FRIDAY EXPLORER
HOW TO WRITE A CREATIVE BRIEF

OUR CLIENT SAYS…

WHAT GOES IN OUR MIND…

Need 1
mailer…ye brief
hai ??!!??
How should I
convey it to
the creatives
??
Shitt yaar…
Brief agaya

CREATIVE BRIEFING
aka
GRILLING SESSION…

Kya Laye ho…
Kyu Laye ho…
Last time to yeh hi kia tha…
We don’t understand…
Please get some clarity on the brief…
Umm..
Par main…
Par wo toh…
Par suno toh…

MOMENT OF TRUTH…
CREATIVES ARE DELIVERED TO SERVICING

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES V/S CREATIVES

BRIEF CAN MAKE IT OR BREAK IT…
Wrong Brief
Hang him, not let him go
Right Brief
Hang him not, let him go

WE CAN AVOID ALL THESE…
HAVE A STRUCTURED APPROACH

What is Creative Brief ?
• A creative brief is a one-page document that puts in writing all
the key information you want the creatives to know before
working on the creative campaign
• It is the bridge that connects strategic thinking and creative
execution and is the key tool with which the account managers
can unlock the imagination of creative people and give them a
direction for execution
• It is the first ad of the campaign

History
• Coined in 1863
• For Abraham Lincoln’s speech for the dedication of the new
Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

What is it’s Role ?
• To Liberate the creative process. Not control.
• To provide a springboard for ideation
• Inform. Interest. Persuade. Guide.Inspire.

Elements of Creative Brief
Background
Mandatories
Objective
Creative
Brief
Single
Minded
Proposition
Desired
Response
Target
Audience
Creative
Insight

Background

• What is the scenario of the market?
• What is the Big Picture?

Example

ICICI Bank Retention Mailers
ICICI Bank iMobile app facing a unique problem
Users do not make financial transactions on iMobile..

Objective

• What is the problem of the client that we need
to solve?
• What do we want to achieve as a result of
the communication?

Example

Effective
 "The purpose of this campaign is to position ElectroQuick as a less
expensive, equally effective alternative to BigBrand."
Not Effective
 "The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness, generate blogger
buzz, and create excitement for the client's new ElectroQuick by
positioning the client as a leader in innovative global technology with a
uniquely humanistic yet professional and sophisticated brand image
that compares favorably to BigBrand."

Single
Minded
Proposition

• What is the one thing that you want to convey?
“Throw someone a tennis ball and he will catch it.
Throw five and he’ll drop them all.”
Adrian Holmes

Example

 Avis :
We are no. 2, we try harder.
 Nike :
Just Do it.
 Nerolac :
Healthy Home Paints
 Rolls-Royce :
At 60 miles an hour the loudest noise
in this new Rolls-Royce comes from
the electric clock’

Target
Audience

• Who are we trying to influence?
• What He / She would be doing right now?
• What is their Behavior towards the Brand, Category ?

Example

DILO
 Nerolac Home Painting Solutions
 Mr. Nayak, a Investment Banker lives in South Delhi
with his wife and two kids. He is a busy man with high
disposable income whose parents are based out of
Pune. He care about his parents and does whatever he
can to make their life comfortable and pleasant

Archetypes

Examples

 Nike –> The Hero
 Harley Davidson –> The Outlaw
 Pampers –> The Helper
 Virgin –> The Jester
 Ben & Jerry’s –> The Innocent

Consumer
Insights

• It is an intrinsic need, desire or a hidden truth of the
consumers which is not obvious and helps understand their
buying behaviour
• "Insight" can be derived from classical market research
understanding or from psychological knowledge about
emotions and behaviour in relation to the brand.

Examples

“Wives and Girlfriends are more likely to buy men’s body
wash than men”


“ Children love to emulate adults”

Mandatory
Elements

• Brand Guidelines to be followed
•
For ICICI Bank Mailer
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Logo on the top right
Zurich BT / Arial font
Orange, Maroon, Blue, Grey, White only to be used
ICICI Bank Template
Terms & Conditions
Offer Period
Clean Shaven faces of models to be used
Letter format for the content
Complete image, no cut outs

How should it be ?
If the creative brief is not itself creative, if it does not suggest
solutions to problems, present information in an expansive
and interesting way, and interpret that information with
imagination and flair, then its authors and presenters have
no right to expect anything different from their
creative teams.
John Steel

Do’s
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Creative & Brief
Single Minded Proposition (SMP)
Single Page
K.I.S.S.
Strategic
Inclusion of Facts & Figures
Brief in person

DONT’S
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
One size fits all
Should not be like a filled form
Tactical
Dull
Technology Driven, Code crunched
Instruction based
A list a statistics

WHAT WE FOLLOW…

6.5 STM Brief

Activation Mailer Brief
ICICI Bank iMobile

Brief Buddy –
A Brief Cracking Mobile App

I Am Statements
• A single line Brief written by stepping into
consumer’s shoes from their perspective.’
• They are not descriptive “personas.”

SUGGESTION
Initiation of Best Brief Awards in our Agency

HENCE
CREATIVE BRIEF – A FOUNDATION
THAT MAKES THINGS RIGHT