The document provides guidance on how to write an effective creative brief by focusing on the audience first, then developing an insight about them, a proposition to address the insight, and reasons to believe the proposed solution will work. It emphasizes starting with understanding the audience at a deep level before considering the product or challenge. The brief should tell a story that excites creatives and makes them want to spend more time on the proposition.

1. Creative brief writing Crayon

2. © Crayon 2010 Forget the Creative Brief The document itself isn’t the right place to start…

3. © Crayon 2010 When someone asks you to write a creative brief they’re not asking you to undertake a form filling exercise They’re asking you to go away and do some original thinking

4. They’re asking you to untangle all the information that’s been thrown at you and find the one thing that will tell your audience why they need what your client is offering…

5. © Crayon 2010 Creatives then take this idea and dramatise it

6. © Crayon 2010 So what does this thought process look like?

7. © Crayon 2010 Challenge It looks something like this… …and this is the journey we take to create a proposition that excites… Audience Insight Proposition RTB Response TOV How will we know it worked?

8. Stage 1: Audience © Crayon 2010 Forget thinking about ‘the challenge’, we’ll come back to that later… …you can also forget the product, the offerand any crap buzz words… …you must always start your thought process by getting under the skin of your audience

9. Stage 1: Audience © Crayon 2010 This is not an opportunity to write everything you know about them or list their demographics. Your task is to bring your audience to life…

11. what do they think and believe?

12. what’s really unique about them?

13. what are their hopes and fears?

15. © Crayon 2010 If you really have multiple audiences, get that out of the way briefly and focus on what makes them similar Stage 1: Audience - Some advice

16. © Crayon 2010 And if you’re stuck… imagine someone you know who is the target audience… …it’s very likely you know or have known someone in your the target audience

17. Stage 2: Insight © Crayon 2010 When you start to bring your audience to life start exploring why they behave like they do or why they hold the attitudes they do….then select the most profound insight…

18. © Crayon 2010 Stage 2: Insight If you follow this approach, your insights should seamlessly fit with your audience description

19. Stage 3: The proposition © Crayon 2010 The proposition is just a single key thought that explains why the audience should buy your client’s product or service

20. How you’ll know when you’ve got it right © Crayon 2010 You will know when your proposition is right, it’s when it locks your insight and your reason to believe together…

21. © Crayon 2010 Think of it like this…Imagineyou got in a lift with a prospect on the top floor. Before you reach the lobby you have to convince them in one line why they should buy your product or service How to write a proposition

22. © Crayon 2010 How you’ll know when you’ve got it right If you’re not excited about telling someone about it, it needs more work…

23. © Crayon 2010 If it’s a great proposition, creatives will find a way to spend more time on it If it’s shit they’ll make their own one up and not tell you Proposition: Some advice

24. © Crayon 2010 It always takes a lot longer than you think, so give yourself the time it deserves Proposition: Some advice

25. Stage 4: Reason to believe © Crayon 2010 Reason to believe = Why does the product deliver the proposition. You must use this section to show the creatives why they should believe in your thinking. Keep it simple and the language persuasive.

26. © Crayon 2010 Resist, resist, resist…. Avoid the urge to write everything you know about the product when you come to write the brief… (this can go in the support brief if you so wish)

27. Stage 5: Response © Crayon 2010 What do you want people to do? Keep it succint and simple “Rethink the brand and register for more details” is enough…

28. Stage 6: Tone of Voice © Crayon 2010 How would you want the recipient of your message to describe the tone of voice? Don’t just nick it from the brand guidelines…

29. Stage 7: how will we know if it worked? © Crayon 2010

30. Stage 8: The Challenge © Crayon 2010 Now, go back and think of the creative challenge, it’s easy now you’ve done all the thinking…

31. © Crayon 2010 Remember the challenge is to the creative team, it’s not the marketing brief in a paragraph Keep it short, keep your problems to yourself.. Stage 8: The Challenge

32. © Crayon 2010 Always write it last

33. © Crayon 2010 Challenge By following this thought process you’ve just done this… Audience Insight Proposition RTB Response TOV How will we know it worked?

34. Creative Brief writing Writing the brief © Crayon 2010

35. © Crayon 2010 Now when someone asks you to write a Creative Brief you know a thought process to get to a killer proposition… …but that’s only half the story now you have to turn that thinking into a creative brief…

36. © Crayon 2010 Remember don’t think of this document as a form… …it’s your opportunity to turn your thinking into your story for the creatives Here’s some tips on how to do it…

37. © Crayon 2010 Get away from your desk. Remember you’re not filling out a form you’re doing some original thinking… …and you can’t do that if Rob is asking if you’ve seen his stapler!

38. © Crayon 2010 The best briefs are often written by collaboration, grab a friendly planner, creative or another account handler and chat it through…

39. © Crayon 2010 Have a consistent theme for the entire brief and let your personality or the personality of the consumer shine through… …Use evocative, expressive and unexpected language…

40. © Crayon 2010 When you write and present your brief remember you’re selling a story to the creatives…Build towards your proposition… Don’t give away your insight when you’re talking about your audience and don’t give your proposition away when talking about your insight!

41. © Crayon 2010 Don’t fuck with the template… If you can’t fit what you want to say into the space provided, your thinking is wrong…or you’re wasting words… We won’t read it until it is on one page

42. © Crayon 2010 The briefing is as important as the brief…

43. © Crayon 2010 remember, remember, remember You’re writing this for a creative team, not your client

44. © Crayon 2010 Right, it’s your turn to do some work… Turn this client briefs into a creative brief... Beware the red herrings

45. © Crayon 2010 David Killick Planner David.Killick@crayonlondon.com