Creative Briefs

It’s amazing how much money companies will sink into product development, manufacturing, graphic design, and advertising without ever writing a creative brief.

That’s a travesty, because a creative brief may be the most important marketing piece you’ll ever develop. It takes a long, hard look at your competition to see how they’re positioning themselves in the marketplace and to identify any possible weak points that can be exploited. This is essential for developing your unique selling proposition (USP) — what sets you apart from everyone else.

Case in point: Wordgirl had a client that wanted to use a tagline that began with the phrase “The art and science.” After researching the competition, I discovered that there were no fewer than 12 other natural products companies advertising in industry trade journals using a combination of the words “art” and “science.” Had the client gone with that tagline without engaging in a creative brief, they would have sounded just like everybody else.

But a creative brief does more than just assess your competition. It also outlines your USP and provides the supporting rational and emotional “reasons to act or believe.” It answers the key consumer question to any USP: Why should I believe you?

I recommend developing a creative brief for your brand as a whole and for every product you introduce. (Unless you are coming out with a commodity product like Vitamin C 500 mg.) Sometimes a creative brief may make you realize that the market is saturated and cause you to axe the product launch altogether. Better to figure that out before you’ve sourced all the ingredients and paid all the vendors than after.

Would you like to order a creative brief for your brand or for a particular product? Call me now at 831-234-0808 or email me the deats of your project.