Getting started with a Creative Brief

Have you ever tried to crack a joke, and then, suddenly realised it didn't land right? That's pretty much how creative briefs land too, when not written appropriately.

I realised this largeness of this problem only when a creative director pointed it out. We were in a client meeting discussing timelines, when this CD said that we need to accommodate at least 2 rounds of scripts presentation. He reasoned, the client knows what he wants only after he hears the Round 1 scripts.

So how do we avoid this? We can start by ensuring that the brief covers everything we want in the resulting ad.

If the ad has to be clutter-breaking, the brief should explain what the clutter is.
If the ad has to comprehendible, the brief should state what the intended message is.
If the ad has to be memorable, the brief should state what the killer insight is.
Most importantly,
If the ad has to be effective, the brief should cover the expected effect, and how it is communication that will affect it.

1. Explaining the Clutter:
Most briefs mention only a marketing-led background. We need to also mention what brands, products, and ads exist in the marketplace. If the brand is a challenger-brand, the brief needs to explain what brands we are challenging. If we are also challenging category codes of communication, Semantics is a brilliant tool to identify these codes.
Take the deodorant category for example. A clutter defined as 'Foreign lifestyle' will lead to desi contexts of Wild Stone's ads (one of them here). Alternatively, if it got defined as 'sex and sensuality', it will lead to Fogg's new ad.

2. Stating the intended message:
This would probably be the brand proposition itself. In case, the proposition has been around for a long time, it will be in the context of a new product / consumer insight. The simpler this message, the more hard-hitting the output can be. Think Fevicol.

3. Stating the insight:
Of course, this term is extensively abused. But that doesn't mean it is irrelevant. Without an insight, even a great product feature (the intended message) will lose its memorability. Continuing with the example, notice how most memorable Fevicol work (not necessarily the most awarded work) is in the context of fragility. Strength of bonding can best be highlighted amidst things that are prone to falling apart. Or for that matter, Ceat tyres' ads on importance of good grip.

4. Covering the expected effect:
As advertising becomes more effectiveness-oriented, this part is the key. In a way, it connects the brief to the marketing problem. Explaining the role of communication is important too. It converts the marketing problem into a communication problem, so that advertising can solve it. At Ogilvy, we were asked to follow the Do Brief. More about the approach here.

Is this the best structure to write a brief? It's not. It's just one of many.
Nor is this brief required in all cases. Sometimes, a celebrity or just a catch-phrase can work wonders.

In other cases, though, this outline (and the work that goes in writing it) can increase your chances of striking a good idea.

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Note: While Ogilvy is an ex-employer, the objective here is to use examples, where to some extent, I was aware of the development process. Taking other examples would be just hypothesising how the ad came to be.