Creative briefing 1

Okay, back to that to do list. On writing great briefs and doing great briefings. It's focused on advertising led briefing - a bit unfashionable, but since it'd how most agencies still do it. and this is about basics, it's a good place to start. We'll move on to design and integrated 'idea briefs' later.

It should be moderating focus groups next, but I've been writing a string of creative briefs recently, and for one reason or another, I found I was a bit rusty. It reminded me of the importance of keeping your hand in (must post about that) and also, the value of creative briefing in developing strategy, as opposed to expressing it.

Writing a brief forces you to make a strategy work, it shows you where the connections between the various elements you need to pull together are breaking down. And it helps me make  strategy a lot better (or sometimes find one!) by trying to write about it. I'm a big believer in 'flow' - losing yourself if a task. When you're REALLY into the task of writing a brief, you're in a bit of a trance, thinking without thinking about it - and things start to happen.

It's wonderful feeling when it begins to come - and then you can't stop. It's a bit like learning to serve at tennis. The bloody thing will not go in, then you stop thinking about it and it all works. Then you start making it really good, adding slice, kickers and twisters as you go along. But it all hinges on that first time the basic service action first kicks into place.

Working on strategy that way won't work for everyone, but it does for me. And don't forget, the more conversations you have, the better the thinking tends to get.

And I've just realised, this is pretty much a whole post already isn't? So I'll try and break this up a bit and avoid the default 'war and peace' approach. It will all be up this week.

Comments

[monica]

I'm so excited I found your site! I'm an ad student going into planning & right now work in a marketing department for a small corporation in California. I've been searching high & low for info on briefs from those who are "doing it". So...Thanks!

[np]

Glad to be of help;-)