THE CREATIVE BRIEF
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CORSO ESPERTO LINGUISTICO D’IMPRESA
M I L A N O , 2 8 N O V E M B R E 2 0 2 3
THE PLANNING PROCESS IN AN ADVERTISING
AGENCY
CLIENT SITUATIONAL CREATIVE STRATEGIC
BRIEF ANALYSIS BRIEF PRESENTATION
The planning process It keeps on with the The planning process It ends with the
in an advertising Situational Analysis keeps on with the strategic presentation
agency begins with a and data collection meeting between in front of the client
meeting between the planners & account
client and agency with the creatives
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WHAT IS A CREATIVE BRIEF
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CREATIVE BRIEFING SESSION IS MADE UP OF 2 THINGS
A MOMENT: THE MEETING A TOOL: THE CREATIVE BRIEF
It’s a meeting during which the It’s the single most important piece of
Planner, together with the paper in an advertising agency. This
account, shares the creative is what a creative team start working
brief with the Creatives. from.
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THE CREATIVE BRIEF
Creative Briefing is the tool to unleashing the creative forces of the art
director/copywriter team.
It must inform, but more importantly it must inspire them.
Usaually a 1 page document.
It outlines the approach and scope of a creative project, serving as a map that
guides creative teams through the specifications and requirements for a project
or campaign from start to finish.
Creative briefs are essential for ensuring that creative assets are on-brand and
in line with the campaign’s objectives.
Without one, much time & effort could be wasted retracing steps and recreating
assets that were off the mark.
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CREATIVE BRIEF IS A SYNTHESIS TOOL
CLIENT
Many messages
PLANNER
CREATIVES
SACRIFICE!
SACRIFICE!
CONSUMER
SACRIFICE!
One single-minded message
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KEY ELEMENTS
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KEY ELEMENTS OF A CREATIVE BRIEF
REQUEST TOUCHPOINT
TARGET EXECUTIONAL INFO
COMPETITION DELIVERABLES
PROBLEM BUDGET & TIMING
INSIGHT
PROPOSITION
KPI
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KEY ELEMENTS OF A CREATIVE BRIEF
REQUEST TOUCHPOINT
TARGET EXECUTIONAL INFO
COMPETITION DELIVERABLES
PROBLEM BUDGET & TIMING
INSIGHT
PROPOSITION
KPI
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REQUEST
BRIEFLY, WHAT THE CLIENT
IS ASKING US?
It is a CONCISE DESCRIPTION of the request formulated (more or less explicitly) by the
client in its Client Brief. It’s the starting point for the strategic thinking.
Sometimes – above all when the brief is difficult - the request is NOT SO CLEAR or it’s
clear only in few sections but the problem that the client asks to solve is not the right one
or – again - it’s clear but it is unfeasible in terms of timing or costs.
So, let’s say that this section is useful because it defines the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
for the strategic, creative and accounting solution to be considered “in brief”, but it does
not exhaust the scope of work of the project.
It’s crucial that the whole team (account/planner/creatives) CLARIFIES, IF NEEDED, THE
CLIENT BRIEF from the beginning of the process and then be aligned on the further steps.
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KEY ELEMENTS OF A CREATIVE BRIEF
REQUEST TOUCHPOINT
TARGET EXECUTIONAL INFO
COMPETITION DELIVERABLES
PROBLEM BUDGET & TIMING
INSIGHT
PROPOSITION
KPI
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TARGET
WHO IS THE PRIMARY FOCUS
OF YOUR ADVERTISING?
This section describes THE PERSON YOU WOULD LIKE CREATIVES TO HAVE IN MIND
when they explore and evaluate their ideas. And he/she is the person you are talking to,
someone interested in your proposition.
It could be SOMEONE YOU KNOW, or you could create an IMAGINARY CHARACTER.
Usually they are the Buyers/Users of a Brand (end-consumers), but they could also be
other people such as Investors, Key Opinion Formers, Journalists, etc ...
The description should go BEYOND THE SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION.
It should specify who they are, how they behave, which are the “motivation” behind a
specific behaviour, what they likes & hates, how these people spend their time, and also
define the role they play towards the Brand/Product you’re selling.
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KEY ELEMENTS OF A CREATIVE BRIEF
REQUEST TOUCHPOINT
TARGET EXECUTIONAL INFO
COMPETITION DELIVERABLES
PROBLEM BUDGET & TIMING
INSIGHT
PROPOSITION
KPI
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COMPETITION
WHO IS FIGHTING FOR YOUR TARGET
MARKET’S ATTENTION IN THIS AREA?
It describes the context in which the briefed product/brand is competing. So that you can
create advertising that is different from the competition – if any – and/or identify the
opportunity area.
Typically this description explores the CATEGORY DRIVERS, highlights the POINTS OF
PARITY & DIFFERENCE of the product (i.e. the elements that are necessary for the
brand/product/service in question to be considered competitive), and a synthesis of the
different COMMUNICATION TERRITORY and MESSAGES delivered by the competitors.
The description must not be limited to describe only the category in which the product
belongs (NARROW CATEGORY), but must also broaden the reference area to the need
served, thus also including more different product categories (ENLARGED CATEGORY). In
this regard, it may be useful to ask yourself who or what the brand/product/service has
to fight against.
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KEY ELEMENTS OF A CREATIVE BRIEF
REQUEST TOUCHPOINT
TARGET EXECUTIONAL INFO
COMPETITION DELIVERABLES
PROBLEM BUDGET & TIMING
INSIGHT
PROPOSITION
KPI
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PROBLEM
WHICH IS THE PROBLEM THAT
THE ADVERTISING MUST SOLVE?
It describes the PROBLEM that advertising must solve. It’s crucial! It defines the directions
of rest of the brief.
It should NOT REFER TO THE BUSINESS PROBLEM (e.g. defending a price increase, loss
of market share) or MARKETING PROBLEM (e.g. low purchase frequency, low market
penetration). That is probably written in the client’s request. The problem written in the
Creative Brief should refer to the SPECIFIC PROBLEM THAT ADVERTISING SHOULD
SOLVE (see examples).
The statement of the ‘problem’ is ALWAYS FOLLOWED BY THE OBJECTIVE. So it’s clear
what the challenge is, what must the advertising achieve. The objective should not be
neither too general, providing insufficient direction, nor too narrow, allowing for little
creative freedom.
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GOOD EXAMPLES
PROBLEM
TAMPAX
Young ladies users do not try tampon because of some common myths around them. How
can we educate female audience about tampons’ usage by answering, in an engaging
way, to all their fears & doubts?
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LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsqGzrgihFg
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GOOD EXAMPLES
PROBLEM
NOBUTTS.ORG
Smokers throw cigarette butts on the ground. How can we make people think about the
negative consequences of their bad habit?
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KEY ELEMENTS OF A CREATIVE BRIEF
REQUEST TOUCHPOINT
TARGET EXECUTIONAL INFO
COMPETITION DELIVERABLES
PROBLEM BUDGET & TIMING
INSIGHT
PROPOSITION
KPI
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INSIGHT
Definitions abound about what an insight actually is:
– An unrecognized fundamental human truth.
– A new way of viewing the world that causes us to re-examine existing conventions and
challenge the status quo.
– A penetrating observation about human behavior that results in seeing consumers from a
fresh perspective.
– A discovery about the underlying motivations that drive people’s actions.
An insight is penetrating hidden truth, that unlocks creativity. The insight finds a link
between the consumer, the brand and the problem that must be solved, to produce great
and effective work.
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FINDING THE RIGHT INSIGHT CAN DRIVE YOU
CRAZY
Strategist and creatives frequently struggle to arrive at the definition of a
proper insight and they repeat the process again and again for finding and
articulating it in the best possible way.
INSIGHT IS NOT
DATA
INSIGHT IS NOT
PURE OBSERVATION
INSIGHT IS NOT
A WISH OR STATEMENT OF NEED
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GOOD EXAMPLES
INSIGHT
LYSOL
«For a mom, protection is an instinctive act of love.»
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LINK
«What is Takes to protect» Campaign, USA, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXnp160McfA
GOOD EXAMPLES
INSIGHT
SNICKERS
«People are not themselves when they're hungry.»
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LINK
«You’re Not You When You’re Hungry» Campaign, UK, Snickers, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPsHG8UF2_c
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GOOD EXAMPLES
INSIGHT
MULINO BIANCO
«La felicità è nelle piccole cose di ogni giorno»
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LINK Giulio – Brand Manifesto
FOR SPINAL CORD AND BRAIN INJURY
A telethon is a televised fundraising event that lasts
many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to
raise money for a charitable, political or other
purportedly worthy cause.
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GOOD EXAMPLES
INSIGHT
TELETHON FOR SPINAL CORD AND BRAIN INJURY
«When you donate, you not only give money for a cause, you gift a dream to a sufferer
and his family.»
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«Team Hoyt - Fighting Against Spinal Cord and Brain Injury» Campaign, SPAIN, 2012
h t t ps:/ / vi m e o.com / 4 5 2 1 4 5 3 2
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GOOD EXAMPLES
INSIGHT
HEINEKEN SOCIAL RESPONSIBILE
«To be closed to someone, you don’t have to be physically closed to him»
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LINK
THANK YOU
