The Creative Brief printable pdf download

The Creative Brief

Purposes of a Creative Brief

The creative brief includes key information gleaned from formative research and translates these research learnings into

direction for the advertising agency creative staff (creatives) to develop communication materials. It serves as a link

between the research and the creative process. The creative brief also helps bring everyone involved into alignment

before development of materials begins. Once the individual(s) with responsibility for making the ultimate decision

about creative materials has approved the creative brief, materials development can begin.

Elements of a Creative Brief

Below is a description of the most common elements included in a creative brief. There are many ways to design a

creative brief, and different organizations and agencies will use unique formats that include some (or all) of these

elements.

Project Description and Background

The specific assignment for the agency’s creatives. This section provides key background information and short-term

tactical thinking to help bring the long-term strategy to life in the target audience’s current environment. The assignment

might be a broad assignment such as the following:

Develop comprehensive introductory advertising for a new program designed to reduce exposure to secondhand

smoke.

Develop a public education campaign designed to spur individual and community action to reduce young

people’s access to tobacco products, especially by building support for local enforcement efforts.

The assignment might also be as specific as the following:

Develop a new television advertising execution (sometimes called a “pool-out”) for a campaign in progress.

Create ads for billboards to supplement existing TV and print ads.

Description of the Target Audience

Identification of the target audience you want to reach. Examples of target audiences include the following:

Restaurant owners who smoke

11- to 15-year-old nonsmokers

African American adult male smokers

Family members of smokers

Policy makers

Target Audience Insights

Descriptive details about the target audience. This should include specific information about demographics, lifestyles,

psychographics, and other characteristics of the target audience that help the creatives develop materials appropriate for

this audience. Creative materials are most persuasive when based on one or more insights into target audience beliefs or

practices related to the concept, product, attitude, or behavior being addressed. These target audience insights can be

positive or negative. They are the foundation for building the content of communications materials.

One example of a target audience belief that might influence the creation of advertising executions encouraging youth

not to smoke is that youth are more afraid of living a life of pain and physical problems as a result of smoking than they

are afraid of dying from smoking, because their perception of death is vague and abstract.

Goal(s)

What you want the target audience to do as a result of hearing, watching, reading, or experiencing the communication.

Examples include the following:

Increase knowledge about tobacco industry marketing practices.

Change attitudes about exposing other people to secondhand smoke.

Support policies restricting smoking in public buildings.

Enter a smoking cessation program.

The Creative Brief

Related Articles

Related forms

Related Categories