Let’s do a Christopher Nolan here – meaning let us zig-zag across time as opposed to in a linear way. The setting is the presentation of a bunch of creatives to the client. The reactions range from nods to nudges. The first reaction is always to the visual stimuli (more on this in a later blog). Then come the reactions that are meant to justify why it is not liked. There are both right and wrong reactions. But one of the things that does not definitely happen is the objective evaluation of a creative based on the communication goals. A creative has a specific purpose, a specific media tool, a specific target audience, and many others like timing and message. The human mind when it comes to arts tends to react to the first stimuli – the picture looks good (or bad), the colours pop out (or are dull) and so on. Just like a piece of garment is good by itself but the look gets either enhanced or reduced by the wearer, similarly, all these elements are there for a specific purpose. Probably the picture is dull because it is a creative that is depicting some dire circumstances. The colour is dull because the brand is not flashy.

Now let us go back in time. Many a time when a relationship just starts there is an all-out enthusiasm to follow systems and procedures. And one of them is the Marketing Brief. It is a template that all are familiar with but very rarely implemented as the relationship grows longer. There comes a time when it is a one-line mention over a phone call “Can you do a poster for this new product?”. Of course the assumption is that because being associated with the brand for a long time one is supposed to know all about the brand and therefore fit in all the remaining 99.9% of the pieces. But that is not the case. A good brief is crucial for a good output. The brief more often than not also clarifies a lot for the client themselves. When they start thinking about what should the messaging achieve, whom is it targetted specifically for, why is the creative even being done – then it helps in making the communication razor sharp. And most importantly what a good brief helps in is the evaluation of creatives that are presented, in a more objective manner.

Let us go back to the presentation assuming it was a perfect brief. The presentation starts off with the summary of the brief – meaning objective and so on and then the presentation of the creatives is done. The client then makes a good critique of the creatives – where any and all feedback is for the betterment of the creatives.

So what should a good brief contain? Some pointers:

  1. In 5 lines or less, what’s the business problem/opportunity we are trying to address?
  2. What are the deliverables (with dimensions)?
  3. Who is the target audience?
  4. What should the communication talk about?
  5. What is the target goal / why are we doing this?
  6. What is the compelling reason to believe/act now? Are they emotional or rational?
  7. Activity period?
  8. What is the selling idea?  (It should talk about only one thing)
  9. Are there any insights that can help change the behaviour / adopt a new habit / take an action?
  10. What is the immediate next step that you want the customer/ prospect to take (ie: visit a website, call the toll free number etc.)
  11. By when must this communication activity commence?
  12. Mandatories

So the next time be sure to get the brief right and it will avoid a lot of grief for you or your clients.