Agency brief

TAKING THE BRIEF

The list of questions below will help to produce an effective creative brief for new projects or campaigns. Not all the questions will be relevant to every project, of course, so use them as a guide.

1. What is the client’s business objective?

2. What is the marketing objective?
• micro strategy – long term objectives, opportunities, threats, priorities
• macro strategy – short term objectives, strengths, weaknesses, competition

3. What is the target market? Who are you talking to? Who is the key person we want to move to act?

4. What response is called for? Are you selling or generating leads?

5. What are the product/service’s USP’s ? If the Client tells you the technical specification of the product and its features, try to elicit the benefits. What consumer or business needs do these benefits match? Muster all your evidence.

6. What is the “positioning” of the product?

7. What is the brand image?

8. What is the offer? (Is there one?)

9. Do we know what the rest of the market is doing?

10. What is the client’s previous record with this product? What do the prospects know about the business? What research may be available?

11. What other marketing/advertising activity does the client have planned?

12. What can be learned from this campaign? What elements can be/should be tested?

13. Are there any legal or corporate factors we should know about?

14. How will the response be handled? What “after care” will be arranged? Should we be involved in designing a fulfilment pack, or sales force presenters?

15. What is the schedule and budget?

Always consider the implications of what you’re discussing. How can you “maximise” the marketing project for this product –i.e. consider how we can exploit the campaign further to ensure the most effective results.