Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Creative Briefs

Are you ready to take your project to the next level? The first step to success is creating a solid game plan with a clear objective. That’s where a creative brief comes in.

A creative brief acts as a roadmap, guiding a project from ideation to completion. It ensures that the scope, timeline, key stakeholders, and purpose of the project are communicated clearly to everyone involved.

So, what exactly is a creative brief?

A creative brief is a concise document that outlines the mission, goals, challenges, demographics, messaging, and other key details of a marketing, advertising, or design project. It is usually crafted by a consultant or creative project manager and serves as a foundation for stakeholder alignment before a project begins. Sounds simple, right? Let’s dive deeper.

The Purpose of a Creative Brief

Every successful project starts with a conversation. Whether you’re a consultant pitching a creative brief to a client or a project manager presenting a brief to your team, the first step is to speak with stakeholders. These discussions help you understand the company’s mission, project goals, and any challenges your team may face.

Once you have this information, you can craft a compelling brief that focuses on what truly matters to your company or client. A creative brief typically consists of eight sections that can fit onto one or two pages.

How a Creative Brief Works

Creative briefs are a staple in marketing, advertising, and design teams. For smaller in-house projects, the brief is owned by the team executing the project. For larger, long-term projects involving an agency, the brief is owned by the creative team or agency working on the project. These advanced briefs involve close collaboration with stakeholders and expert competitive research.

To get started on your own creative brief, follow these key steps:

Creative Brief Outline

• Project Name
• Company Background
• Project Objective
• Target Audience
• Competitors
• Key Message
• Key Consumer Benefit
• Attitude
• Call to Action
• Distribution

How to Write a Creative Brief

Now that you understand the importance of a creative brief, it’s time to create your own. Use the following steps to draft a comprehensive brief that will guide your project to success. And to make things even easier, we’ve included a fill-in-the-blank template to get you started.

Step 1: Decide on a name for the project

The project name is crucial as it will be the first impression your team has of the project. Keep it creative and concise.

Step 2: Write about the brand and summarize the project’s background

Provide a brief overview of the company background and project history. Tailor this section to the specific project at hand.

Step 3: Highlight the project objective

Clearly explain the purpose of the project, the timeline, and the target audience you aim to reach.

Step 4: Describe the target audience

Define the primary and secondary target audience demographics, behaviors, psychographics, and geographics.

Step 5: Interpret the competitive landscape

Identify key competitors and areas where your project can make a difference in the market.

Step 6: Prepare the key message

Create a key message that resonates with your audience and highlights the benefits of your solution.

Step 7: Choose the key consumer benefit

Select a primary benefit that your target audience will experience when using your product or service.

Step 8: Select an attitude

Determine the tone and voice of your campaign to maintain consistency across all creative elements.

Step 9: Determine the best call to action

Create clear and compelling calls to action that prompt your audience to take the desired next steps.

Step 10: Draft the distribution plan

List the platforms and channels where you plan to promote the project to ensure your target audience sees it.

Step 11: Share the creative brief with stakeholders

Distribute the completed brief to your team and encourage feedback and collaboration to ensure everyone is aligned on the project goals.

By following these steps and using the provided templates, you’ll be well on your way to crafting a successful creative brief that guides your project from start to finish.

Ready to get started? Download our free creative brief templates now and elevate your projects to new heights.