When it comes to creative briefings, I’ve sat at both ends of the table. I’ve been the strategist, but I’ve also been the creative.
Over the years, I’ve seen some very good briefs. They sparked ideas before they were even finished. But I’ve also received some that left me more confused than inspired.
I believe that these three steps are crucial to any creative briefing:
1. Field work
Every strong brief starts with field work. Talk to the end consumer. Listen without an agenda. Don’t just look for your hypothesis to be confirmed.
Because you are not the target group.
Maybe you overlap a little: same preferences, same age, same habits. But you don’t represent everyone you’re trying to reach. Assuming you do is how we end up creating advertisements for people in advertising.
2. A good insight
Every strong brief starts with a sharp insight. Not a recycled truth or a marketing cliché, but something that actually makes you think and nod.
It should feel surprising, emotional, and relevant to the target audience. And it should be well-written. A lot of boxes to tick, but a good insight is worth the effort. It’s the most crucial sentence of every creative process.
At one agency where I worked, strategists had to format the insight in a big, bold font, in the middle of the page. If they felt awkward about printing or forwarding that big headline, they knew it wasn’t good enough yet.
3. Simplicity
Perfection doesn’t happen when there’s nothing left to add, but when there’s nothing left to take away. The tighter the brief, the freer the ideas. Because every extra sentence, every unnecessary slide, adds noise where you want clarity.
So, how do you know if your creative briefing is good enough? Simple: when you can’t help but start thinking of ideas yourself.
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