Creative Agency Reverse Brief

Creative Agency Reverse Brief This proforma has been used by a major creative agency for the taking of client briefs. Anticipating the information creative agencies require will assist you in providing appropriate information and thoughtful responses. ******** Note to briefer: the best briefs are brief…Take time and trouble to distil the task down to the very few issues which are insightful, relevant and motivating. Everything else is background, to be attached. Use the targets’ language.

1. What are the client’s objectives for the job? If more than one, split into primary and secondary—but note: you can only have one primary objective.

2. Who are we talking to? Try to go beyond customer status and demographics—attempt to paint a relevant and evocative picture of their lifestyle or business.

3. What do they currently think about our sector and our brand? Both rationally and emotionally—what really turns them on/off—focus on target perceptions, not reality.

4. What do we want them to think? What single thought should they take out from our communication?

5. What do we want them to do? Enquire, visit, buy, change their behaviour?

6. What is the single most important proposition? What is the one motivating benefit—ideally a word, at most a phrase (if a phrase, underline the key word). This may be the same as 4 but try hard to go beyond this to give the creative team an inspired thought—be creative, have a go at the headline.

7. Why should they believe it? A checklist of benefits for supportive subheads—rank logically. Keep details to attachment, not here.

8. What is the offer? What is the special deal for responding now?

9. How should we speak to them? Tone of voice? What is the brand character? What care, media personality, other brand could we be?

10.Mandatories What are the absolutely must-haves?

11.Creative guidelines What would be smart to have?

12.Requirement What do we need to deliver—mailpack with leaflet, insert, etc. And to what level of finish? Very rough, colour finished, subheads, copy outline or full copy?

13.Timings Brief Internal Review 1 Internal Review 2 Ready for Client

14.Restrictions Budget. Photography/illustration. Simple/involved/high impact pack.

15.Background/more details Attach these. Competitive work? Keep out of brief.

First up, it's worth saying that we don't always use formal written briefs - all very planning 1.0 ;-). In good Kids-from-Fame fashion, it's often a case of "let's do the show right here", particularly for fast track projects. With a little bit of prep, we'll get everyone in a room - planning, creative, production, directors (if TV) - and bring collective wisdom and inspiration to bear. And this marriage of planning and creative, strategy and execution, at an early stage is very fertile. There's still lots of work done after that, but it's always (and genuinely) highly collaborative and iterative throughout (I recognise we can only really do this because of our size: it would probably cause havoc at a (big) hierarchical, Processfocused agency). Where time allows tho, we will put together a written brief. However, given the way we work, this brief operates more as an internal reminder, and as a contract with the client, than as the 'holy scripture' it is seen as in some agencies. And even then there isn't necessarily a fixed format: it's what's the best way to express this challenge on paper. But if all the boxes are ticked (they rarely are), it would look something like this (a drama in 4 parts)... Part 1: THE BRAND What is the essential truth of this brand (boil it all down, and what do you have left) What is the brand’s agenda, it’s point of view on life? What’s the brand’s tone of voice and personality? Part 1: THE CHALLENGE What’s the problem or opportunity? What results are we looking for? Who will we need to engage to deliver this? What’s the specific role of communications in this? Part 3: THE STRATEGY What do we want to talk about? (overview of comms strategy basically) What is the central thought we want to bring to life? Supporting facts it’s worth knowing How do we think this will get people talking about the brand? (cos that word-ofmouth thing is important, as we all know) Part 4: PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS Specific requirements Must haves and no goes

1. Tell me the problem / opportunity / background. 2. How do people conventionally try to address /communicate the issue? 3. What's the consumer / industry insight that would drive us to think differently? 4. So, what is the Disruptive thought which will help to solve the issue? 5. Support / truth? 6. Who are we trying to persuade with this thought? 7. What's the tone? 8. Suggested channels to reach them? 9. Sacred cows?

'How will success be measured?' Could be a sales target, could be uplift in hits to wesbite, could be calls to phone number, could be generate media controversy. But if you don't know what success looks like, how will you recognise the right idea? just a view of where are our audiences are now and where do we want to take them as a result of seeing, being, engaging with whatever it is we need to make to take them with us. Random thoughts: Think outside the box. Any form filling destroys the flame of lived understanding. It's a vgood discipline to write one, it makes you get your thoughst straight. but then destroy it and just talk to people instead. I like Gareth's one best (it's just like the one we had at St Luke's only better/less hairbrained) Arent creative brief templates written as a primary expression of an agency (or consultant's brands)? The good ones always have a proprietary twist. They sort of are your IP in action. BBH always used to take great pride in the distinction they drew between "what it the product?" and "what is the brand?". JWT banged on about having a "key response" box rather than a proposition. BMP had "what do we know about them that will help us?" I liked the qu's Thomas Gad asked clients when I worked with him like "What Do you stand For?" they are all in his first book I think. I remember thinking at the time those would have made a much better creative brief. Creative briefs exist to keep clients comfortable during all the anxious waiting while the creative department are in labour. They should be reassuring, bland and take months to debate. But they might as well be Soduko puzzles. My own favourite question recently has been "What is it FOR?" So much stuff gets churned out with no agenda in the real world. I love for instance that Run London was FOR getting people to run more in london. Having said all of which I cranked out my first actual creative brief in ages this week and - guess what, I gave it very neutral headings like 'objective, target audience' etc.

I am a big fan of original qualitative research - quote it in the brief, chat about it with everyone, have a rip roaring debrief session - but that's because research makes me fall in love with the product. It's important to really know the competitive frame. Don't be daunted if it's huge. Determine all the psychological barriers to buying the product. Dig through the data and find something no one's noticed before, don't stop til you do. A good brief should be easy to understand with a punchy, sticky writing style. A tv producer said "the cool agencies never pay the full rate. They know if you have their ad on your reel it will get you more lucrative work." So, don't worry about the budget if you're in a cool agency, or the idea is stupendous.