Brief guide to Briefs

Why do we have creative briefs?

So give me some guiding principles

CLARITY BREVITY FERTILITY

Clarity?
• Fishing analogy CLARITY
BREVITY
BREVITY
BREVITY
BREVITY
“Preparation H is of limited interest
FERTILITY
to a bunch of twentysomething
creatives, but it is of incredible
interest to someone with piles.”
Jeremy Bullmore (paraphrased)
The brief writer’s role
Some rules

Don’t believe the hype

Speak like and for a consumer, not a marketing gibbon

Creatives write from a brief, not to one

Briefs are organic and collaborative

It’s not just a brief it’s a briefing

Brand Date

Product Job No.

creative brief
Brand Proposition Whatever the client said in the last meeting, probably something generic.

What do we want This is the space to write lots of flashy and EXCITING words to inspire the creative's. Use different type
to achieve? fonts if possible. Don’t be afraid of listing multiple conflicting objectives either.

What is the one

Fill this space with as many irrelevant facts as possible. If you can stretch it out to six or seven paragraphs, do.
key insight

What do we want You will be tempted to write “buy more stuff” here. Don’t. Instead go for something vague and unobtainable like “feel like
people to do? the first time they had a bath” or “recall a fond memory of the old five pence piece”.

How should we tell Make sure you include the word “social” in this section so you can enforce a Facebook group and Twitter hash
them? tag.

Because product X is “The worlds most something product.” If anyone questions it or asks why, just repeat yourself until
Why would they?
they go away.
Brand Date

Product Job No.

Acc/Man creative brief

IA Have you engaged an IA? Technical Have you engaged technical?

R&I Have you engaged R&I?

Deadlines Last week Budget Minimal (plus it’s already been spent)

Write “any media” here, that way it will be more of a fun surprise when you reveal that the client only wants banners.
Format/Media
Tada!

You should be able to go into graphical and inane detail regarding the target audience. Give the guy/girl who represents
your audience a name, a job, a selection of library books they have borrowed and not returned and the details of who
Audience specifics
they absconded with in 1991 after a minor mental breakdown behind Tesco express on a wet night in January. All gold to
the creative's. The more you give the better those standard banners are going to look.

This is the place to provide all the links to the kind of work you want to copy, plagiarise and borrow from. They must be
Creative good ideas if they have already been made and you will only need to make a few minor alterations to shoe horn in your
inspiration brand. Stealing off of ordinary internet people looks the best and will totally win loads of awards, but stealing off of other
ads and campaigns is also perfectly acceptable.

Creative
This is a fun section, just write literally the first thing that pops into your head.
mandatories
How to write one well

Have a consistent theme to the entire brief

There are no boring boxes (and make sure you fill in the right one)

Let your personality, or the personality of the consumer shine through

Use evocative, unexpected language

Every word is sacred. Don’t waste or misuse a single one.

Don’t fuck with the template to squeeze more shit in

The Apple Creative Brief Challenge
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition Quality is closer to home than you think

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them?
D!
O
GO
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
Make British Apples sexy again
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them?
D!
O
GO
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want We want a country that says no to uniform, sub standard apples. Yay to lumpy! Yay to mis-shaped! And most importantly
to achieve? yay to apples that taste better!

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do?

H T
G
S I ES
How should we tell I N
them? AN T MAK
A E
TH N AC VE!
A
CTI
B JE
O
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want Business objective / increase British apple sales by 50% by the end of 2010
to achieve? Marketing objective / drive positive brand perception by 75% by the end of 2010

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do?

UT
How should we tell T.B O
them? AR TO
SM BE
Y
MA MART
S
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
Improve perceptions of British Apples. Increase sales of British Apples.
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do?

IC
How should we tell
them?
ER
N
GE
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
We need to improve the perception of British Apples, raising the NPS score to 9
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

ESE
them?
I NG
T
RKE
MA
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

We want to motivate health fanatics to ingest 33.3% of their antioxidants/vitaminC from locally grown british
What do we want apples
to achieve?
(we want to do this to increase the perception and sales of local grown brit apples)

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do?

C H
How should we tell
M U
them?
O O C E
T EN
I
SC
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

Fruit’s got pretentious. Tasmanian Loganberries, Brazillian Passion Fruit, and vast, glossy jet-setting Starkimson apples
What is the one
from South Africa all typify style trumping substance. And it’s not even pretension for the sake of individuality: all the
key insight
internationally-sourced, chemically-enhanced, morpholine-buffed apples look and taste the same.

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them?
D!
O
GO
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

Health fanatics are not bothered about the taste and look of produce they consume. From placenta munching to urine
What is the one swilling, as long as they know it is the best produce that gives their bodies the best health benefits, they are down pat.
key insight
Healthy people don’t care what it looks like. They care about the facts and what it does for their health.

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them?
D!
O
GO
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

Britain loves an underdog.
key insight

What do we want
people to do?

ULD
How should we tell
W O
HY A S
“W EY?” HT
them?

TH NSIG
N I
A
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one British people love a good cause, especially when it’s about British foodstuffs. Chat to people about marmite or the
key insight correct way to make tea and you’ll find passion on an exponential scale.

What do we want
people to do?

ULD
How should we tell
W O
HY A S
“W EY?” HT
them?

TH NSIG
N I
A
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

In general terms, apples have fallen by the wayside in favour of more exotic fruit, with British apples suffering at the
What is the one hands of cheap imports as supermarkets favour their bulk production. In 1987 there were 1,500 registered apple growers
key insight in the UK, today there are just 400. Only 31% of UK apple sales are home grown, and all these imports also make for a
massive carbon footprint.

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell I ON

them? MAT T
F OR SIGH
I N T IN
NO

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

Consumers and supermarkets have no sense of loyalty to the British apple market
key insight

What do we want
people to do?

E SS T
How should we tell S I N BU
them? BU LEM FUL
ROB IGHT
P NS ON
I TI
NO OLU
S
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

The good old 19th century saying ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is as true today as it was back then but it’s
definitely not something we live by. Our hectic lifestyle is making people turn to the easiest and least time consuming
option even when it comes to buying fruit. This has resulted in that people are:
What is the one •are eating more ready made portioned fruit from far, far away = expensive for the consumer & bad for the environment
key insight •drinking more juice (from concentrate) rather than eating fruit = bad for their teeth & a health risk with all that sugar
•And even when they do eat or buy it’s usually the ones from outside the UK. Not that they know about it. Actually, when
asked most haven’t even thought about it and just assumed that it’s from the UK. They don’t know & they don’t know what
the difference is.

What do we want
people to do?

A NY
How should we tell
O M S.
them? TO IGHT
INS

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do? Explore how being different is awesome

How should we tell

H!
them?
D IS
O O
G
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do? Make the less obvious choice

How should we tell

them?
D!
O
GO
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do? Rescue the British Apple species

How should we tell

D! VE)
them?
O TI
GO
VE
A S AC
SSI
(P A
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
people to do? Sin. Eat the forbidden fruit.

How should we tell

T!
them?
E A
GR
Why would they?
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?
I V E,
CT
J E
OB NOT ION
S IT
What is the one
O PO
key insight PR

What do we want
people to do? Remember how great British apples are and start buying them again!

How should we tell

them?

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?
I V E,
CT
J E
OB NOT ION
S IT
What is the one
O PO
key insight PR

What do we want
people to do? Buy more British apples

How should we tell

them?

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

R EE NS
TH ITIO
P OS E
O N
What is the one PR IN O
key insight

What do we want
people to do? Enjoy the fresh taste, buy seasonally and feel proud to be buying British apples

How should we tell

them?

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?
I O N
U CT
S TR T
IN NO TION
What is the one P IRA
key insight INS

What do we want Support British apples and experiment in eating them, sending a message to the
people to do? supermarkets to stock more

How should we tell

them?

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight
D !
O O
G
What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? It looks ugly for a reason

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight
D !
O O
G
What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? British imperfection is beautiful

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight
D !
O O
G
What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? Ugly tries harder

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

T!
A
key insight

E
GR
What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? The quirkier the better

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

T!
A
key insight

E
GR
What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? Beauty is only skin deep

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

I NG
What is the one
IE V T
key insight
EL E N
B C LI
E
TH HYPE

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? Reignite the spirit of the Great British Apple

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one O

key insight TW ENT
ER
F
DIF DEAS
I
What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? Keep yourself and your local community healthy by eating more British apples

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

N OT
key insight
U AL NAL
C T TIO
F A RA
P I
IN S

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? When it comes to apples, British is best

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight NAL
CTIO
I RE
D

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? Find Britain’s tastiest apple

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight
T I VE
I VA
R
DE

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? How do you nibble yours?

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight
T I VE
I VA
R
DE

What do we want
people to do?

How should we tell

them? Ugly tries harder

Why would they?

Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
D!
people to do?
OO
G
How should we tell
them?

Patriotism, and compassion for British farmers, they will feel positive about supporting the local economy.
There has, of late, been a real trend for locally sourced, organic produce: you’ve only got to listen to the likes of Jamie
Why would they? Oliver and Gordon Ramsay etc.
Interest: the superior quality and vast variety of British apples is perhaps not something that is common knowledge. This
coupled with the trend for home cooking could inspire people to try something different.
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
D!
people to do?
OO
G
How should we tell
them?

It’s quirky and honest message around quality and patriotism.

Why would they?
Should make them feel like they’re being a little bit different and supporting the underdog.
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
A T!
people to do?
E
GR
How should we tell
them?

Choose British:
Overseas foreign imports might look great on the outside, but under the skin is lurking fruit based demons:
Pesticides & Herbicides
Why would they? Genetic engineering for size and colour decreases taste
1000s of Carbon Miles

Where as British apples, whilst slightly uglier, are natural and tasty – and beautiful because of it.
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want
A T!
people to do?
E
GR
How should we tell
them?

Each of the 2000 variants of British apple, from ‘Knobby Russet’ to ‘Nutmeg Pippin’, has its own distinct local flavour and
texture that tells a story about where it came from - the history, the farmers and the wildlife its orchard support. By finding
Why would they?
out more about the food they are eating, people will feel more informed and more satisfied with the value of their food
choices.
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

What do we want T IC
people to do?
ALIS
NRE
U

How should we tell

them?

Why would they? They should interact because they will learn something new.
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

NT
What do we want
L IE
people to do?
C IE F
BR
How should we tell
them?

Eating more apples, particularly locally grown ones would not only see them healthier and happier and with a better
memory (eating apples prevents dementia), it would actually save them a lot of money as well as an average non-UK
“perfect looking apple” is 21p more expensive. But few people know this.
Why would they?
Locally grown apples are now clearly labelled in the supermarket so it’s easy to spot which ones are indeed from the UK.
We’ve also launched a range of fresh apple juices which are available in most supermarkets. And, to inspire the UK
public, with each purchase you get a neat little receipe book on quick apple fixes, from apple crumble to apple sauce.
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

G IC
What do we want
A TE E
people to do?
ST R OM
U TC
O
How should we tell
them?

Stage one: they’ve read about the cause and want to try something different, they’re inspired to go out and find a British
apple.
Why would they?
Stage two: they loved it and start campaigning, fed up with the fact that their local supermarket isn’t stocking what they
want.
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Brand Proposition

What do we want
to achieve?

What is the one

key insight

IG N
M PA NOT
What do we want
CA FS T
people to do?
ROO DUC
P O
PR OOFS
PR
How should we tell
them?

We are creating a fun, engaging campaign which is based on facts rather than a hard sales pitch. We are appealing to
the health conscious side of our audience whom actually want good quality and we are arming them with information in a
Why would they?
light hearted way.
Think: I want to embrace natural produce grown on British turf
Brand Brand Date dd/mm/yy

Product Product Job No. DD0123

creative brief
Producer Who is the primary producer? Planner Who is the primary planner?

IA Have you engaged an IA? Technical Have you engaged technical?

R&I Have you engaged R&I?

Deadlines hh:mm dd/mm/yyyy Budget £xx,xxx

Format/Media Big Idea/Product/Event/Tool/Widget/Advertising/Website/Email & what sort of places will it appear?

Audience specifics Are there any detailed consumer facts and figures that will help the teams get to a creative idea?

Creative
Are there any inspirational websites, campaigns, artworks, programmes, whatever, that will help the creative teams
inspiration

Creative Is there anything that just HAS to be included in the creative solution? Adaptability for multiple languages, inclusion of
mandatories logo, space for third party advertising, existing creative lines etc
Your task

Get into threesomes (and the occasional foursome)

Go discuss your briefs, what you found hard, what you would change

Quickly compose a new one page brief together

Consider how you would do the briefing

Bring it back to the group and present it in less than 2 minutes

Now go and practice…