Every project's success hinges on how well you can deliver your message to your target audience. Read the full blog to find out how a creative brief can help you do that effectively.
The secret sauce to making your next project successful lies in how well you can define the problem you’re going to solve and the steps you’re going to take to solve it.
This is where a creative brief comes in. Although the process is a bit time-consuming, it’s worth the effort as it helps your clients and your team understand what you’re going to deliver.
So, in this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the creative brief and the steps involved in creating one.
Here’s what’s covered:
A creative brief is the guiding light of any creative project. It’s a short document that summarizes everything your team needs to know about the project, like its purpose, requirements, messaging, demographics, deliverables, etc.
Usually, account managers or the client service representative in touch with the clients fill out the brief. But in small organizations, the creative/art director themselves will fill out the brief if they’re the point of contact with the client.
If the project is internal, the stakeholders are responsible for creating the brief.
Here’s a simple outline that explains what’s in a creative brief.
If you take up a project without knowing what it is, chances are you’ll miss the relevant information, lack coordination, and deal with a lot of confusion. But these aren’t the only aspects a creative brief helps with. Here are some other benefits:
Typically, all projects in a company are categorized into three tiers, starting from highly conceptual projects to templated works like edits and revisions. Here’s what the brief should look like for all the tiers:
Organizing a creative brief with minimal time and effort requires a powerful strategy. Take the case of this creative brief for Quaker Oats :
This creative brief has everything a team needs to get started. So, there is no room for confusion and chaos.
To create a thorough, creative brief like Quaker, here are the steps you need to follow:
You should provide information about your brand’s mission or values in a few lines. This will help convey the right brand message to new hires, freelancers, or vendors associated with the project.
Highlight the project’s aims, address problems your target audience faces, and explain how the new project will help solve them. Also, don’t forget to outline the challenges you’ll face.
Here’s what you’ll do in this step:
Analyzing your competitors gives you a better understanding of the market conditions and helps you understand what will work with your target audience.
Setting your message effectively is essential for a good creative brief. To get your audience’s attention, you need to be spot on with your communication. It must be based on your target audience and the issue this project will resolve.
Include the due date, deliverables, and budget in this section. If you are planning to outsource, adding its expenses here will avoid future confusion. Another benefit is that you can easily spot deflections from the creative scope with a creative brief.
Be specific about the impact you want to create with your project. Sometimes the result you want will be a change in perception or taking action. So, add it to your creative brief to stay focused.
Your project is completed successfully once your message reaches your target audience . So identify where you could reach your audience, the platforms you want to use, and the strategies you plan to use to reach them.
Now, let’s learn from some creative brief examples from the most noteworthy creative brands.
This creative brief is crisp and concise. It gives direct insights into the target audience and the attitude to be adopted. It is based on buying behaviors and efficiently addresses its audience’s pain points
This is one of the best creative briefs as it demonstrates the problem and how they intend to solve it creatively.
There is a clear CTA and brand vision in this creative brief. It conveys the goals, target audience, and other must-haves within a single page.
Building a creative brief is not an easy task. It needs unified efforts, ample time, and an efficient team. But having a game plan gives you a headstart. It brings clarity and focus. To stay agile, invest your time in crafting an impeccable creative brief. It’s time well spent!
