This creative brief provides guidance on summarizing a document in 3 sentences or less. It begins with the requirements for an effective creative brief, including defining the target market and specific, measurable objectives. The brief emphasizes that the target market description should include both demographic and psychographic details to help creatives understand the audience. It also stresses the importance of setting realistic and specific objectives that advertising can realistically achieve.

1. THE BRIEFWHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART.
By Robert Strohfeldt & Bob Miller
© 27/2/2015

2. 2THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
INTRODUCTION 1
1. REQUIREMENT 4
2. OBJECTIVE 6
3. TARGET 10
4. PROPOSITION 13
5. SUPPORT 20
6. TONE 23
7. MANDATORIES 24
8. BUDGET 25
TABLE OF CONTENTS

3. 3THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
The creative brief is a distillation of all relevant information and data
(The Science) to provide the insights for the creation of compelling
messages, (The Art) irrespective of the medium or carrier being used.
Advertising was once a relatively simple business, divided into Above
and Below the Line disciplines. And a simple TV ad could reach 80%
of your target market in just a few days. With the establishment of
the internet as a mass communications vehicle, particularly since the
introduction of Web 2.0 in 2004, rather than “mass communications”,
we operate in a world with a “mass of communications”.
It is hardly new to say the media landscape has changed and fragmented
and it seems the introduction of new mediums (carriers) or new options,
such a Facebook offering video, shows no signs of slowing.
Communications (Advertising), has always had two distinct components
1) The Carrier – Broken into Above: TV, radio, print etc. and Below: DM,
PR, promotions, product sampling etc.
2) The Message- the Creative. THE IDEA
We now have “digital” and “traditional” advertising, but in reality, the
consumer does not differentiate. They see TV ads, websites, Facebook
ads, Tweets - a plethora of different carriers for the one brand or
product. And neither should we. Laura Lowell in her book “42 Rules of
Marketing” described advertising as;
“Messages to get people’s attention so you can convince them to buy
more of your stuff”.
No mention or differentiation between types of carriers and whether
“traditional” or “new”, just the message.
There is also now a differentiation between inbound and outbound
marketing. (A new alternative to Above/Below the line?).
Inbound Marketing – This supposedly “pulls” people towards the company
by publishing quality content. (SEO, Pages and Social Publishing).
Outbound Marketing - According to Inbound Marketers, this covers all
forms of other advertising, including DM. Though, one would expect the
objective of “Outbound” activities would be to attract people, not push
them away.
Whether a website page, or say a press or online ad, will have greater
customer pull, is dependent upon the offer and appeal of the product
or brand.
In reality, both Inbound and Outbound have the same objective –
“sell stuff”.
The tem “Content” has evolved, though we prefer to call it “Creative”.
As previously mentioned, there are so many more mediums or carriers
available today, that to have them all sprouting different messages,
without a centralised plan or goal, would lead to chaos.
Consistency of message is the one basic “rule” of communications for
which there is no exception to break.
The communications (Inbound, Outbound, Traditional, New or whatever
new terminology is used to define the large number of alternatives
now available) must all work together to provide a single relevant and
compelling narrative.
The greater the number of message carriers being utilised, the greater
the challenge in maintaining message consistency. Therefore, rather
than the Creative Brief being seen as a relic of the pre-digital era, it is
of even greater importance and the glue that holds together the diverse
mix of communications/advertising businesses and organisations
engage in.
Which combination of all the advertising/communications alternatives
available provides the most impactful and cost effective “plan”, is
another subject. This occurs before a creative brief can be written.
Much emphasis has been placed upon and written about the carrier.
How to build a website, how to write a blog, SEO, how to build a
Facebook page, App development – the technical issues. IT is now an
integral part of advertising.
The topic of this paper is the message, the creative. Irrespective of
the carrier.
In doing so, it looks past the technical and IT issues and provides a
platform and format for the development of the idea, irrespective of
the medium.
Though a number of creative briefing formats have been developed, all
carry 8 basic elements.
INTRODUCTION

4. 4THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
1. REQUIREMENT
This creative briefing format works across the full spectrum of
communication/advertising options. From a TVC to a blog, radio ad to
web slider, POS to twitter, website to magazine ad.
It may be one item, or a number of items which combine to make a
campaign. Arriving at the “requirement” is a topic in itself. It is critical to
the success of your advertising that you identify the message carriers
or media which are preferred by your target market – go where your
customers go. More often than not, the specific requirement nominated
in the brief will be only one of a number of carriers being used.
Too often, the selection is based on fashion rather than function –
people want to use the “coolest” new technology.
Advertising agencies used to have media, planning and buying,“in
house”, under the same roof. It made sense, from a buying perspective,
to negotiate with the largest possible pool of money.As a result, media
departments from different agencies (with the same parent or even
independent smaller operations) merged into “mega” media houses,
resulting in the media planning function being separated from account
service, planning and creative functions. Media buying is no different
to trading in any other commodity, be it iron ore, gold, or pork bellies.
The media planning function though should be involved in the strategic
development of advertising campaigns from the start.There is a shift back
to the old model with media planning working in a team with account
service, strategy and creative from the start of campaign development.
The “Requirement” covers the full range of options available. It could
be a Facebook page or an outdoor poster, 15/30/60 second TVC/Video
(may be only for FTA and pay TV, YouTube or used online embedded
in your website, or as in other sites), 30 second radio ad, ½ page
magazine, EDM email, web-slider, a new website or a new page for an
existing site etc.
Obviously, recipients of the brief need to be told what they are required
to produce (some great creative people are thought to be psychotic but
very few are psychic), yet there is another extremely important reason.
To optimise impact, the manner in which the message is couched
needs to be empathetic to the carrier in which it will be placed.
Mobile is relevant as it becomes more and more dominant, so creative
must take into consideration issues such as smaller screen size and
hence different and different usage behaviours to desktop, laptop and
even tablet.
This is not new. Before radio, advertisers only had print. Reading a print
ad will not make a compelling radio ad, which is sometimes referred
to as ‘theatre of the mind”. Great radio uses sound to paint mental
pictures, stimulating the imagination. Nothing has changed. We just
have many more carriers or media options to research and understand
how people use/consume them.

5. 5THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
2. OBJECTIVE
As previously mentioned, most companies and organisations are
simultaneously engaged in a number of communications activities.
There would be an ultimate end goal, agreed to and defined prior to
commencing any advertising. And there will be occasions when the
unexpected arises and advertising is part of the response. Objectives
can be strategic or tactical.
Of course, if there is no defines objective, then how is the success or
otherwise of the campaign measured?
Some creative briefing formats have a topic “Problem the advertising is
to solve”. Establishment of goals and in-depth determination of strategic
and tactical objectives occurs prior to writing any creative briefs. This
should be discussed, agreed upon and documented in the annual
advertising plan. (Budget and resources are determined and all activity
must work within these constraints).
Irrespective, there are two basic considerations when setting the
objective. (Singular. One piece of advertising, one task).
1) Be Realistic – Sounds obvious, but there is only so much advertising
can achieve. Advertising is often given too much credit. It doesn’t
create or change social attitudes and behaviours. Rather, it picks
up on and leverages social issues, attitudes and fashions. This is
not meant to be a document on sociology, though observing and
understanding societal behaviours is a large part of successful
advertising. Advertising does have a role to play in important social
issues, but it is a support role. All significant shifts in societal
attitudes and behaviours (drink driving, smoking, littering etc.)
have been predicated by legislation. In commercial instances,
there are similar limitations. Samsung is an example. In the mid
to late nineties, it was seen as a “cheaper” Korean brand, inferior
in image to Japanese brands such as Sony. This was identified
in prior planning as the key problem to overcome. Samsung had
and continue to invest huge amounts of capital and intellectual
resources into their products and they were in fact at the least
the equal of the top Japanese brands. But no advertising would
change entrenched consumer attitudes, irrespective of the product
quality. We could have made the mistake of trying to inundate the
market with advertising to try and convince consumers that their
deep held perceptions of a Korean brand were no longer correct.
It was conceded a lot of money could have been spent with very
little change to consumer perceptions. What was needed was third
party praise, not self-praise. We took a two pronged approach to
commence shifting perceptions:
i) Took around 25 of Australia’s most read and respected IT
journalists to Korea. We joked they thought Samsung made
computers in tin sheds. As well as being the world’s largest OEM
monitor manufacturer, the sophistication, depth and breadth of
the operation, at times left them speechless. We had to show
these key influencers, not tell them. Samsung were world
leaders in many areas of technology, as well as manufacturing
F16s and Bell Helicopters (under licence) We also took them to
the ship building site and though not classified as technology, the
sheer size of the operation where tankers 400 meters long and
160,000 tons were built, was breath taking and it was obvious
that only a very sophisticated company could successfully put
this together. On return to Australia, their articles played a
major role in shifting perceptions. The advertising objective
was realistically defined as: Capitalise on the third party
endorsement to help build a brand image of quality and
innovation. (Targeted print campaign 1: highlighting the many
awards won worldwide and 2: product endorsement by highly
respected, thought leading companies.) This strategy was
adopted worldwide and it helped provide not just awareness, but
the credibility base to be a major international sponsor of the
Sydney Olympics - the first time Samsung had sponsored any
large international sporting event.
ii) Product placement. Their new LCD monitors were given to high
profile investment bank, accounting and legal firms and 5 star
hotels. You are the company you keep.
At the time another Korean company trying to break into the
electronics market was Gold Star. Their image was so poor as
a result of some less than perfect products, a new brand was
launched with new much better quality products – LG. There was
too much past baggage to try and overcome. Advertising had no
chance of shifting perceptions and they did not have a story such
as Samsung’s to be told.
So when detailing the objectives in the brief, be sure they are
realistic, that they are goals advertising can realistically attain.
Be brutally honest. Better to have a reality check and face a
few embarrassing facts before spending a cent, then to be
faced with the smouldering ruins of a multi-million dollar failed
advertising campaign.

6. 6THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
2) Be Specific – “Increase sales” and “Improve brand image” are
often given as advertising objectives. Well, it is pretty obvious that
“Decrease sales”, or “Damage brand image” are not on the table.
They are both worthy objectives, but very broad and don’t provide
and detail on “how”. Again, the preceding planning session should
have addressed this. (Objectives, as previously mentioned, are
constrained by resources, both capital and human. Set a wish list,
prioritising from the most important down and draw the line at the
point where your resources can realistically reach to).
The business objectives define the marketing objectives, which lead
to the advertising objectives.
Specific objective examples include:
› Increase awareness (simple and measureable objective)
› Induce product trial
› Increase qualified retail traffic by featuring premium offers
› Generate broad awareness of an environmental initiative.
› Product recall involving admission of error.
› New store opening
› New product launch
Around 2,500 years ago, the Chinese philosopher Confucius said:
› Tell me and I’ll forget
› Show me and I’ll remember
› Involve me and I’ll understand
Still excellent advice today when creating communications.
A contentious point, but to generate “engagement” is not an objective.
What does engagement mean? (The cynical may joke it is the second
step on the way to losing your house – 1: Dating, 2: Engagement, 3:
Marriage, 4: Divorce).
All jokes aside, “engagement” is not specific. You can engage in an act
of war, you can engage in peace talks, you can engage in an argument.
Engagement is frequently used as the main objective of a company
Facebook page.
Example:
A franchised business may wish to have a Facebook page for
each individual Franchisee. After all, customers, deal with the local
franchisee, not the head office. In this instance, the objective may be to
“Build trust at the local level.”
(A question many businesses struggle to answer is “What is the difference
in objectives between your website and your Facebook page?”)
2. OBJECTIVE

7. 7THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
3. TARGET MARKET
Before you establish the best methods of reaching your customers and
what you are going to say, you have to identify and define who your
customers are.
The target market definition should cover existing and potential
customers – objective may be to introduce existing customers to a
new product, or it could be to introduce new customers to an
existing product/s.
Being “customer driven” is a popular catch phrase. Companies were
once manufacturing driven i.e. make products and find people to
sell them to. Now, companies seek out what people want and the
manufacture products accordingly. (This is a simplification and new
product development and marketing is another separate topic).
Whether it is an individual you are going to talk to, or a customer you
are using some form of media to talk to, the more you now about them,
the more focused and relevant the message.
A quality brief must help creative to “get to know” who they are going
to be talking to. Age, sex, education level and other demographics
help, but this does not provide any insight on how they think or feel
(psychographics).
› Demographics: Sex, age, education level, income, employment etc.
And
› Psychographics: Personality, values, interests, opinions etc.
(behavioural).
For example, the target is defined as Male skew, 30 to 45 years, C level
executive. So, typical customer is probably a male, around 40 years,
tertiary level education at the higher end of the income spectrum. This
definition covers a very wide range of potential customers. Are they
health conscious, do they prefer to sport or cultural events, are they
environmentally concerned? The list of possible questions goes on.
Technology provides volumes of information on purchasers. Sometimes
too much. What is the product or service and what information about
the target is relevant. Science plays a role here in correlating which
demographic and behavioural characteristics do the purchasers have
most in common? Common sense also comes into play.
What is it about their behaviours, attitudes and demographics that
would make your product or service attractive to them?
The latest in high tech running shoes is hardly likely to be of much interest
to people who don’t exercise. (Age is not necessarily a distinguishing feature
as people of even 70 or 75 years still are regular joggers).
Technology now allows, in some instances, for one to one targeting.
Many of these instances are still mass marketing, but the specific
product offerings are based on tracking previous purchase history.
Instead of retailers changing products by location in say catalogues,
they can now bring this down to the individual level using EDM. But the
corporate “packaging” (just as like the catalogue), is the same for each
customer. Only the offers vary.
The internet has allowed us to finely target our messages that would
have seemed impossible 20 years ago. Marketing automation tools
allows you to “tag” your customers to show what they recently bought,
what they did on your website, links used – all information that allows
personalisation of messages in a manner relevant to them. There is
always a down side. There is so much information available is raises
issues of how to best it a meaningful way and not end up with multiple,
competing and sometimes overlapping lists. There are many instances
where 20 or more classification variables are collected on each
customer, where only 5 are required to define them to a point of being
able to personalise messages. As well as knowing your market, it is
equally important to know your products.
Leaving aside all the jargon (and there are some big and impressive
words that can be used here), you want to be able to paint a picture
of the target market for the creative so they feel as if they know them
–“Yeah, I used to have a neighbour like that.”.
The terms niche and mass marketing have been around as long as
the industry. In the vast majority of instances, there will be a specific
segment of the population targeted and hence the targeting of message
and media.
But, there are times when you may want to make the appeal as broad
as possible.
The founders of Mojo (Legends Alan Morris and Allan Johnston) were
asked about the target market for their new campaign for Tooheys –
“Anyone over 18 with a mouth.”

8. 8THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
4. THE PROPOSITION (KEY TO THE IDEA)
This has been given many different names over the years (No, not the
“hello sailor” type of proposition).
It was once called the USP, Unique Selling Proposition. But there was
a slight problem with this. In many instances, the core position is often
not unique i.e. Volvo. Though now trying to broaden its consumer
perception, “Safety” is almost rusted onto the brand. Of course Volvo is
not the only safe car on the market, or many would argue (particularly
those from Mercedes, BMW and Audi), it is not even the safest
passenger car on the market. But Volvo put safety at the heart of all its
communications and consumer touch points. Get in first, be consistent
(of course the proposition must also be demonstrably true) and you will
own the core brand value.
The role of advertising is to sell stuff. Therefore, a more appropriate
way of looking at the proposition is what’s sometimes referred to as the
oldest FM radio station in the world – WIIFM. (What’s In It for Me?)
In advertising, irrespective of the medium it is THE IDEA that is the
Holy Grail.
And the proposition is the KEY TO THE IDEA.
As with objectives, the proposition can be tactical (short term) or
strategic (long term). But any short term tactical message, must be a fit
with the overall brand image.
BRAND IMAGE.
The topic of this paper is the writing of a creative brief. Brand building
encompasses much more than just advertising, but the core proposition
for the strategic brand advertising should be representative of the
brand’s culture. Great brands do what they say – messages must be
integrated into not just every customer interaction, but all aspects of
operations. (For example, long term successful brands traditionally have
high satisfaction levels of employees).
Apple provides a great example, recently reporting an operating profit
of US$18 Billion in 3 months. Ultimately, the objective of marketing
(and advertising) is to “Generate long term profitable cash flow and
shareholder wealth.”
Apple made a dramatic appearance with the launch of the McIntosh
personal computer during the 1984 Super Bowl with the legendary TVC
“1984”. It only ran once before the estate of George Orwell (author of the
book 1984), claimed breach of copyright. IBM was the unsaid Big Brother.
Consistency of message does not mean using the same words all the
time. It is consistency of thought/image. Use the “1984” TVC as the
start point for Apple’s image. This image or positioning projected has
not waivered for 41 years and encompasses all aspects of the business
from new products developed, packaging and design and retail outlets.
Apple users are very brand loyal with a strong emotional connection to
the brand. In the PC market buyers are nowhere near as brand loyal,
switching brands if they believe there is a better alternative. People pay
for the emotion, not the performance. (Though Apple users will argue,
which they would be expected to). A strong brand image and loyal users
manifests in higher margins and profitability.
Most advertising and marketing people would be familiar with the
expression of “being on brief.” There have been countless examples of
advertising (across all mediums/carriers), which are creatively brilliant in
their execution, but the message/benefit being put forward is not what
the market is seeking. Great idea, wrong application.
There is also nothing to be gained and plenty to lose by making a claim
the advertiser can’t fulfil. In fact, great advertising can do great damage.
The advertising stands out and compels many more people to try your
product or service and it doesn’t live up to its promise, then many
more people are going to be let down. Negative WOM could kill a brand
before social media. Bad news always travelled fast. Now it travels at
the speed of light.
A result of the wide number of media or carrier options available has
been an emphasis on how the medium works, which is important.
But it seems to be taking a: one size fits all” approach. How to use
Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook etc. All valuable information. As
noted previously, one of the “arts” of creating advertising is to make it
empathetic to the medium in which it will appear.
But even more important is to understand how consumers regard the
product or service category (automotive, IT, fashion, grocery etc.) and
how they go about the purchase – the purchase decision making model.

9. 9THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
All products and services can be plotted on a two dimensional grid or axis.
INVESTMENT (Low)
IMAGE (Low) IMAGE (High)
INVESTMENT (High)
The four quadrants are:
1) High Investment, High Image: Expression of self, who you are,
what you have achieved. But with the high cost involved, the
consequences of a “wrong” decision are significant. Cars are a
good example. There are a fairly large number of luxury brands, the
choice of which is an expression of personality e.g. Mercedes vs.
Porsche. Due to the high cost, unless the buyer has almost unlimited
wealth, rational factors such as resale value, cost of service and
insurance etc. come into play when selecting a marque. For many
years, Mercedes Benz was selected over a BMW or Jaguar primarily
because the retained value of the Mercedes was significantly higher
than the other two. They didn’t get rich by “tossing” money away.
Advertising should appeal to the ego, whilst providing rational
benefits which give “comfort” to a large monetary outlay.
2) High Investment, Low Image: Guys don’t invite their mates around
for a BBQ to check out their new $40,000 ducted air-conditioning
system. Most of us would be familiar with the expression “Nobody
ever got fired for buying IBM” (one of the all-time best examples).
And do you really care if the $100,000 you just invested in shares
was in a worm farm or a high end fashion start up? This segment is
all about the rational and feeling comfortable/secure.
3) Low Investment, High Image: Fashion and alcohol are two good
examples. They are an expression of self/ego, but the cost of making
a wrong choice is not devastating – allows for a greater propensity
for trial and error.
4) Low Investment, Low Image: Many grocery items fall into this
category. Although classified as “low investment”, this is relative and
a value proposition is often the strategy taken. Not surprising then
that home brands or generics have made bigger inroads into these
products. Research has shown that habit is frequently the reason for
purchase – “have always bought Colgate toothpaste” and habits can
be hard to break.
Prior to writing a creative brief, a business,
marketing and advertising plan should have
been produced and the brand/service and
individual products positioning agreed upon.
4. THE PROPOSITION (KEY TO THE IDEA)

10. 10THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
Writing a proposition that genuinely helps creative develop a compelling
communication is an art itself.
Often, attributes are confused for a benefit. It is the attributes which
provide the benefit. For example, technological break throughs are a not
a benefit. How does it improve the quality of the customer’s life, make
them feel satisfied (good parent, friend etc.) or improve their health?
Good creative people are naturally good strategists. They have empathy
from observing and feeling their surroundings and people.
It is often said that advertising is different today, everything is changed.
This is rubbish. The basic elements of human behaviour do not change.
Has there been a massive overhaul in the psychology and human
behaviour studies taught at universities around the world? No.
The new forms of communications, draw on age old behavioural
traits. A generation or two ago, parents would complain that their
teenage children “were always on the phone.” Now we have Facebook,
Instagram and Snapchat. Same behaviour, new tools or toys.
You don’t need to be a psychologist to be a good advertiser, but some
understanding of human behaviour is required.
When thinking about the proposition or benefit, also think about what
motivates people. Successful advertising has always linked the product
or service to basic human motivations or needs.
A great idea touches and moves people. It cuts through the literally
thousands of messages they are exposed to daily by appealing to basic
drivers of human behaviour.
Back in 1943 Abraham Maslow published his “Hierarchy of needs” –
the five drivers of human behaviour.
1) Biological or physiological needs: Air, food, drink, shelter, warmth,
sleep and sex (sexy is ego, sex is a basic need for the survival of the
species).
2) Safety Needs: Security, law and order, stability, freedom from fear.
3) Love and Belonging: Friendship, intimacy, affection, love – from work
groups, friends, family and romantic relationships.
4) Self Esteem/Ego: Achievement, respect (self and from others),
status, sexy, pride.
5) Self-Actualisation: Personal achievement (separate from ego), self-
fulfilment and seeking personal growth and experiences.
In 1954 he extended his list to 8 adding:
6) Cognitive: Knowledge and meaning. (People have always asked
“why?”. Driver of science)
7) Aesthetic: Appreciation of and search for beauty, balance and form.
8) Transcendence: Helping others. Being a good corporate citizen has
always been important (“Cause Marketing”) and companies that
do so, have traditionally performed better than those who don’t. It
defines the corporate culture when done for the right reasons, as
opposed to being purely commercially driven.
So when writing a proposition, don’t just say for security screens, “They
are stronger”, or speakers “they sound better” or tyres “ will handle
better”. How do these benefits relate to our basic needs?
It is stronger – Burglars will need a tank to break through.
It sound better – Speakers so good you will be able to tell the brand of
guitar playing. (Hyperbole is ok).
It handles better – Your family will be safer, no matter how bad the roads.
An extreme example was a proposition for Ferrari, which captured the
essence of the psychology of buying the brand so well, it did run as the
headline for an ad
“If you don’t want to be stared at, buy a Porsche.” (May be a little
too honest).
You are not trying to write an ad. But rather than just say what the
product or service does, think about what the product does for the user
– a big difference. This will give creative a far greater insight and start
to the creative process, hopefully culminating in The Idea.
Whether it is a traditional ad, a Facebook page, website, blog or series
of tweets, all must have a basic proposition they are trying to convey. A
great idea works across all medium.
4. THE PROPOSITION (KEY TO THE IDEA)

11. 11THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
NOTES
Good advertising is “story telling”. With a website or Facebook page,
what is the theme of the story being conveyed?
A website will be many pages, but if you cannot say what the key
benefit is communicated by the sum of the parts, then it is a series of
disconnected thoughts, with no central theme.
A “Content” firm laid claim to inventing the term Story Telling in 2012.
Further proof the basics have not changed. Since the 70’s, many
creative directors told aspiring creative advertising is story telling.
Seeing more and more, self-professed “digital marketers”, putting
forward enlightened observations on communications such as EDM,
blogs etc., which are Advertising 101.
4. THE PROPOSITION (KEY TO THE IDEA)

12. 12THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
5. SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSITION
When a claim is made, it must be supported by facts to be credible. The
support generally comes in the form of attributes. And quite often, an
attribute is confused for a benefit.
A possibly controversial example is the promised increased internet
speeds promised by the NBN. It is not the speed that is the benefit, it
what this allows the user to do or achieve – the ability for a doctors to
send large files to each quickly in critical situations for example.
A highly compelling creative execution of a well-crafted brief is still
missing one vital ingredient – credibility.
What information (and how is this best communicated) is required for
believability. Banks and telecoms have been guilty over the years of the
credibility gap between advertising claim and reality.
Interestingly, consumers have believed a claim when they don’t
understand the “reason why” given. “New Product x Moisturiser, with
clinoncloptomium, makes you look 5 years younger without surgery”.
No one knows what the hell clinoncloptomium is (neither do I, just made
it up), but it sounds good. Washing detergents and cleaners have been
doing this for years.
Looking at the 3 proposition examples, the support for each proposition
could be:
Security screens – Only screens with titanium to add extra strength
Speakers – Use AirPlay which does not degrade audio quality on wire-
less speakers.
Tyres – Patented directional tread pattern to disperse water faster and
silica for greater grip.
If you asked a person what “twin overhead cams, with 4 valves per
cylinder” meant before Toyota first began using it in their advertising,
they would more than likely at you and say “what”?
Yet they had huge success with their small, but powerful engines.
Australians had for generations fallen in love with big 6 and V8 engines.
They had plenty of power, but as the price of fuel increased, the cost of
running climbed.
But the alternative were little “buzz boxes”, that “wouldn’t pull the skin
off custard”.
So Toyota said they had these small but powerful engines. “How did
you achieve that?” was the question. Answer, “easy, our engines have 4
valves per cylinder and twin overhead cam shafts”.
Next, was the claim that their engines “breathe better”. An analogy
was given as the reason why – people perform better when they
breathe better.
The critical factor here, is that the technical reason given, whilst beyond
95% of people’s understanding, was true.
The support for the proposition is the content (there’s that word again),
of websites and Facebook pages. In these instances, the “Brief” will ex-
tend over a number of pages. The website of Facebook page is making
a brand statement and the brief will need to detail each of the pages, or
components required.
Website – Detail the “index”, Hone or Landing Page, What We Do etc.
and their content. This is where the information on “how to build a
website” comes in. The mechanics versus the messages.
Facebook – Is it going to contain consumer promotions, new product
releases, “how to” information etc.? Again, the mechanics. Very import-
ant, but what is its objective, the overall theme/message and its role in
“the idea”?
Support also manifests in many other ways – rather than just “lip ser-
vice”. Advertising is just the tip of the Core Value, Proposition or Idea.
A business or organisation has to do more than just say it, or talk the
talk. The core proposition only gains real credibility when it becomes
part of a company’s DNA. It needs to be reflected in all consumer touch
points and internal company policies. (From social media to promotions).

13. 13THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
6. TONE
Having established the objective, target, proposition and support, this
should be evident. But, it serves as reinforcement of the preceding
elements of the brief.
Tone is reflective of the brand/product/service and its positioning. Are
you trying to project style and elegance, or be egalitarian? Is it a high
tech. product with a well-educated and somewhat cynical user base? It
may be a clothing brand, but this could be a non-nonsense, tough work
wear, or it could be the latest in fashion.
Descriptions such as “market leader” or “confident”, are not
particularly useful.
Think of it as if you are describing an individual’s personality.

14. 14THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
7. MANDATORIES
This is information that must be included for legal purposes, or simply
how can consumes make contact. Unless there is a checklist, some
very basic and important information can be over looked.
It includes:
› Sale end dates, or “while stocks last”
› A lottery promotion, will require a lottery permit number
› Website, email and telephone contact numbers.
› A map for a new store opening
› A coupon
› Promotional partner/s logo/s
The list of possibilities is long and in many instances it may be wise to
seek a legal opinion.

15. 15THE BRIEF – WHERE SCIENCE MEETS ART
8. BUDGET
Reinforcement of the need to include media planning at the start of the
process. A total budget would have been allocated and media planning
would calculate the most cost effective and impactful (balance between
the two) medium to reach the target before the creative brief is written.
Sometimes this will have a bearing on the advertising vehicle selected
(e.g. if TV can be afforded). On other occasions the requirement is a
must, such as a website.
For the purposes of the creative brief, the budget must be included to
provide guidelines on what is affordable. Whether building a house,
buying a car, furniture or cloths, most of us have to work to a budget.
Can talent be afforded, video for the website, a VIP guest for Facebook
live chat etc.?
A great idea is not so great if it is not affordable.