Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Contents
Foreword
Introduction
l.
I3
2.
'2
Tnspi ration, 24-hour Briefs, a RedWorks Brief and the ac tual briefing
35
45
Ogih'Y & MaLher COfe Creative Bricr: New Idea Generation -Direction
Brand
Product
Job No.
Task
DO BAIEF
Date
Success Critena
How will this activity be measured and are these measunements in place?
Mandatorias
What are the immutable "must haves"
ar "must nots" for this task? E.g., avoid
attacking competition or using slapstick
humor, ensure culturally sensitive
references, leature the product, etc.
Account Dinector
Channels
Where and whet1 will we reach people
in the most receptive state of mind?
(Please expand as needed.)
Planning Director
Supporting Materials
List any additional technical specs,
copy briels, or product details
supporting this brief.
Cneative Director
Final Deadline
Production Budget
P10Mdl03:
Perva jve Creativity. Jt's what Ogilvy aims ro r. We want LO be the network that
doc Lhe bes t, the freshe t and Lhe hotte t creativc work in the world.
That's why I'm deligh ted by lhi renewed focus on th ve ry start f rhe creative
process- the crealive b rief.
Everyone who wriles a crea tive brief ha the pp rt unity to mak a d ifferenc .
You remembcr the old computer acronym GlGO? "Garbage lo, Garb gc O ut."
It's like thal with b riers.
Every creallve team ha' horror stor ies of receivi ng lousy briefs. D ul! , vague
confu ing, though tle
What chance do they have of producing sparkli ng,
fresh reative work if th e accou nl t a m d esn't hrief th m properly?
Bu t every crealive lea m al o re member. those bri f lhal made a di ff'e oce. Briefs that
igniled their imaginations. Briefs that open d up new possibilities. Erief tha t inspi red
and enthused.
111at's what Perva ive Crea ivity mcans here. Writing a briefhas to be a creati fe act
in it elr. 1bat will O'i ve crcative teams lheir best chance of producing g reat work.
The better the brief, th hetter thc work.
Our Tw in Peak traleg y- tbe trategy of producing the most creative work in
lhe world a wd! as the mo t effective- sLarts he re. With great briefs.
The DO Erier n l form is here to help y u. It asks the lo ugh queslions you need
to answer in order to write greal brief . PI as ' tud y and apply lhe lcssons in
this short book.
Thank you, and good luck.
PresidentJohn F. Kenn dy wanted to ell the idea oflanding aman on the Moon.
He said , "We choose to go t the Moon in this de acle and do the other things,
not becau e they are easy, bu l beca use they are hard."
The DO Brief is ha rd. Most cr alive briefs ask familiar questions. lhe DO Brief
a ks ough new questions. This guide explai ns why. It will he!p you answer those
questions b tter.
WHAT'S
1.
EW
BO T THE DO BRIEF?
To help solv the client's business issue, we need a commercial idea -an idea
that uses Ogilvy's creativity to address th .r busin ss issue.
2.
2.
SOLUTION
Business Arnbition is first. 111is asks the cssential qu stions to help articulare the
dient's business issuc OY opportun y. It men h lps define the marketing and
com munication goals.
Customer ExjJerience identifies barrier and dr ivers to purchase at ach tep of
(he consumerjo urney. It a l O covers the desired consu mer r pon e to our
comm unications at each step.
Architecture identifies the rol s ror commun ications and basie channel choices
at each step.
Thc So/ution nspired by the DO Brief is the fou rth stage. It follows as
a nat ural progression fro ro lhe previous Ogilvy Fusion stages. I n essence,
gilvy Fusion is a statemcnt of our strategy, and the DO Brief is the one-p age
su mmary and creative inspiration-it is \"here the rubbej" meets the road.
You may need sub-briefs fOf particular corn munications tasks or channels in
ve ry elabora te, complex campaigns. Use the DO Brief format fOf these loo .
Th c fift h stage is Effectivenes.r, which identifies key success metrics based on
with .
the Business Ambition we
ENTS
C olin Mitchell and Job n Shaw wrote ke y sec tions. Paul Matheso n,
Gavin Macdon ald, a nd Catherine Mous tou of Ogilvy Asia Paci fi c made
many helpful cornrnents and suppJjed exa mples; they were a]so key membcrs
of lhe team that devised, tested and tra i_ned the D O Brief in tbe fi rst place.
The Inspiration section carne from Sarah Ncwman's tenu re as H ead of Plann ing
in Ogilvy Londo n. Many tha rU<s to them.
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Don't begin with the brief. Alway begin wiLh a trateo-y. 111e DO BTief sh uld b e the
one-page su mmary of the strateg y and indicate how it hOllld be implement d , a step
towa rd a creaLive ol ution.
r. New 1d
l O gene rale
a new ereati e id a.
Sometimes you do n't n ed a new ereative id a- for in tanee, ror an adap tation through
R dWorks. There is an example of a RedWork briefing f, rm in Chapter .
Brand
Product
Task
E.g., new PfoduCt launch, reposition lhe brand , generate inquines
Job No.
Date
Mo t of lhe n Xl boxes are self-explana to ry, but please note the rda tion hip between
fue Task and lh SlIccess C riteri . Ir the t sk is to reposition the brand, wouI d you
measur success by rhe number of inqu iri s lhe camp ign gen rated? Probably noto
Ir !he task is to generale inquiries, would yo u measure suecess by ha ng s in brand
image or personali ty? Again , probably noL Make SUTe your lhin king is joined up.
lt really htlp er atives when you are clear abolll how suecess will be j udged . O ne kind
of ca mpaign wiIl genera te inqui ries, whi1e anoth r ki nd wilJ reposi tion the b rand .
Let th m know from the beginning whal i requi r d. Don't send them clown blind alleys.
O g ilvy's effectiveness ioitiative starts right here, with an articulation of the cIient's
b usi nes issue o r opportunity in the crealiv grief. 1he c1ient's objeetive is always
profitabl growth , bUl how is that lO b e achieved?
Sometimes there is mis u nd ' rsta nding abou t what eo unts as a b usiness issue.
Are sales or market share Aat or dec1 in ing? That's a business issue. Is a competitor
outpacing 1I, io the market? l11at's a business issue. We need w rds like " al s,"
"marke t share," "reven ue" or "profitability" in thi scction, not "bra nd image"
or "awareness." 1he O gilvy Fusion proccss (Business Ambition) wi Uhelp he re.
'4
Ir you are lucky, O gilvy RED Consul ting or Business Accelcra.lion \ViII have done
sorne upstrcam analysis chat win answer this question fo"you . Bu t rnos t often eH
be up ro you and your tearo to fi nd an answer.
So rn e accou nt tcarn s will say aLth is point, "We do o't know about sales; rhe cl ient
doesn't share thal informa tion with us." But have you asked? Perhaps if y011 ask
pol itcly and expIain how important it s, the marketing director wouId spend a haJ f
hou r briefi ng thc team on the business challenges facng the brand.
Yo u can find ou t a tOl by yourself. For instan ce, what do financialjo urnalis ts and
ind ustry bloggers say abo ut lhe clien l's business? What's in tha t industry's trad c
magaz ines? Wha t do the comp any's own finan cial reports and press statement
y? Does yo ur rnanaging director o r financc director know? Do you know someone
who works in that indus try? I t's always belter lO makc an ed ucated guess abou t
the c1 ient's b usiness issue lhan ro hy nothing, because Lhen c1ien ts can COfrect any
misapprehensions when rhey review lhe brief.
It is es.fential that you try lo fi nd out wbat the business issue s. Campaigns that are
based on business or behavioral objectives are more thanjour times as likely to be sales
eJJective as campaigns based 00 a tti tude or awareness objcctivcs.' O g vy Fusion's
Business Ambition scction suggests the key qucstioos tor you to answer.
Olhers migh l say, "Crearives don' t need to know lhis." But they do, and thcy've asked
for it befo re. O g ilvy's most senior crealives asked us nol to sh ie1d them from business
rcalities in b riefings .
' Binel, Les; JJ1d Field, Peter: "Marketing in lhe E ra or Accountabi li ty: WARC.
2007
15
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This is wher we include the target's perceptions of the brand-its image, positioning
or personality, etc. Don't put that in the business issue section.
As the brief says, "do" means "DO." What change in consumer behavior will grow
the client's sales?
NEVER write "Buy more X." That's unhelpful and spineless.
Think through how an individual might respond to the campaign. What does that
person do now and what behavior do we want instead? Specific, concrete actions
("Fit window locks") are much more helpful to the creatives than platitudes
("Be vigilant"). Provide a narrative of the individual behavior change you want.
Sorne good DOs that brought the tasks alive to creatives include:
When the insurance man from X comes round, don't slam the door in his face;
invite him in for a chat.
Reach past the ordinary tea on the shelf and get specialty tea X instead.
Get your mortgage sorted with X bifOre you look for your new house.
Instead of passing by X shop as you have done every weekend for the
last five years, stop and go inside.
Drool over the page and divert the taxi to X instead.
The DO must always flow sea mIes sIy from the business issue and consumer target
identified earlier in the brief.
How do we expect communications lo wortc lowards achieving this?
How are the communications actually going to DO that? Will they shock, engage, make things more relevant, entice
people to trial, create a unified voice lar the brand, change the way people leel about when and where they should
consume the product and so get them to consume it more afien? How will our communications reward people lar
the time they spend with them?
Unless we specify in advance how the communications are expected to work, we don't
know the issue in full, we haven't examined the problem hard enough, we don't know
the audience well enough and we haven't established the strategy soundly enough.
16
1l1e brief asks for a commUnlcations Olodd for the ad. What is a "cornmunications
modd"? Thcre are trucc kinds:
l.
Di rrnenl RDTarch
for Dff-rrnt
Marc h '9.9 2
17
Millward Brown:
Irnmediate Challenge- Pcople lak away "new new " abou t th produc t
thal create an immediate desire to buy ir.
Interest/Status- Peop!c's memories of advertisement make rhem more
likely lO buy brand X.
Enhancement- Memories of advert ising daims and maO'es are converted
about the bl nd. '
ciuring experi oce of lhe prod ucl iota
IPA:
EmotionalInvolvement- Peop e re 1grealerempathy for tite brand becau. e
of rhe emouon created by the ad, or i likabil ity.
Fame- People taLk more aboul lh brand and its adv rti ing, see it as making
waves in its category.
Information- People take away a piece of in fom1ation about the brand,
its u ers or thei r w rlci.
Persuasion- People are convinced by rarional argument that brandX
is superior.
Reinforcement- People are remindcd to keep on doing what th yal ready
do (I oyalty campaigns) .1
There are effectiveness re ult on ly for lhis last sel. Ern otlve strat gies (Fame and
EmotionaI Involverncnt) a r more Jikely lO be sale' cffective lhan rational trategies
(Persuasj o and Information) . Rein forcernen l ca mpaigns are lhe least effeclivc:
Fame
Emotionallnvolvement
Pcrsuasion
Information
Reinforcement
Effi'ctiveoes ucce
%
p.
rate
68
61
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You necd to w rk out in advance wb ich of lhese com municati ns models is mo ' t
likely lO bring abo ut the behavioral hange described in the previous section of
lhe brief. Thi will be ba >d on your understand ing f tbe consumer nd the kind
of beh avi ral cha nge you are looking foroEven hough em tive campaign have
a rugher success rate in gene ral, persuasive or informaLive campaig ns might be
better in a partic ular case.
fM ill ward Brow n, as su mma Tzcd b y P ru e. TC'rry: "An AII -E mbracing Ihcory o f How Ad vertising Vlorks," Ad map ,
Fcbrua ry 1998
'B inct, S; a nd Ficld , Pele r: "Marke ting in the Erd of ccou ntabi lity," WARC,
r8
Child impact
"The one for me"
Mother t hinks
ch ild wiU llke
%
Mother purchases
The DO Brief version of th is mighl say someLhing like, "We m:ed moms to bcljev
this is Dot only high-qualiLy juice, but also will be a trca t for Lheir "kids. lhe trouble
is lhal kids don'l ever ask for it by name.. H ow can we get moms to bdievc it is
popu lar with their kids ir they never ask ror it? By making a campaign their kids
lave. 1l1e
popuLarity with kids wiU lcad mothers to
lhal thc
brand is popu lar with lhcm too."
Wllh a comm unica tions modcl c1early in mind, il is much easier to design pretesl
and trdckil1g research appropriale to this particular campaign .
"Snurce: KiaOra
19
Thi is the mo t prc S Uf ed cetion of the brief. It is whal creatives look at firsl.
Ir is how the brief as a whole will mainly be judged .
lt i never easy 10 wrile, bu t it is easier
oC' lhe b rief.
ections
111 de: red behavioral change and commun ications mode! wil! guicle you r choice or
the Ic-ind of thing th communicatons mu t eonvey. Ir yo u nee 1 g nerate nqujries,
you wiH probably use a per ua ion infl ue n e model, and ro r thal you wou ld wam te
convey factual info rmati n. Ir y u nced to reposition the b rand, you will p rob ably
use an emOlivc influenee model, and for lhatyou woule! want to conv y f c.ngs abouL
the brand.
hapler.
I n 01 0 t briefs th i s cti n wou ld b cal led "Support for che Propos iti n," which tends
to lead toward ratio naJ, faet-based c1 ai ms. Sut we n w kn ow information is only one
Ravar of effectivc eamp igns , aoe! usuall y no t thc m sl eITec1ve. So lhe DO Brief gives
knowledge andIeelings egual ta.Lus.
I f you wa n t to convey fact ual inform ation, yo u wOlll d give more em p ha is l, lhe
Knowledge b ox. If you want to convey a fceling, you would write more in Lhe Fcc1ings
box. You don' t h ave to fil l both boxes each ti me .
Be very selec tive abo ul wha t you wr e in eithe r
Avoid cl ichs and p latitude
D
wha t yo u have written r aI1y suppo rl lhe "Convey," and is it meaningflll ,
appropriate and imagi native? Or is il thcre for other reason - for instance, lo appea e
the die nt or aec u nt team? 'TI1cn lhe brief will eon fuse lhe erea li e .
20
Mandatorles
What are the immutable " must haves"
or "must nots" for this task? E. g., avoid
attacklng competition or using slapsti ck
humor. ensure cu lturally sensit ive
references, l eatu re the product , etc.
Planntng
Accoun\
Channels
Where and when will we reach people
in the most receptive state 01 mind?
(Please expand as needed.)
Supportlng MElterlals
List any additiona! technical specs,
copy briefs, or product details
supporting this briel .
Creative Dlrector
Final Ooadline
Productlon Budget
Finally, we come to lhe practical stuff that creativcs need to know before they actual1y
begin worki ng on someth ing_
Mandalories res tr ict creative freedo m, so , as lhe brief says , only include the
"immu tables." 1l1at i.llclud es the thi ngs th at will get the ad
out of hand
as unbuyablc. C reativcs m ust be in rormed o f these "m ust nots" im mcdjately,
befare Lhey Slart work, or yo u may waste their time on mutes that will never see
the light o f da)'.
lhe ChanneIs box wi U summarize the O g-ilvy Comm unications Blueprint fro m
Fusion .
For b riefs with many delailed req ui reme ms- often direct, d igital or retail activaton
briefs-attach a separate p age to the DO Brief.
1l1e briefMUST be signed by the aCCOUl1t, plann ing and creative directors before
it ente.tc; the crea tive d eparLment. C realives are absolu tdy right to refuse to work
on DO Bricfs wilho ut all th.ree signatures.
1l1C remaining boxes are sclf-explanatory.
A FINAL NOTE
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Brier:
Ogih-y & vbthcr eore ,r "alivl: Bnd : N 'w fde a Generalion - Di rectio n
Brand
ProduCI
Dale
Job No.
Tas!<
DO BRIEF
' "4/2009
Success Cnlarla
Mlnd tortes
Make It easy lo book off Ihe page/scren. AdaptatiQrJS for European and Asian
languages. Retlecr locabons (current and new) and t" otel s <lnd resortS . Refl ect
Asian herltage. Template lor CHI spa and F&8 .
Aceount Director
Planntng Director
Fij')31Rav[ew Dale
Channela
360 Degree. But fi rst:
Pri nt (prass & poslers).
CRM, Digital
Supporting Mate 15
Guest tones, Shan gri-La
Core Values Video, training
Video andlor transe ipts
Creallva Director
Flnal Deadltne
Productlon 8 udgat
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Ogil"y & f aLher Con: 'r -aove Bricf' Ncw Tde: Ge nerarion - Oireuion
PredIJe!
Brand
Hlbikl
Sunlory
Task
Job
O.
DO BRIEF
Date
9/1 6/2008
s UTNAXazoOOC0 1N
Success enterla
Rebranc:llng
7 tllUlon JYP
in 5 yea,s)
Who are w
Ing to Influence?
Male, 35 - 40, premium whisky drinkers (including Hibiki) , plus drinkers 01 other premium alcohols.
He's a man who's hungry For experiences and looks to get the moS! from life and what It has to offer. He lives life dynamically
and appreci ates drama. com plexit y, rarity, and new ness. He searches for insp iratio n in today's age, he 's focused on
what's ofihe highest quality, and he always wants sornething authentic. He loves to go to the best places, not lor show
and status but because interesting things happen in them . M ixi ng with oth er people is at t he top 01 his agenda becau5e
tt's abo u meeting excting new people and encountering new worlds.
He drl nks what he oonside(s to be th e best nd most interesting alcohol. He needs to understand that Hibiki is by far
the best and most interest ing choice he c ould make.
Mandatorias
Ofl ly Hibiki understands lhat when we bri ng different
people. th ings and experiences together, something
dramatic happens, as our name Hibiki (resonating) implies.
Accollr1t Director
Channels
Ptannm Director
Supporting Materals
CrealJve Director
Final Deadllne
Production BlIdge!
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Job No.
Date
Task
Get wom en to 91ve DOIle's
new shal'llpoos and
cond.toners " '90 .
DOBRIEF
7/16/2009
Is )ur adVernsing a WOW? IHow mueh free p,c: do>. 1I gMerate? Ale consurnet'S anct lile nduslry lalkmg ilOOU I sI?)
Does It bUlld the Dove bmnd? lDoes II slrenglheo lhe core idea tllal Do ve l ,el,Os WOI en leel greal abour themseJves?)
Does 1I prompt women
give Do', 's new .;hanlpoos and conchtioners a 9o? (000$ /1rel3in CUI/'En/ Dove [iSefS Dnd
encoorage olllen . omen lo sWllch brands?
Mandatorias
Chann 15
Account Drrector
Plannlng Director
Supporting Materials
For tone 01 voiee.
Boots' "Here Come the Gi rls" TVC
The Indigo Girls, "Closer to Fine"
Creatlve Director
Final Deadline
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Brand
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Product
00 BAIEF
Date
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Glass bOItle
Success Crileria
Task
Brand SIOfY
AstQn ishing Dower of its heri age: sourced fram Villa Panna, the Med ici
Tusean estate. Ruthless Medicl power and mfiuence across Europ e
etween the 13'" and 17' centuries: popes, rulers, monarchs. poli tics.
Jealously guarded secret for over 400 years.
Mandatories
Un less t here is good reaso n creatively to the contrary,
we should leverage the brand's packaging Icans.
Accounl Direclor
Channels
Creatlve Dtr13ctor
Ptannng Director
Chent Presentalion
Supporting Materials
Dale
Final Deadllne
ProductiOl1 Budget
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They re creatively sLimu latin<Y. Th >y're also clear and internall y consis tcJ1t (no false
trails), and lhey make ens .
2.
They're ro
3. 111ey bring lhe audi nce Lo life in a way that allows creative to rel
l to
Lhem as peopl :
.1h business traveler
Sh angri-La is no t a "road warr ior" clich bUl someone
who "arrives and leaves a lone."
Th wh isky dl'inker Lor Hibi ki is not a "savor the best trung in !i f "cl ich ut
someone who wants LO m ingle to rn et new people , ro hay newexp eri e nce .
Dove'" ha mpo bu yer wan t t have fu n.
'file Acqu Panna dri uker ' rule. lhe world" bUL th in k all b tt l d still water
are lh samc.
ror
"Roach, Tom ; Mawds ky, e mig ; Dors')!cl,Ja ne: "Sl in shury's- HOI' a n IdC<l n lp -d .\1a ke Sainsb ury's e r 'a l Aga in ,"
I PA Effl'CllVen s Awarcls, 200S
13
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L 'SPIRATIO.
Ogilvy & Matllt'r eore Crcaliv BricE New Id ea Generation- 1m .ra tio n
Use his pagejor anjlLhing thaL jlOU think could give creative people inspiration in
solving the brief visual a.l we!! as verbal.
For example: !illks to relevan! material on the web, books, m"Lides, movie14rences,
music, art, TV, celebrities, a "rant')ou l,ave wriUen, tlwught starters, pces o/
advertising, any material whichfleslzes ouL the target audience, 07" allything else
tiza t co ufd Ize!p.
The firsl pag of the DO Bricf ensUTes r 1 vanee to the el ient's busine s. The econd
page is optiona\. Its role is to timulatc [re h exec ulion .
Creative peopl usually ask [or two things fro m a ricf: directi n and in. piraton .
111 y are like1y Lo want directioo a th y taTt work on a projec t, but as lh y try lo
'olve it they may be looking for inspiration.
Th requirements for d irec tion and io p iralion are d irreren t. Direction oe ds to
b . clcar and logica\. It m sl be followed. O n the other hand, iospiration can be
intu itive, touchy-feely and vi ual. Il does nOl a1J need t be followed; it ao be
used or di card d accordi ng to whethcr it is h lprul.
What you put in the Inspiratjon section is very much up to you. It i yOllr chan e
to think of the mos exciting and intere . ng exampl a nd sti mw i tha t bring the
ntral thought of!.he brief to lif . !t's aIs an opportu n ity lO make your brief
sta nd ou t in relation to the other briefs that are floati ng afound the creative
dcpartment, to get your b rief lO bout o ut "Work on me!"
> "
The 1nspiration section should look like an enticing chocolate box of tirnul ati n.
Choosing a few good pieces of stimuli yo u bclieve in i more val uable than a huge
quan tity of stu ff. Yo u might u e song , painlin s, video, mov ie ,websites, and
other pieces of commun ication , or yo ur owo thoughts. You could even make tbe
In piration section a coupl f vi ual sl ides where the links op n aUlo maricaUy.
(Yes, Pow rPoint can be used creatively.)
37
I.
Ford Fe ta
Pan o f Lh Tnspirauon crion compared the rel a unch o f (he Ford Fiesta wjth
Tarantino's reseue of John Travolta1 car > r and the launch of th icon ie iMac.
The ven tual work- part ofwbat wa descri ed y the sen ior rd o f E u rope
client as "our mosr su cessfullauncb ever"- had something of the confidenr mood
of lh ' iMac launch. It was nol encumb red with product messages ab ut tbe
Fiesta, but gave the brand a en e oC being a d irable, fa hionabl i o n:
Inspiration
John Travolta
iMac
Fanta
The team tha t developed Fanta's "Stealth Souod System" was able to create
a stjm ulus that brough t the sp irit of Fanta to life, and refelTed specifically to
the tech nology that form ed the basis of the h ighly awarded campaign:
-=
X Box: Jump In
au:iJ
... _ . --
---
. . ----_.
Shame on lhe
Grown-ups:
Mosquito Teen
Cadbury's
Repellent
39
3- Ford Ka
1 his [o. pirati n ecLion illumi naled me r th most resonant lhemc for ilS
targel aud iencc (a more Icading-edge group tha n Fie ta'} discovery, cele ticism
nd playful subverion. 1he succes 'fu] multichannel campa ig n c\carly reRe Led
Lhcs meme:
Foro Sacre!
Sometimes Ilrsl thougbts are righ t. We might spend weeks worklng on a pitch
slrategy onIy to lose sigh t of the obvious . lhere's a small window al' opportun ity
during whic h we slill think like consumers. We might say it lasts for the OOt 24 hours
after recciving a new brief. Use th at ti me 01' c1 arity la write a creaLive brief. Use the
DO Brief format-it's on ly six questions.
lhe 24-hour Brier is provisional. It glves a work ing hypothcsis of the SLralegy before
we do the work neccssary to complete a full DO Brief". Management consultants,
wha use tlLis p ract ice widcly, call it "solving the case befare solving the case."
It is parLicularly usefuJ when crealive work bas to be produced quickly, but it also
has ather advantages. 1l1e discipline of writing ane forces you to form a hypolhesis,
whieh makes subsequent prmarfand sccondary research more purposeful. Jt align
the tearo befare Lhey al! go off in differenl dircclons. It allows lhe whole Lcam,
particularly creati ves , lO start mulling over the problem irnmcdiately. Otherwise
creaves have lo wait until the resl of lhe team has compleled its work befare lhey
can evc n begin lhi nki ng aboul solving Lhe prob!em.
l"ht bcst way lo wrile a 24-hour Brier is to asscmble a "swa ml" meeting immccalely
arler the cLcnt briefing and b rainstorm the problem. You can also invite expcrts
in the agency wha might help. 1l1e swarm arrves al a besl-guess consensus and
somcone wriles it up and distributes it within 24 hours. lbe priority is to get a clear
art iculation 01' thc c1 ienL's business prablem. TIlat's wha t lhe crcatives need mosl
sta rling wark.
SomeLi mes yo ur 6rst impressions wiU be very near the mark. However, often
the stratcgy wilJ evolvc considerably as lhe piteh develops. TIle 24-hour Bricf is
no substit ute for a fu ll y thoughl-out DO Brief. No maller bow percepLive first
imprcssions are, they can always be impraved upon. Always reserve the righ l to
go back to the crea uves lalcr witb a rcvised brief if you leam more [ram research,
th inkin!! oranalvsis.
41
REDW RK
BRIEF
RedWorks d es nol use a con istem briefi ng formoBriefi ng for ms vary by task,
channel, cJicnl and geograp hy. H ere' a [a irly typ ical xample:
REDWORKS
TASK BRIEF - PRINT
Cllent
Brief Owner
Date
Job No.
Newspaper Ad
Task
(C h eck box)
Magaz.ine Ad
BusAd
Brochure
Media I
Publication(s)
(Ust or attach
Modla Schedule)
O
O
O
O
Leafle!
Flyer
Catalog
POS Poster
Media I Publlcation(s)
Position
1;
Budget
O
O
O
O
POS Wobbler
POS Co unter
Card
OtherPOS
Othaf
(Please specifv)
Publlcatlon Dale(s)
Message
(Choc k box)
OM Envelope
Other OM
O
O
O
1Dellvery Destinatlon
1:1
OM Letter
Color
Material Deadllne
Ptlnl Quantity
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
Notes I
Inslructions
4
Mandatorles
Cl fent's Approva l:
---------------------
Date :
The f cus is mueh m re on delivering ' xecutions l a sp cified shape and size, and
less o n devel ping new crcat" ve idea . R edWork brief requ ire a d iffer nt kind of
clarity from the DO Brief. You need to be absolulely clea r abo ut the xact materials
the cIient needs.
P robably the worst lhi ng to do is write a brief, slip it under th e ereatives' door and
ru n away. Yo u a re missi ng an op portuni ty lo in fl uence the work.
J eremy B ull more, the former creat ive d ecto r o f JWT London, explained how
bricfi ngs lead to ideas? Ask a writer of fictio n to w rite a story and he may not know
how Lo begin. Ask hi rn to wri te a story abo ut, say, an in tern ational terrorist a nd
a tube of toothpaste, and h e'lI soon get started.
C reatives in agencies may sometimes yearn [or g reater rreedom, fo r release from
the ty ra nny o f the brief. But it is prcciscly th is tyra nny tlta t prov ides sti mu lus for
invention. D avid O g ilvy may have seen many black eye-patches, but it was nOl
un til h is m ind was p reoccup ied wi lh lhe problem o f sell ing lI athawa)' Shirts
tha t he realized black evepatches WeTe the solu tion to rus problem.
Howcver, th e acLof briefing requi res a d iffc rcn t k ind of tllink ing' from wri ti ng
the brieC 111e brielcome s allhe end of the strategic process. Writing it nvolv
log ica l, d eductive though t bascd o n in forma tion. The briifing comes al lh e star t
of the creative proccss. ILs p urpose is to spark ideas, to encourage lateral leaps
and invention.
Get lo kn ow the creative team before briefing thern. Wh at makes lhem tick a
peopIe? What creative work do thcy admi re?What are their proudest achievements?
What do lhe)' consider to be their best work? How do lhey like to be brieed- do thcy
prefer briefs to be plain and simple, or do they p refer to improve on creative starlers?
Do they wa nl mounla ins of illfonn al ion or j ust one word?"
Briefings must motivate and inspire the creatives. Talk about communicatons de....,
not abou t marketing stratcgy. Be more enthusiastic aboul lhe creative possibi litics
tha n lhe business possib il ities. Make thc briefi ng f un, but kecp il relevant.
Use the briell ng lo start a conversalion. The creative process nceds fuel. Briefi ng
is a process, Dot a one-off ac tion. Slimulate a n ongoin g diaJogue and d iscuss ion.
Consider ex tending the In spiration scction of the brief LO the briding's venuc
and slyJe. Someti mes it can help to tu rn a ke)' element of th e brief i nlo a vscera 1
expcr icnce- whelher rid ing in th e back of a BMW al IS 0 mph, or sitting naked
in a ho t spri ng, or visiting a room where Picasso painted , or being shown the real
meani ng uf tea mwork b), Ma rin es in an underwatcr lunnd, 01' sampl ing the
"greas)' spoon" lifestyle of van drivers, or spending an evening with p ros tilutes
n an lIIV/AIDS projec t (all real cxa mp les from O gjlvy staEf).
: BlI llmn rc,Je remy: "Thinking up 'TI,ings: 'TIle Advert isng C rcative Process," in Hon BulL More: l!elnd IheSctrre, i/l
Advetli/lg(Nlm-k lll) , WARC , 2 003
"Two classi cs o n crcative briefing are wcll WOrlh repca led rcading: O 'M alley. Dtmi en: "C reaLi\'(: Bric'fi ng,"
in How lo Plan ArllllTlirillg, ed. C nwlc:y, Don; Casscll , 1987; and Robertso n, Charlic: "C rea li"" Brid s and Bridings,"
in lJow lo Plan Advming, Seco nd Edition , ed . C oop ero Alall; SOlll h-Wes tern Cengagt:, 1997
43
CO CLU 'roN
1hc DO Brief and the creative briefing are lools thal help us reach the Twin Pcaks.
Ogilv y is a creative busine ' aboye all, a crealiv bu in e. lhal helps our clienls
lo grow. We mea lIrc our SlIcces by cTeal ive awards and by eTectivenes awa rd ,
bUl aboye all by our clients' uccess.
44
dUo{rlJ.z:io pUV
J?-lqn {(}p:iO w,o.Jj
Da poo:iJo SJIQUt7Jx'3
:X!pUdddV
1.
Ogilvy & lalht.:r Cor ' ;r aliv ' Brid New Idea Gcneralion - Di rection
Brand
Prod ucl
008RIEf'
Date
Job No.
ty
Ponds
Task
Success entena
Switching dala consUlJll!fS trading up
Who are we
ing to Influence?
l llve In a big eity. It's not the cap ital , but it's groWlng. You can see me on my seooter, skirting through traffic on my way
to work . I have a good job, office based, and the people are nice. I spend quite a lot of time on MSN and the mobile.
I li ke shopping, danci ng. gossiping, flirting. Money is tight, but 1'11 spend it if I thin k something is worth it. Right now
I use a skin-lightening brand called Dabao. It does not meet my needs, but I buy it out of habit. Good skin is important,
though , because it is the first thing boys see-and I want boys lo see me.
MandatorIes
Use a th ree-card face transformation
Channels
360 Degree channels for Indonesia,
Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam,
China, Taiwan , India
DIrector
A"::count Director
Supportlng Materials
R&D clini cal su pport claims
Creative Director
Final Deadline
2.
Ogih,
Brand
Job No.
Product
DO BRIEF
Date
JanLJ8C}' 19 2009
Success Criferla
Task
Grow ,narkel share in the outdoor gaar market
Total brand awareness ranked 41h al 51 'Yo , lollowing Toread al 78%, Columbia al 70% , and Nikko al 61 %
Weal<. brand awareness in Soulhern China , ranked 7% enly, while Toread has 28% and Columb.a has 24%
In brand equity ranking it placed 3rd. wl th Toread leading and Columbia in 2nd place
In the Top 2 Most Favorite Brand s calegory, it ranked 3rd at 10%, '",ilh Toread leading again at 35% and Columbia lollowing al 19%
The task is twololo: to give a clearer differenliation lo The North Face by rnaking ils philosophy 01 "Never Stop Exploring" more resonant
and meaninglul to the audience in China, and lo grow Ihe outdoor category to give The North Face lhe momentum il needs lo grow.
WlTai do
Wl!
To get our audience interested and engaged, and ult imately l O encourage them to explore the outdoor experience and think 0\ The North Face
when buying their outdoor gear.
trying lo convoy?
Explore Your World (See More and D9 More wilh The North Face).
Wil h 38 years 01 l echncal and outdoor herilage behind il , The North Face has an
impressive track record, and every piece 01 clothing oc accessory l rom The North Face
is designed l o perform and withstand t.he harshest cond itions l o ensure thal wherever
you mal' l ind yoursel!, you're protected -So you can enjoy more of the outdoors.
The North Face has introduced a number 01 technical firsts: the MET5, the world's lirst
battery-powered Ileece; Ihe DIAD jacket, one 01 I he lightest waterproof jackets available;
the worl d's iightest single-skin tent, able lo 'Nithstand winds 01 95 mph; and a snow
jac ket with built-in GPS.
Mandatories
Channels
Supporting Malarial$
Prin t ads
Cl ient brief
Planning Director
Account Director
Ad vert. s,ng
Pu blic relatlons: athletes and government relationsh. p management
Activity- based "activation"
Dig.tal an d CRM
In-store program
Creative Oirector
Final Deadline
Production Budgel
47
3- M etLife (O g ilvyOne)
Ogilvy {;:/
Brand
Product
M\!tUfe
enemlion - D irc ti o n
00 BRIEF
Date
Job Na.
June 20 10
Task
I don 't wanl lo be , ressured inlo something. f'm prettl' sure we w n '! afford il. I 'm no ! sure we need il. It's something
lar In the futuro .
SO
With the recession, tru st has eroded ac rtlSS most fma ncial serviee rands . Consumers see MetLife as truslworthy and identify w il h 3noopy,
but sti ll mist rust cornmlssioned sales representa tives as usi ng high pressure sales l aelles.
What do we want Ihem lo 00 as a result ot Ihis communlcaUon1
Call the toll free pllone numller and get a free term lite insurance quote (visi t website fo r seoondary CTA).
Test
Call the toli-free number- today, gettlng lite insurance is easier!han you Ihink (vis:t webslte for secondary e TA) .
Flnanclal safety net- MetUte protec ts your assat s and your family's standard 01 liVing,
taday and In the fut ure.
Convenlence - MetU le pro vides the speediest. easles!. least pressured way to leam about
life insurance. No sales pressure. No obligation. No personal I ormalion . You don 't even
need lo provide your name.
Plannrng Direel 0r
Tob in Hanspal
Creativa Developmetll Time
Phil Buehler
FInal Revlew Date
Channels
DRTV
Supportlng Materials
Creatrve DIrector
Joel Tmtin
Final Deadline
Production Budget