The Creative Brief: Discovery Questions

Create a list of questions you need to answer via research in order to write an informed, substantiated brief. These questions will likely investigate topics such as:

1. What has worked/not worked for the category in the past?

2. What has worked/not worked for the brand in the past?

3. What are the product’s/brand’s strengths and weaknesses?

What are opportunities and threats?

4. What have/are competitors done/doing?

5. Who are the current buyers? Who are the current non-buyers?

6. Why aren’t people buying it?

7. What motivates purchase (or hesitation) in the category?

8. What cultural conversations are related to the product, category, or brand?

9. What occasions is the product used in? Are there other possible usage occasions?

10. What are the conventions for advertising in this category (maybe to follow them, maybe to

break them)?

11. What animates consumers about the product, category, or brand on social media?

12. What tension/controversy/fears exist in the category?

13. What does the product say about the buyer?

14. …?

You might not be able to answer all these questions in detail, but by doing some online research (and by drawing on your own knowledge/experience as a consumer) you should be able to uncover useful information.

You can use sources like IBIS World Industry Research Reports (available via our library), other industry sources available online, social media, consumer reviews/forums etc.

Summarise your findings in a logically structured, nicely designed report. Use it to analyse the current situation and to develop your campaign strategy in the form of the Creative Brief.

CREATIVE BRIEF TEMPLATE

A good creative brief should accomplish three main objectives:

1. It should give the creative team a realistic view of what their advertising needs to, and is likely to, achieve.

2. It should provide a clear understanding of the people that their advertising must address.

3. It needs to give a clear direction on the message to which the target audience seems most likely to be susceptible.

Problem in a snapshot: What exactly is/are the key challenge(s) we need to overcome?

Brand perception: This is where it is … and this is where we want it to be.

Competition: This is what is fighting for our target audiences’ attention. This is what we need to consider when it comes to the brand’s competition.

Target Audience: Who is the primary focus of our advertising? This is where and how they live, what they like and dislike, what their hobbies and interest are, what cultural trends they follow etc.

This is what they currently think about the brand … and this what we want them to believe, feel, do.

Insight that reveals how we can motivate our target audience: These are the motivations, frustrations, aspirations, emotional connections and/or shared beliefs we can tap into and leverage.

Objectives: This is what our advertising must our achieve.

Category conventions:

This is how we can challenge category conventions. This is how we can use and circumvent style, language, and standard approaches to garner attention and/or to provoke?

Driving brand idea/big idea: This is the central theme/idea/appeal of our campaign.

Imaginary press release: If you were to write a press release describing what happens after this advertising is seen and engaged with by our target audience, this is what it would say.

Mandatories: These are design elements, legal disclaimers, health warnings or other features the advertising must contain.