Creative Brief Questions

Who is the target audience for this campaign?

  • Are we communicating with present customers or prospects? If customers, what did they buy and when?

  • For direct mail, what data can we use from the mailing list to personalize the direct mail package to increase response rates?

  • Are these prospects? If so, how was the media selected and why this selection?

  • The media plan reveals insights into the customers that can help the creative team better understand the customers the client seeks.

  • What is the size of the selected target audience? Geographic distribution? Can we use local terminology or other local characteristics to make the message more pertinent?

  • Go into any available research or client input of why people buy and do not buy the offered product.

  • Review the emotional motivators of why the audience might buy or not buy the product.

  • Summarize key research information about the customer or prospect audience.

Summarize the customer/prospect perceptions

  • How does the target audience view the offered product in the competitive environment?

  • What can our target audience turn to instead of us?

  • If possible, give the creative team a comparison chart pitting the offered product against the competition (a SWOT — strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats — analysis).

  • Based on the competition and how it relates to the brand, what tone should the creative take on?

Objectives: What will make this a successful campaign?

  • Generate actual appointments for the sales team

  • Enroll new members

  • Convert existing leads to buy the product or donate

  • Generate completed applications

  • Remind lapsed members of a deadline for an existing offer

  • Quantify the objectives. Are there specific targets or goals you would like to meet?

Describe the product or service benefits

  • What are the benefits offered by this product?

  • Are there any relevant testimonials to support specific benefits

  • What research supports the specific benefits?

  • What is the primary benefit?

  • Is there a unique selling proposition or a key differentiation point?

  • What do third parties who are respected by the audience say about this product?

  • Particularly important to B-to-B lead generation, what is the product’s value proposition?

  • How does your service or product compare with the competition?

How has this product or service been marketed previously?

  • Provide copies of the controls regardless of channel

  • Compile printed and electronic literature that may already exist about the product.

What is the messaging, offer, call to action?

  • What offers have worked in the past?

  • What offers have not worked in the past?

  • What other offers are worthy of a test?

  • What offers have worked for competitors or in other industries directed to the target audience?

  • When creating new offers, how much can we afford to spend on it based on the allowables for this product or service?

  • Shall we test variations? Develop a test grid and start testing ideas such as offers, formats and multi-channel testing

What are the “givens” and brand requirements?

  • Include any regulatory or legal copy requirements.

  • Provide any graphic guidelines, logos and other graphic support required for the creative execution.

  • Review any verbiage or language that must not be used in the copy.

Relevant budgets

  • What is the budget for executing this creative effort?

  • What is the allowable cost per lead?

  • What is the allowable cost per sale?



See also:

Marketing Tactics Home Page

Marketing Home Page

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