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Killer Briefs Overview
Milwaukee AdWorkers
02 2017

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Lynette Xanders
CEO | Chief Strategist, Wild Alchemy

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Wild Alchemy is a
momentum company:
infusing companies and
individuals with insights and
inspiration to create
something amazing ℠.
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Creative Research + Brand Strategies
+ Cultural Recalibration + Creative Momentum

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clients | brands

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agency clients

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80% of my clients’
problems
[culture, sales, brand
fragmentation, etc.]
can be resolved with a
killer brief.

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Why? Because it generates
greater efficiency and
effectiveness through
alignment, leads to
better work through clarity and
inspiration, and allows teams to
have more fun in the process
by reducing drag.

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Specifically:
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Saving creative resources
Reducing circular conversations
Establishing accountability
Igniting strategic thought-
starters
Streamlining decision making
Selling in work

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WIIFM?
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YOU will always have a job.
Some agencies make 40% of
their revenues on the thinking.

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It’s All About HOW
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It’s a good idea that doesn’t
tend to pan out in reality
because it’s a ‘throw away task’.
(Note: if clients were right, they
wouldn’t need agencies).

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“We never seem to
have enough time to
do it right, but we
always seem to have
time to do it over.”
~Global agency head

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Briefs are NOT a:
job order
set of instructions
client wish list
record of how much you know
packet of data
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Briefs ARE:
the first creative idea
areas of heat/places to play
a springboard for ideation
inspirational > informational
both creative + brief
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What do we want to have happen?
How will we know when we get there?
Why will they care? What do we do for them? Say about
them?
What do they need to believe to act and what are we asking
them to do?
What are the tools at our disposal?

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What is on offer? What is the product or category? What are our ‘units of sale’?
What is the assignment? What are we building? What is the output/deliverable?
Why are we doing it? What do we want to have happen (that’s measurable)?
Who are we talking to? Who are our cul@sts and low hanging fruit in terms of
their shared behaviors and aAtudes? No demos.
What do they currently think What do they believe (that drives their behavior)?
(that helps or hurts us)?
What do they need to think? What do they need to believe to act (as we wish)?
What s is the ONE thing In 7 words, what is a (loaded) slogan for the idea?
we need to tell them? (What do we do for them? Say about them ? What will mo@vate them?)
Why should they believe us? Factual or anecdotal, what support do we have?
What are we really selling? What is the magne@c virtue?
What is our personality? 3 words that define our aAtude + and a poster child

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What is on offer?
What is the assignment?
Why are we doing it?
Who are we talking to?
What do they currently think
(that helps or hurts us)?
What do they need to think?
What s is the ONE thing
we need to tell them?
Why should they believe us?
What are we really selling?
What is our personality?

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DON’T
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Make the background more than 3 lines.
“This piece is aimed at a broad audience of both consumer and
business users, as well as analysts, tech bloggers and
influencers.” or “Best Buy”
3 projects within one brief with 3 different targets
Main message: “n/a”
“Make it cool.” Proof: show product.
Back and forth Q&A with others still in the brief.
‘Make it stand out from the competition’ but no competitive
review provided.

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DO
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Simplify the complicated and
make people fall in love.
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YOUR
BRAND
=
=
=
=
SAFETY
REBELLION
FREEDOM
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Create A Mother Brief
Music Mobile Phones Space TravelAirplanes
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Write longhand.
Yes, really.
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Put words to it.
It’s in industry of taste. What’s
your philosophy of what makes
work great?
Nice Place. Endearing.
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Remember the Creative Team
is Your Audience.
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Seek to Inspire, not Just
Inform.
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State of Being
Thinking Writing
Defrag
Revolution is often a 10 degree shift.
Collaborating

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Think Like A Poet
Romance it. Tell me why
people love/trust/count on it.
Use juicy words that touch
hearts, not heads.

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Be Clear about the Deliverable.
(Consider others but outline the
output we’re on the hook to deliver.)
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Define the problem the
output will solve.
The magic can be in the WHY
we want it
(“We want a brand book to help educate
the influx of new salespeople on what we
offer the day they start.”)
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Do NOT Include More Than 3
Lines of (Pertinent) Background.
Leave it for the briefing if needed.
Focus your energy on places to
play/ways to solve.
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Avoid Client-Speak + Jargon.
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Define Success.
What can we measure that we care
about and can affect with this piece?
(Make sure it lines up with the ask).
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Don’t Lump Them in a Job or
Lump Them Together.
“Best Buy” (Buyer? Name?)
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Paint a Picture
(and make them likeable).
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80/20
Follow the Money
and the Love.
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LIONS
HORSES
DOGS
FOCUS
HERE
SEEK
COMMON
THREADS

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Find the Point of Stain
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Define the moment
when your product or
service becomes more
important than any
other.

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Seek the common threads
(mindset v demos).
“Making one ad.”
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Use Loaded Language.
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Think in Benefits.
It’s about them, not about us.
(but we mirror each other in
terms of what we want, what
we love, what we think is cool).
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“The difference between the right word and
almost the right word is the same as the
difference between lightning and a lightning
bug.”
Mark Twain
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Go for goosebumps.
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Think in Benefits.
It’s about them, not about us.
(but we mirror each other in
terms of what we want, what
we love, what we think is cool).
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BELIEF BEHAVIOR
Psychology of Human Behavior
A belief will always precede (drive) a behavior.

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Don’t skip over the voice.
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Use examples.
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More This Less That

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Treat everything as if it’s vital.
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Make it hang together.
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Cut away everything that is
not a lion.
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Make Sure it Passes My Tests:
Elevator
Mom
Cringe
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The Briefing is Where the
Magic Happens
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Do not expect music to play.
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There is nothing in a caterpillar that
tells you it is going to be a butterfly.
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Angel | Devil | Judge
‘Plus it’ or shut it.
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FEEDBACK

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Reduce Meetings
Increase Conversations
Talk About Creative That’s Not ‘Our’
Creative (Bowling)
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CULTURE OF BRIEFS

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Inspire yourself.
Make time to think (create wiggle.)
Write juicy words down that deliver
goosebumps.
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RECAP

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WHAT I BELIEVE
Guessing is expensive.
Guessing without a brief is lunacy.
If you follow the love, the money and the ideal, you won’t go far wrong.
Team cohesion is as critical as brand strategy. Brand strategy can create
cohesion.
Our job is to make people fall in love.
It has to be about what’s in it for them.
Consumer insights, culture, brand and expressions are inextricably intertwined.
People will tell you exactly what you need to do to be successful.
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61.
How to Write a Killer
Brief
A practical guide to writing
delicious, thoughtful briefs
(and coming up with the
insights and ideas to get
the party started).
$25.
Https://www.wildalchemy.
com/goodies

62.
Momentum Book
An exercise-filled
workbook to Feng Shui
your life – redesigning
elements that drive or
drain your energy (and
creativity).
$45.
(because it’s printed in the States, people).
https://www.wildalchemy.
com/goodies
MOMENTUMLYNETTE XANDERS

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wildalchemy.com
20 67 55 68 00