read.
For Creative briefs. One page. 10pt font. No exceptions.