Briefing for Creative Success
Cindy Vuong
Head of Client Services, VMG Digital
Clients often ask me how they can ensure they get the best result, and my answer is always the same – let’s start with a good brief!
Before you get started, make sure you gather all the information you need, including brand details, your objectives and any reference materials that will help our designers better understand the requirements of the creative project.
Campaign details
The key to a good video brief is making sure you find a balance between providing enough information so that our designers can provide a great idea which is on brand and on brief, but not too much information that they’ll find it difficult to find the key details to focus on. Try to be clear and succinct about the most important aspects of your brief.
A great way to start is with a short intro that includes these three key pieces of information:
- A summary about your brand/product/service
- A quick description of the video creative you need and what you’re trying to achieve with it
- If there are any key creative considerations or mandatory requirements
Know who you’re targeting
Choose your audience and be very clear on who you are targeting and why. Are you talking to people that are already familiar with your company? Do you need to educate people that have never heard of you? Your message should resonate with the people you are talking to.
Have a clear main message
Your tone of voice should be consistent with your brand personality and will also hinge on what you’re trying to achieve, and what action you want your customers to take. This will ensure that your brand remains true to character and its portrayal to target audiences.
Highlight you unique selling points
The key benefits of your product or service should be simple, easy to understand and the most important points you want to make with your campaign. The supporting proof points should back up the key benefits, highlighting what differentiates you from your competition.
Define a call-to-action
What is the call-to-action? What do we want people to do once they’ve read your message? Is this an awareness activity and we want them to learn more or do we want them to take action and do something? Whatever action you desire, we’ll motivate the viewer through copy and graphic design that resonate with the target audience you’ve defined.
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Tips for Ad Copy
This is the copy that will appear in your deliverables. As a rule of thumb, I recommend following this hierarchy to avoid lengthy or unclear messaging.
- Primary Copy (4-6 words) – Should be punchy and impactful, grabbing viewers’ attention. This could be a brand tagline or include the product name.
- Secondary Copy (4-6 words) – Supports the primary copy and usually provides further detail on what was introduced in the primary.
- Tertiary Copy (4-6 words) – Further supporting copy for longer videos that can provide more information about your product or service.
- Call-to-Action (2-3 words) – Copy that encourages the viewer to take action e.g. “Shop Now”.
Timelines
When planning the delivery of your assets, be realistic about your deadlines. You should not only consider how long the video is going to take to be produced but also how long it might take to get feedback and review drafts.
If you have multiple people involved in the feedback process or if multiple stakeholder approval is required, you may need to extend your video delivery date to allow for a longer production period. Luckily, this process can be made easy by using our team collaboration feature on our Create platform.
That’s it! Ready? Now get in touch to start your next brief!
