What is a Creative Brief?
A creative brief is a simple, concise document that outlines the goals, audience, and key messages for a marketing project. It serves as a roadmap for the creative team, ensuring everyone is aligned and understands the project’s objectives.
Why is a Creative Brief Important?
No matter the type of marketing campaign—whether it’s a site redesign, branding, or online ads—a creative brief is essential. It helps the creative team understand the project’s background, your vision, and the goals you want to achieve.
Elements of a Strong Creative Brief
- Problem Statement: Clearly define the problem you’re trying to solve.
- Objectives/Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this project?
- Target Audience: Who are you trying to reach? Include demographics, interests, and behaviors.
- Key Message: What is the main takeaway you want to communicate?
- Media and Deliverables: Specify the types of media and the key deliverables.
- Mandatory Elements: Include any style guides, legal considerations, or specific do’s and don’ts.
- Schedule and Deadlines: Outline the project timeline and approval deadlines.
- Budget: Clearly state the budget for the project.
How to Write a Creative Brief
- Preparation: Start by defining the problem and gathering relevant data or research.
- Drafting: Write succinct sections for each element of the brief.
Example: Frank’s Creative Brief for Fromage by Frank
Frank owns “Fromage by Frank,” a business that express-ships fine cheeses from France. He wants to expand his customer base by running an online ad campaign on popular food blogs. Here’s how Frank can write a strong creative brief:
Target Audience
- Casual Foodies: Late 30s to early 40s, living in major metropolitan areas, earning $60k+ annually. They enjoy discovering and sharing new food experiences and have limited knowledge of gourmet cheeses.
Key Takeaway Message
- Every FBF cheese has a unique story. Ads should highlight the cheesemakers’ lives rather than just the products.
Objectives
- Build Awareness: Increase brand visibility among foodies through compelling narratives.
- Boost Brand Value: Highlight the shareable stories behind each cheese.
- Increase Sales: Drive a 65% increase in online orders via FromagebyFrank.com.
Media Placement
- Online ads running on five major food blogs.
Deliverables
- Three rich media ads (300×250, 728×90, 160×600) and a landing page.
Creative Budget
- $150k
Character/Style/Tone
- Sophisticated, sincere, and refined.
Considerations
- Feature cheesemakers like Pierre and his miniature goats, Antoine and his royal lineage, and sisters Lea and Marianne.
Timing/Schedule
- Concepts Due: August 17
- Revised Concepts: August 21
- Final Designs: August 26
- Launch: August 28
Approvals
- Frank’s assistant will approve the first two rounds.
- Final sign-off by Frank.
Additional Information
If you have more detailed information like brand guidelines or deeper audience analysis, keep these in separate documents. The brief should remain a quick and straightforward guide to the project’s essentials.
Things to Include in a Creative Brief:
- Type of media
- Marketing solution for the problem
- Facts/statistics about the problem
- Business problem to be solved
- Brand and style guides, do’s and don’ts
- Planned campaign launch date
- Budget
- Key marketing message
- Marketing goals/objectives
- Target audience
By following these updated guidelines, Frank can ensure that his creative team develops an ad campaign that aligns with his brand and effectively reaches his target audience.
