creative brief examples marketing

How to Write a Creative Brief in 11 Simple Steps [Examples + Template]

Updated: April 27, 2023

Published: April 26, 2023

The first step in any successful project is drawing up a game plan with a clear objective. It's one of the reasons marketers love creative briefs.

A creative brief acts as a roadmap that takes a project from ideation to completion. It ensures the scope, timeline, key stakeholders, and purpose of the project are communicated clearly. The creative brief is the single source of truth for everyone working on a project. If questions come up or tasks become unclear, the creative brief will steer things in the right direction.

What is a creative brief?

A creative brief is a short document that sums up marketing, advertising, or design project mission, goals, challenges, demographics, messaging, and other key details. It's often created by a consultant or a creative project manager. The goal of a brief is to achieve stakeholder alignment on a project before it begins.

The Purpose of a Creative Brief

Whether you’re a consultant pitching a creative brief to a client, or a project manager presenting a brief to your team, start by speaking with the project stakeholders. These discussions will help you understand the company's mission, project goals, and challenges your team faces. Then, you’ll have enough information to write a compelling brief that focuses on what’s really important to your company or client.

The idea of a creative brief sounds simple, but it can be hard to wrap a lot of important details into just a few pages. Therefore, a creative brief is typically comprised of eight sections that can fit on one to two pages.

Free Creative Brief Templates

Three customizable templates designed to serve as the blueprint for your next campaign.

• Campaign brief template.
• Video brief template.
• Client brief template.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

How a Creative Brief Works

Creative briefs are pretty standard documents within just about every marketing, advertising, or design team. For smaller projects that live in-house (like designs, templates, marketing assets, etc.) the brief is owned by the team who will be executing on the information in the brief. This is usually the creative team, but this team can fall within the brand department or even live within marketing.

For more advanced, long-term projects that involve an agency, the creative brief is owned by the creative team or agency who will be executing the work. This is because they'll work closely with the stakeholders on the project to understand what is needed, plus they'll bring their own expertise and competitive research to the brief that the internal team may not have access to.

These types of creative briefs aren't rare, but they are created infrequently due to the nature of the projects they support. So for this post, we'll focus mostly on the day-to-day creative briefs that you're likely to use often. Here's how they work.

Creative Brief Outline

• Project Name
• Company Background
• Project Objective
• Target Audience
• Competitors
• Key Message
• Key Consumer Benefit
• Call to Action
• Distribution

Step 1. The teams who need assistance from the creative team will retrieve the creative brief template from a repository like OneDrive, Google Drive, or an online form.

Step 2. The team that is requesting the project will complete the brief according to their team's needs and goals. The completion of the creative brief starts with the team requesting the project so that they can explain their vision and goals clearly to the creative team.

Step 3. From there, the brief is sent back to the creative team to review. They'll be looking for timelines, resources, and budget requirements.

Step 4. If they have any questions, they'll go back to the team who wrote the brief and finalize the details.

Step 5. After that, the project is kicked off, sometimes with the help of a project manager, who will check-in with stakeholders on the project and keep everything on schedule, within scope, and within budget.

Step 6. Once the project is complete, both teams will review the deliverables against the creative brief to ensure everything is completed correctly.

The format of every company's creative brief might vary slightly to suit the needs of the project or client. Below is a simple outline that will be the foundation of your creative brief. It includes the most important steps in the creative process and information that'll be relevant to stakeholders involved in the project.

Once you’re fully informed and ready to write, use the following steps to draft yours. To make it even easier, I've included a fill-in-the-blank template in the last step.

How to Write a Creative Brief

• Decide on a name for the project.
• Write about the brand and summarize the project’s background.
• Highlight the project objective.
• Describe the target audience.
• Interpret the competitive landscape.
• Prepare the key message.
• Choose the key consumer benefit.
• Select an attitude.
• Determine the best call to action.
• Draft the distribution plan.
• Share the creative brief with stakeholders.

1. Decide on a name for the project.

The first step in developing a creative brief is deciding on a project name. This might sound simple, but it's one of the most critical components of a creative brief. If you're building a campaign around a brand new product or service, the campaign name will be the first time many members of your team will be introduced to it. Referring to the campaign (and therefore product or service) by the correct name prevents the game of telephone from happening. Without a specific and clear campaign name, people will make up their own terminology which can alter the intent of the campaign .

To create a project or campaign name for your creative brief, keep it creative and brief. A few words or a short sentence should work just fine. If you're launching a product, identify what the call to action will be for the target audience, then center the name around that. Here are a few examples of fictional campaign names:

• The Search for Adventure Campaign- A scavenger hunt-themed amusement park.
• The Don't Forget Your Memories Campaign - A photo frame company.
• The "What's hotter than Pepperco hot sauce?" Campaign - A hot sauce brand.

2. Write about the brand and summarize the project’s background.

Another simple, yet essential section is the company background. If you work in an agency setting, this is non-negotiable as your team is likely handling several client campaigns at once. However, if you're developing a creative brief for an in-house project, you'll still want to include this part. New hires on your team, freelancers, and vendors will appreciate the background that your internal team is already privy to.

The company background shouldn't be a general history of the company or a copied and pasted paragraph from the about page. Instead, tailor this to the project at hand. Set the scene with one or two sentences that sum up the brand’s mission. Follow this with a few sentences that give background on the brand and what led to the development of the project.

While some creatives have put this information all together in a quick paragraph, others separate it with headers like “Brand Statement” and “Background.”

Here are some questions to consider when writing a company background for your creative brief:

• Has the company launched a campaign like this before?
• Why is the company choosing to launch this campaign right now?
• What's happening in the market and how will this campaign respond to it?

3. Highlight the project objective.

Here is where the creative brief gets more specific. The project objective should briefly explain the purpose of the project, the timeline, and the audience it'll target. This can be done in a sentence or two, but you can get creative and stylize it in sections.

This part of the creative brief will be helpful in emphasizing why the project needs to happen. The goal aspects will help you and your team align on the project’s expectations. If the company or client hasn’t identified any major challenges, you can focus this section on goals and objectives. Explain what a successful project looks like and how it will benefit the company.

Pro Tip: Writing a project objective is very similar to writing a goal, so take a look at this blog post for more detail on goal and objective writing.

Here’s an example of a sample creative brief for PayPal that offers separate sections for “The Problem” and “The Goal”:

4. Describe the target audience.

Next, it's time to define the target audience for the project. This is the segment of your market that will directly benefit from the product or service being launched. You can take audience segmentation a step further by identifying a primary and secondary audience. Doing so will give your team more freedom to explore creative ideas that might resonate with one group more than the other.

When crafting the target audience section, be sure to include the following:

• Demographics - Simple demographic information gives your team insight into exactly who the audience is. This includes data points like age, income, education, ethnicity, and occupation.
• Behaviors - Buying behaviors, trends, and other customer history make up the target audience behaviors. These provide important context to the creative brief because they explain where the customer is in their buyer journey.
• Psychographics - This is how the audience thinks and feels about your brand and the product or service you sell, in general.
• Geographics - Digital, physical, and hybrid campaigns will benefit from having geographics stated explicitly in the creative brief so that media buyers can price ad slots in each market.

Pro Tip: Your creative brief shouldn't be too long, and this section can take up quite a bit of space. To make this section more digestible, consider using buyer personas .

Here’s how the sample brief for PayPal noted above thoughtfully explains a new product’s target audience:

5. Interpret the competitive landscape.

Knowing what your competitors are doing is advantageous for the whole team. You can use competitive data to come up with ideas that haven’t been tried yet, learn from their failed projects, or build a project that improves on a strategy they’ve used in the past.

Include a quick list of competitors with similar product or service offerings. Briefly list a few things your company has in common with them, how your brand has differentiated itself already, and a few areas where this project can help you get ahead.Get Your Free Templates

6. Prepare the key message.

The key message can be the most difficult part of the creative brief to develop because just about every stakeholder will have a different opinion of what it should be. To get buy-in faster, try this simple trick. Ask yourself "We're launching this project, so what?" The "so what?" is your key message. It explains why your target audience should stop what they're doing and pay attention to your campaign.

The key message includes the pain point, what the audience's experience might be like without the pain point, and the benefit they'll receive as a result of your company's solution. This framework places the customer in the spotlight of the campaign. Instead of telling them what this product or service could do for them, it positions them as the main character in the journey from problem to solution.

7. Choose the key consumer benefit.

If you're launching a new product, there are likely several features and benefits that the target audience will experience when they decide to purchase it. However, it's very difficult to structure a campaign around several different features. That's why marketers and creatives use something called a key consumer benefit (KCB) in the creative brief to keep everyone aligned on the primary benefit being communicated. To choose the right KCB, you'll want to get input from the project stakeholders and rely on consumer data to guide the decision.

Pro Tip: Your KCB won't always be the fanciest feature of your product. The benefit that solves the biggest problem for your audience is a great choice for the KCB.

8. Select an attitude.

The tone and voice of your campaign create the overall attitude and that should be consistent throughout every creative element that's being developed. Identifying a few adjectives that describe the attitude of the campaign can help copywriters draft copy that sends the correct message within the right context. Graphic designers can use colors and techniques to portray the tone and voice as well.

In this section of the brief, you should also note the appropriate voice for your audience. While some audiences, like those in the business world, prefer more formal language, others might engage more with a casual, relatable tone. To substantiate your decision to choose a particular brand voice and tone, you could write something like, “Our brand voice is a casual and carefree tone because it speaks to younger Gen-Z audiences.”

Pro tip: Use a thesaurus to find specific words that evoke nuanced emotions and attitudes for a hyper-targeted campaign.

9. Determine the best call to action.

Finally, your audience needs something to do once they see your campaign. The good thing about CTAs is that they don't have to be physical actions. A CTA could have a goal to change thoughts and perceptions about your brand which doesn't require the audience to do anything at all.

Your creative brief might include several different CTAs, especially if you have a primary and secondary target audience. But it's a good idea to have one primary CTA that drives the project objective we talked about earlier.

10. Draft the distribution plan.

When the project is done, you’ll need to make sure your audience actually sees it. List a few channels or platforms on which you plan to announce the launch, as well as any promotional content you plan to create.

When drafting this section, think about your target audience. Don’t waste time on a promotional strategy that they won’t see. For example, if you’re promoting a project to Gen-Z, you’ll want to invest in social media rather than billboards or newspaper ads.

11. Share the creative brief with stakeholders.

Once you’ve drafted a creative brief, share it with the team you’ll be working with. You’ll also want to circulate it around the company via Slack, email, or presentations. If you’re a consultant working outside of a client’s company, encourage your clients to share the brief internally.

As you or your clients spread awareness, you should be open to answering questions or taking feedback from colleagues in case they have any great ideas. This strategy will improve team alignment , increase support of the project, and ensure that all of your colleagues are on the same page.

Follow Along with HubSpot's Free Creative Brief Templates

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Creative Brief Template

Having trouble with the flow and organization of your brief? Here’s a simple template that could help. Copy and paste it into a document and fill in the blanks. You can also add to it or adjust it as needed for your project.

Download More Creative Brief Templates

[Inset company or client logo at the top along with the project name.]

COMPANY BACKGROUND:

For ___ years, ______ [Brand Name] has been serving customers in the ____________ [group/job field/geographical area] with ____________________ [product or service].

[Brand Name] has made achievements including __________,__________, and ___________. We have also launched marketing campaigns that have touched on ____________,________, and ____________. With the launch of _________ [project name] they hope to ___________.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE:

With this project, the company aims to solve problems related to ____________________, while also expanding on ___________ and improving on _____________.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

Our target audience is ____ [gender], in the age range of _ and _, and live areas like ____, _____, and ______. They enjoy _____, dislike ______, and might work in fields like _____, _____, and _____. They want more of ________ and their daily pain points include ________.

Their favorite products might include _______ and ______. They learn about these products through channels including ________, _________, and _______.

COMPETITORS:

Our three biggest competitors [are/will be] ________, ________, and _______. These competitors offer _____, ______, and ______. We are ahead of them in _____ and ______, but we are behind when it comes to product offerings like __________ and _________.

KEY MESSAGE:

The target audience is experiencing __________ [pain point], but with our newest project ___________, they'll get to experience _________ [new experience without the pain point]. That's what makes ______ [solution] an unrivaled solution within the market.

KEY CONSUMER BENEFIT:

________ [feature] is the best way for our target audience to experience _____ [benefit].

[Include three to five adjectives that describe the tone and voice of the project.]

CALL TO ACTION:

When the target audience sees our campaign, they will [feel/think/do] _________.

DISTRIBUTION:

We will promote the launch on platforms and channels that our demographic regularly engages with. These will include ________, ________, and _______.

We will also release content including _______, _______, and ________ to gain attention from our audience and inform them of the project.

Below are a few messages we will use:

• _________________________________________________.

Types of Creative Briefs

Creative briefs serve several purposes in the communications field. Marketers, designers, and advertisers use them differently. Depending on your role, your team, and the project you're working on, one might be more effective than the other. Below are some of the most common types of creative briefs used across industries today plus examples of what they might look like.

1. Marketing Creative Briefs

A marketing creative brief is most commonly used to bring campaigns to market. This type of creative brief can be used for both new and existing campaigns. Broad business goals and strategies to accomplish them are usually included in this type of creative brief. It's also not uncommon to see revenue goals and a budget included in a marketing creative brief.

Simple Marketing Creative Brief Example

2. Product Design Creative Briefs

Product design creative briefs outline the go-to-market strategy for a new product or feature launch. Product marketers are responsible for developing this type of brief. Developed in conjunction with the product manager, the product design creative brief will describe the features and benefits of the product and how the audience will benefit from them. Unique features of this type of creative brief include product documentation and product descriptions.

Product Design Creative Brief Example

3. Advertising Agency Creative Briefs

Advertising agencies develop creative briefs often for the various clients they serve. These briefs are concise and include the client's brand guidelines as well as the specific project guidelines. A budget may also be included in the brief so that all teams can make wise decisions about the tactics they recommend for the client. An account manager or supervisor develops the creative brief and shares it with client stakeholders before the agency begins working on the project.

Advertising Agency Creative Brief Example

Creative Brief Examples

1. creative request template.

For the day-to-day management of creative projects, using a creative request template in Asana acts as a dynamic take on a traditionally static creative brief. With a few tweaks to suit your business's needs, this template flows through each stage of the project while specifying tasks, deliverables, and key points that need to be included in the project. Moreover, Asana provides several types of views that make this template easy to look at from a calendar view, list view, board view, and timeline view so you'll always know the progress of your project in relation to the creative brief.

When to Use This Creative Brief:

This creative brief example is great for marketing, brand, creative, and design teams who handle a large backlog of projects with stakeholders on many different teams. Use this brief for both ad-hoc and regularly occurring projects.

2. Creative Brief Presentation Template

This creative brief example was designed by TemplateForest. It's a visual-forward example of a brief that works well for long-term projects like building a business or refreshing a brand. This longer brief includes a variety of information from internal brand insights to an external competitive analysis.

Use this creative brief when you're partnering with a creative agency on bigger projects. They can use this layout to inspire a creative brief that fits the needs of your business.

Streamline Projects with a Creative Brief

Scope creep happens to the best of us. Projects get bigger, stakeholders are added, and the objective of the project seems to morph as time goes on. Streamline your next product launch or marketing and advertising campaign with a creative brief. As a result, you'll find that your team is more aligned with the project's goals. We've even provided free creative brief templates to get you started — download them below.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in July 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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How to Write a Creative Brief with Examples and Templates

By Joe Weller | March 5, 2024

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A  creative brief  is a roadmap for teams planning a marketing or advertising campaign, including the objectives, deliverables, and target audience. Strong creative briefs keep team members and external stakeholders aligned as the campaign develops.

  Inside this article, you’ll discover how to write a creative brief , the main elements to include, and downloadable example briefs and templates . Plus, you’ll learn how to use generative AI to help draft a creative brief .

Main Elements of a Creative Brief

Creative briefs should include sections detailing the campaign’s goals, deliverables, style, and target audience. The brief will also have information about the brand and competition in the marketplace.

A project manager for the team requesting the content or a  member of the marketing or advertising team will write a creative brief. The specific sections of a creative brief might vary depending on the project and its stakeholders, but keep these eight main elements in mind:  

• Brand Identity and Project Overview: The first section of the creative brief provides relevant background information about the brand’s mission and the campaign’s purpose, whether it is responding to pain points or advertising a new product. Summarizing these key details at the outset gives the creative team a focused direction and ensures the campaign fits into the overarching brand identity. 
• Objectives:  Clearly define goals and be sure to link them to  key performance indicators (KPIs) . Using  SMART  (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals when crafting objectives help you focus on the project and key metrics. 
• Competitive Analysis: Reviewing examples of recent campaigns from rival brands is a valuable strategy when seeking insight for a creative brief. Analyzing competitors’ strengths and weaknesses sheds light on what resonates with consumers and how to make a campaign stand out in the market.
• Target Audience:  Creative briefs should boil down which segment of the brand’s audience the campaign will target. Specific demographic profiles help the creative team understand customer behaviors and deliver the most effective and appealing assets.
• Tone and Style:  Whether defining a personality, listing adjectives that correspond with the core message, or designating a color palette, the creative brief clarifies the attitude and visual identity of the campaign. Designers need direction on the desired voice and style to ensure a unified final project that speaks to the target audience.
• Content Format and Deliverables:  Every creative brief must outline the specific content that the creative team needs to produce, such as social media assets, print advertisements, graphics, video content, online copy, or other elements of the campaign strategy. Include any format requirements or other specifications, so that the creative team can align their output with the campaign objectives.
• Timeline and Budget:  Stipulating key deadlines, checkpoints, and budget requirements enables the creative team to deliver on target. This information is crucial when working with external agencies, for whom the brief can function like a contract. Concrete schedule parameters give project managers details that they can follow up, warding off scope creep. Learn  how to manage scope creep  and keep projects on track.
• Stakeholders:  Briefs should include the contact details and roles for all the team members who will be involved in the project. Establishing individual responsibilities and review processes ensures internal and external stakeholders can communicate seamlessly throughout the process.

How to Write a Creative Brief

Writing a creative brief starts with gathering the information that will guide a campaign’s direction. Begin with a focused overview of the project and include concrete details on your objectives, audience, and deliverables.

A strong creative brief is clear, specific, and short. Think of it as a blueprint to inspire creativity and keep your team on track from ideation through delivery and execution. Consider using  creative brief templates  to save time and maintain consistency across multiple projects.  For branding campaigns or launches, a more specialized  brand brief  might be necessary. 

1. Gather Information and Resources  

Before you start writing, do the prep work for your brief. This might include researching competitors, analyzing pain points, meeting with stakeholders, and referencing past campaigns. Use this information to finalize your core message, target audience, and objectives.  

Once you have a clear idea of the campaign, gather the necessary supporting documents. Compile links to important resources, such as a brand style guide, digital asset library, and any example content for the creative team to reference.  

2. Decide What to Include  

The details of the campaign, stakeholders, and objectives will determine which elements of the creative brief are necessary. For example, internal team members might not need comprehensive information about your brand mission. Or you might include a budget for advertising campaigns, but not for designing a new website banner.

Keep in mind that the creative brief should be concise and focus on the creative direction of the campaign. If you need to determine a comprehensive marketing and distribution strategy, consider completing a  marketing strategy brief first.   

3. Name the Campaign and Write an Overview   

Naming the project is a simple first step to streamline communication. The campaign name should point to its core message — the idea, consumer benefit, or call to action (CTA) — the creative team needs to get across with their assets.  

Start by writing an overview that defines the core message in a few sentences. Consider including relevant brand identity aspects or drafting a short section with brand and product background. Establish why you are launching this campaign, the opportunities or challenges, and the takeaways for your audience. 

“For example, in our creative brief for a new rug collection launch, we highlighted our rugs’ unique designs inspired by Southwestern traditions and their high-quality sustainable materials. Conveying these key points up front allows designers and copywriters to center their creativity around the communication of these distinguishing factors,” offers  Connor Butterworth , CEO and Owner of  Southwestern Rugs Depot . 

4. Set Clear Objectives

Highlight one or two goals for the campaign that align with its core message. Be sure to define the KPIs you will use to measure success. Common campaign objectives include boosting engagement, increasing conversions, and communicating a specific call to action or desired consumer behavior.   

5. Analyze the Competition

Survey the competitive landscape for real-world models. Focus on a few major competitors and provide examples of their recent campaigns for similar products. Highlight key successes and failures to learn from, and create a list of the ways in which your brand or product differs.  

Elaine Chen , Founder of marketing consultancy Excogita, advises, “Creatives understand that not every project will immediately hit the mark, but they need feedback to get to the right place. Spend time looking at competing campaigns so that you have concrete ideas about what you feel will and won't work, and share some of these insights in your brief.”

6. Define the Demographic

Determine a primary target audience for the campaign. Are you trying to reach a segment of the current brand audience or potential new customers? Break down your target audience with demographic data — such as age, gender, and geographic location — as well as buying behaviors and psychographic information, such as preferences and interests. 

Instead of listing all the aspects of your target audience, use profiles or personas to draw a precise portrait of your customer in a couple sentences. Learn  how to create customer profiles  to better understand your audience with individualized buyer personas.  

7. Explain the Tone

Choose several adjectives that describe an attitude or personality for the campaign. Align this personality with the key message, cater it to your target audience, and fit it within your brand identity. Include links to any brand style guidelines or designated fonts and color palettes.

Should graphics feel sophisticated and minimalistic or playful and energetic? Is the tone authentic and empowering or confident and provocative? The adjectives you choose will guide both the visual direction and voice of your campaign, keeping all the elements of the project cohesive.

8. Designate Deliverables

Determine what assets or content the creative team needs to produce to meet the campaign objectives. Specify the content format, the number of deliverables, and any requirements or specifications, such as image dimensions or character limits. You might mention your distribution strategy if modified versions of the assets will be needed for different platforms.

9. Walk Through the Timeline and Budget

Working backward from the campaign launch date, determine when assets need to be delivered in order to be reviewed by key stakeholders and released on schedule. Fill in important due dates, review periods, meetings, and final approval deadlines leading up to the release date. If the creative team will be producing video content or multichannel advertising campaigns, establish a budget.

10. Present to Stakeholders

Share the completed brief with all the stakeholders involved, from the creatives who will be producing the content to the executives who will approve final designs. The creative team might consist of in-house designers and marketers, or it could be an external agency. Consider including a project manager to track deadlines and deliverables. Project managers can create a separate  project brief  to summarize high-level details.

Whether you present the brief at a  project kickoff meeting or distribute it electronically, be open to feedback. The creative team might have questions on the timeline, resources, tone, or approval process. The marketing director could help you fine-tune the target audience and core message. Refine the brief if necessary before you share the final version. Make sure everyone understands the direction of the project and their responsibilities.

Examples of Creative Briefs

These creative brief examples use variations on the basic creative brief template to communicate specific project details to stakeholders. These downloadable and customizable templates include example copy for a variety of creative brief scenarios.

Simple Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Simple Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Simple Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

Here’s an example of a creative brief for a marketing campaign designed in-house. This short creative brief template keeps a tight focus on the project itself — and doesn’t waste time providing unnecessary context.

Client Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Client Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Client Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

This example shows how a creative brief might be completed for implementing a marketing campaign with an agency. There is more information about the client — the brand, project message, and call to action — while leaving room for the creative team to innovate. 

Graphic Design Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Graphic Design Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Graphic Design Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

Here’s an example of a creative brief for a graphic design project that is perfect for solo graphic designers or graphic design firms planning projects in collaboration with their clients. The simple, adaptable layout has room for details on image requirements and design elements, as well as direction about the project. 

For more elaborate design projects — such as a logo design or product design — consider using a specific  design brief .

Advertising Creative Brief Example Template

Download the Advertising Creative Brief Example Template for Microsoft Word

Download the Advertising Creative Brief Blank Template for Microsoft Word

This creative brief example uses a straightforward advertising campaign template to cover objective, tone, messaging, target audience, and non-negotiables. There are also key advertising elements needed for the campaign. 

What to Keep in Mind When Writing a Creative Brief for Internal Use vs. an Agency

Creative briefs are a campaign’s starting point for both in-house teams and agencies. The project’s stakeholders will determine the brief’s content. Both internal and external creative teams need information about the campaign’s message, but agencies might need more brand details.

Internal creative briefs are often short and direct, since the stakeholders will bring their understanding of the brand and its identity to the project. Internal creative teams might already be familiar with style guidelines, recent campaigns, and customer personas. It’s still important to include focused direction specific to the campaign objectives, but the brief can be more informal and flexible.

Creative briefs shared with external agencies, on the other hand, are often more extensive. CEO and Founder of  Awning.com Shri Ganeshram recommends crafting a “more detailed and structured brief” when working with an agency. “It has to convey the essence of your brand and project requirements without any assumed knowledge,” he continues. “When I worked with an external design agency for our marketing campaign, the detailed brief we provided helped them grasp our brand ethos quickly, resulting in a highly successful campaign.”

As a marketing executive with both in-house and agency experience, Chen points out that projects that are contracted out might also require more comprehensive briefs. “Many companies are only working with agencies on high-profile or very strategic assignments such as major advertising campaigns, creating new brands, or significant rebrands. Accordingly, the briefs will need to include lots of insights about the product and audience, while avoiding being too prescriptive to give the agency room to innovate.”

Additionally, while both internal and agency creative briefs typically include deliverables and deadlines, these stipulations might carry more weight externally. In his experience working with agencies, Ganeshram explains, “The creative brief acts as a contract of sorts that outlines what the client expects, providing a clear framework within which the agency operates. This distinction is crucial for ensuring both parties have aligned expectations.” 

Pitfalls to Avoid When Writing a Creative Brief

An effective creative brief empowers designers, advertisers, or marketers to deliver original and compelling content. On the other hand, vague or complicated briefs make it impossible for creative teams to meet expectations. Avoiding these pitfalls streamlines the creative process.  

There are five common pitfalls to keep in mind when writing creative briefs:  

Ambiguity:   

A vague direction can make it impossible for the creative team to understand the vision for the campaign. Provide specific information about the tone and message, as well as clear guidelines for the format of the final product. “If you leave anything up for interpretation, then you risk the result not being what you expected,” advises Kristien Matelski, Content/PR Manager at  Vizion Interactive . “I’ve found that a few good examples are much more valuable than just describing what I’m looking for.”

• Overprescription: Conversely, including too much detail can limit creativity and overwhelm the core message. Designers, copywriters, and other creatives need freedom to bring their own expertise and imagination to the project. “While detailed background information is always helpful, realize that you can only convey so much in a single communication,” Chen notes. “Avoid requiring your creative team to fold in too many messages or else you could end up with a garbled mess.”
• Broad or Unspecified Audience: It’s crucial to define a target audience with as much detail as possible. Large campaigns might have primary and secondary markets, but to create effective assets, the team needs to have a specific audience in mind and understand their behaviors. “Too often companies are so focused on what they have to say that they end up failing to incorporate customer perspectives and create a message that just falls flat,” cautions Chen.
• Unrealistic Expectations:  The purpose of a creative brief is to keep stakeholders’ expectations and responsibilities aligned throughout the project’s development. However, if the brief sets impossibly tight deadlines or unattainable objectives, creatives won’t be able to deliver compelling results.
• Complicated CTA:  Campaigns work best with a simple and clear core message or desired outcome. Creative briefs that fail to develop a clear call to action result in campaigns that can’t meet their objectives. Chen adds, “It's most realistic to ask consumers to do just one easy thing after seeing your ads. A complicated, multistep process or a confusing mix of options is doomed to fail.”

How to Use Generative AI to Write a More Effective Brief

Recent advancements in generative AI have made it a powerful tool for crafting creative briefs. AI can analyze pain points and customer data, suggest relevant core messages, and elevate directions on tone and style. Think of the AI as a partner or assistant when drafting your prompts, and be prepared to finetune the results.

“Generative AI can be a game-changer for crafting creative briefs in marketing and advertising,” observes Peter Wood, CTO at  Spectrum Search . “It's essential to leverage AI for initial idea generation. By feeding the AI system with your campaign’s objectives and target audience demographics, you can get a diverse range of creative concepts and narratives, which might not be immediately obvious to a human team.”

You can also use AI to assist in data analysis when researching your competitors and establishing customer personas. Wood continues, “This analysis can inform the tone, style, and content of your brief, ensuring it is aligned with what resonates with your audience.”  

“As a content manager, I’ve found that creative briefs have been a primary use for AI,” reveals Kristien Matelski. To get the best results from the AI, she recommends providing it with background information about your brand and objectives, as well as detailed instructions for the content you want it to generate. Keep revising and updating your prompts as you work, and make sure to verify any facts or data in your results. 

Here are four tips to keep in mind when utilizing AI to draft your creative brief:  

• Pretend the AI Is Your Assistant:  AI is not a search engine, and it can handle more complex directions. “Be as detailed as possible with what you want, like you’re giving instructions to an assistant to write a brief or outline for you,” suggests Matelski.
• Provide Background:  Feed the AI relevant information about the brand, product, or campaign objectives. Matelski says, “I generally start by giving the AI some context about the who, or the company we are generating a creative brief for, including a link to their website. Then I tell it the what that we’re creating, a creative brief or outline for a new product page.”
• Include Specifics:  If you are using a template, make sure to list the fields you want the AI to generate. Establish any requirements and important campaign directives to include in the brief. As an example, Matelski offers, “Be sure to mention X, Y, Z brand names, color choices, and keywords.”
• Edit, Edit, Edit:  Once the AI has generated the brief, read through the results and determine next steps. “You’ll need to edit yourself or go back and forth with the AI a few times to get it how you want it,” Matelski acknowledges. You might ask the AI to condense the overview, suggest a more playful core message, narrow the objectives, or tailor the deliverables for a specific social media platform. Consider whether you need to provide additional information with your instructions.

Improve Your Creative Briefs with Smartsheet for Marketing

The best marketing teams know the importance of effective campaign management, consistent creative operations, and powerful event logistics -- and Smartsheet helps you deliver on all three so you can be more effective and achieve more. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time. Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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Creative ways to write creative briefs [+ templates and examples].

Updated on March 25, 2024 by Skyler Calibey

Published on November 15, 2023 by Skyler Calibey

Creative work is often thought to be instinctive instead of planned—not true. Seasoned marketers love creative briefs!

And there are plenty of good reasons why –

You get a clear plan of how to go about things.

You can chalk out trackable goals and requirements.

You can define the scope , campaign goals, deliverables, and deadlines proactively.

You can ensure everyone on the team is on the same page, working without confusion or misunderstandings.

However, the catch is that it is not always easy to think straight—a prime requirement when creating any sort of creative brief. 

So, to help you, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creative briefs in this comprehensive guide. Let’s go!

What Is a Creative Brief?

A creative brief is essentially a type of blueprint that guides different teams to work together.

It captures all the essential information teams need to drive successful projects, such as the project scope, deadline, budget, goals , target audience, brand voice and tone, and more. 

For example, in the case of website creative briefs, various teams, such as copywriters, marketers, graphic designers , web developers , etc., use the creative brief to ensure that the website ticks off all the predefined creative goals.

The Importance of Writing Creative Briefs

So, the general advantages of a creative brief include:

• Improved team collaboration where each team works with a better understanding of the creative requirements as well as how to tackle challenges during the project lifecycle
• Enhanced stakeholder alignment and better expectation management as each deliverable gets completed
• Contextual messaging that drives creativity while documenting the project’s important data simultaneously (read: intended target audience, KPIs to be measured , potential risks, etc.)

All in all, a creative brief doubles up as a guiding principle for your teams so that they can achieve the creative campaign’s goals with less friction and iterations!

12 Must-Have Elements in a Typical Creative Brief Template

Want to restrict the back-and-forth between teams with your creative brief?

Get your  creative brief template  in line. 

Typically speaking, a good creative brief often comprises 12 key elements that communicate everything your creative teams need to know to get started on the right foot:

1. Project Name

The project name refers to a clear and concise title for the project. It provides a quick reference point for all team members.

Example: “Redesigning a Company Website – Project [XYZ]”

2. Company Background

This section provides important context about the company, such as its origins, the industry it operates in, its work culture, and its mission.

This piece of information helps creative teams to better align with the company’s identity.

Example: “Our company, [XYZ Corporation], is a leading tech company that specializes in innovative consumer electronics and has been in business for over a decade.”

3. Objectives

As the name suggests, the Objectives segment outlines the project’s goals, what it aims to achieve, and the expected outcomes.

Example: “The primary objective of this campaign is to increase brand awareness by 20% and generate 10,000 pre-launch sign-ups for our new product.”

4. Target Audience

The target audience defines the intended audience for the project. It includes data relating to demographics, audience preferences, their current pain points, and so on. 

A deeper insight into the ideal user base will define and guide the most creative briefs and approach for the marketing/advertising campaign.

Example: “Our target audience comprises tech-savvy millennials aged 25-35, with a focus on urban professionals. They love to use the latest products and are active on [ABC] platforms.”

Define project objectives and convert them into milestones. Use Nifty

5. Brand Guidelines

The brand guidelines segment showcases the existing brand guidelines (if any), including preferred design as well as communication preferences.

Example: “Please follow our brand guidelines outlined in the attached document, which includes specifics relating to usage of our logo usage, desired color palette, and intended tone of voice.”

6. Market Insights

Market insights highlight the latest and relevant market research to inform the creative approach using insights and not just intuition. 

Example: “Our recent market research indicates that there’s an increased demand for eco-friendly products in our industry.”

7. Key Considerations

This section emphasizes specific factors/aspects that must be highlighted in the project (think: product features or market trends, for instance).

Example: “We need to emphasize our product’s sustainability and affordability as compared to our competitors.”

8. Project Scope

Project scope defines the specific tasks and deliverables within the scope of the project, providing clarity on what needs to be accomplished and how.

Example: “The project includes designing a new website, creating promotional materials, and launching a social media marketing campaign.”

9. Deliverables

This component lists the tangible items and assets that the creative team needs to produce as part of the project.

Example: “The deliverables include a website wireframe, product brochures, social media ad creatives, and a launch event plan.”

Define project scope, set deadlines, track deliverables, and more in one place. Nifty

10. Budget 

It outlines the allocated budget for the project and offers insights into any financial constraints (if applicable).

Example: “The allocated budget for this project is $100,000.”

11. Timeline

The timeline defines the project timeline. Make sure to include key milestones and deadlines, ensuring everyone is aware of the project’s time constraints.

Example: “The project should be completed within three months, with the website launch scheduled for the end of the second month.”

12. Approval Process

This segment answers questions relating to – What is the process for reviewing and approving creative work, and who are the key stakeholders involved?

Example: “All creative assets must be reviewed and approved by the marketing account manager before final production.”

How to Write a Creative Brief: A Step-by-Step Guide

Whether you’re creating a marketing creative brief, an advertising creative brief,  or a website creative brief, following the right process is important.

Here’s a step-by-step guide you can follow when writing creative briefs:

Step 1: Collect Your Customer’s Requirements to the T

The journey of writing a creative brief begins with gathering all the pertinent information about what your customer requires. 

To do this, engage in the following steps:

• Conduct thorough discussions with your client and teams to identify the former’s needs, objectives, and expectations
• Ask probing questions to ensure you have a comprehensive understanding of the project’s purpose, target audience, and specific ideas, as well as preferences the client may have.

Additionally, consider using a  paraphrasing AI tool  to rephrase and reword the gathered information effectively in easy-to-understand words. This can be especially helpful if you are taking notes during a long or complex meeting.

Step 2: Do Your Market Research

To develop a successful and effective creative brief, you need to be well-versed in the market in which your project will operate. Try the following tips:

• Conduct market research to gain insights into the industry, trends, competitors, and potential opportunities.
• Clearly outline your research goals by analyzing your customer’s preferences, assessing the market size, and evaluating the competition.
• Who are your potential customers?
• What are their needs, behaviors, and preferences?
• Surveys and questionnaires to gather quantitative data by surveying a large sample of your target audience.
• Interviews wherein you conduct in-depth interviews with key industry experts, customers, and stakeholders.
• Observational research in which you observe consumer behavior in real-world/online settings (depending on your requirements).
• Secondary research in which you analyze existing data, reports, and studies to get a better pulse of the target market.

This research will not only inform your creative strategy; it will also help you to position your creative project effectively in the market.

Step 3: Establish Goals and Outcomes

The third step is all about clearly outlining your project’s objectives and desired outcomes:

• Do you want to increase brand awareness?
• Do you wish to boost sales?
• Are you looking to convey a particular message?

Make sure to define these goals with specificity.

Remember, your creative brief should serve as a complete guide and a roadmap for achieving these objectives.

Nifty allows you to add custom details to your project thanks to its “Custom Fields” feature:

With this feature, you can ensure that none of the project’s critical details fall through the cracks.

You can also set and track project goals by tasks, task lists, custom tags, fields, and assignees:

Nifty automates your goal data by automatically adding/removing tasks as and when they’re created based on custom tags, fields, and assignees. 

That’s not all. Nifty enables you to leverage custom tags to track KPIs. For instance, you can create goals that automatically update and measure your team or individual’s performance with just a few clicks.

Step 4: Define Scope and Deliverables

Now that you’ve gathered all the useful information, it’s time to translate that data into the project scope and deliverables.

You can try Nifty’s Milestones feature to improve team alignment around project goals and sprints. This is done by visualizing milestones in an easy-to-understand Gantt chart format:

You can also leverage the Swimlane view to pilot objectives by intersecting project milestones and tasks as shown below:

That’s not all. The Milestones feature provides real-time automation of ‘in progress,’ ‘completed,’ and ‘overdue’ status based on the completion of tied tasks.

If your team deals with a repeating schedule, you can set up recurring milestones and ensure that the team never misses any important work again.

Step 5: Document All Your Findings

Collecting all the customer information is not enough.

You need to document everything, and that, too, document it in real-time. 

Nifty’s Docs feature allows you to:

• Create useful notes, docs, and wikis for your project
• Share the document with others using a simple link
• Integrate natively with Google Docs for faster and seamless working:

• Plan, track, and manage your workflow within one collaborative workspace

Pro tip : Once your creative brief is ready, plan a kickoff meeting . This will allow you to reassess if there might be any conflicts along the way collectively with the team. You can make the requisite changes and update the brief before the actual work begins.

7 Tips for Writing Creative Briefs to Get That Breakthrough Idea!

Writing creative briefs doesn’t follow a linear path, nor is there a ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategy that works.

However, having a few tips up your sleeve doesn’t hurt:

• Spot on: Make sure that the creative brief is clear, specific, measurable, and realistic. There’s no room for guesswork or blind spots.
• Not data-heavy : Ensure that the brief is not voluminous with endless data that’s forcefully added. Sticking to the less is more philosophy will empower your team to focus on what truly matters.
• Iterate : Continue to keep changing your creative brief as the requirements or scope evolves.
• Accuracy : Think of your creative brief as the bible that your teams will follow. This means there’s no room for any mistakes or inaccuracies. 
• Context: Your creative brief should highlight what the brand has been communicating to the customers, what they want users to do next, and how the deliverables will fit into the overall communication strategy.
• Insights: Your audience insights should be at the heart of the brief. Any kind of marketing or communication you initiate must stem from what your customers want and why they want it.
• Alignment: Sometimes, in the creative flow, you can stray away from what was originally intended. You need to make sure that your creative brief is aligned with your brand’s objectives at all times. 

In the end, use this checklist to ask the following questions:

• Does your communication single-mindedly convey your brand’s objectives?
• Does the content map to your ideal audience’s interests and insights?
• Is the team aware of the deliverable’s true deadlines?
• Are you constantly inserting the team and stakeholder feedback and pivoting in real-time?
• Are all your stakeholders able to access the creative brief anytime, anywhere?

5 Compelling Creative Brief Examples 

Here are five examples of creative briefs worth getting inspired from:

Example 1. Airbnb – To convert digital connections into meaningful IRL experiences

Here’s a creative brief example by Airbnb that was provided to participants entering a contest. But there’s plenty to learn from in this creative content brief too.

Notice how the brand provides:

• A backstory 
• Details into Airbnb’s key challenges
• Points on what to focus on in the creative brief

Your brief should be as detailed and clear as this.

Example 2. PayPal – To reiterate what PayPal is all about in the customer’s mind

This is an example of a marketing creative brief which talks about:

• The brand’s key insights and research gathered over time
• The marketing channels to use 
• Who the brand want to engage as the ideal target audience

Example 3. Nike – To promote the image that Nike looks after its factory employees

When it comes to creative briefs, it doesn’t get any better than Nike’s creative brief example outlined above.

The brand talks about the big picture in addition to the brand statement, target audience, and problem statement so that the team knows where they’re headed and  how  to head to their final destination.

Example 4. Gray’s Cookies – To get more customers to eat Gray’s healthy yet tasty cookies

Here’s a creative brief example of an advertising agency whose creative brief comprises all the vital components you need to roll out helpful touchpoints, such as:

• Target audience
• Customer insights and current thinking 
• What the business wants the customer to do
• The tone to include within the advertising deliverables
• Media assets and platforms to explore

Example 5. Netflix – To boost the number of subscribers during COVID-19

Our final and most extensive creative brief example on the list, Netflix gets many things right within its creative brief:

• Its media strategy is relevant and ‘hip’
• The target audience is represented in an infographic format, allowing for a quick read
• The brand tone and voice are explicitly mentioned
• The key challenges and purpose of the communication follow the S.M.A.R.T framework

Get Your Creative Briefs Sorted with Nifty

Creating a creative brief is one part of the story. You need to communicate the project’s goals and purpose to your teams.

However, the second equally important part is driving collaboration.

No project is a ‘one-man’ army. Your project will need internal and external collaboration between members so that everyone is on the same page at all times. 

And this is where project management software like Nifty shines.

You can collaborate with every member of the ecosystem in real time using Nifty’s Discussion feature:

Plus, you can share ideas and drive meaningful discussions at the click of a button. Everyone can follow a  singular  plan of action and use it as a centralized point of reference for all deliverables.

Remember, creative briefs are always changing, and project leads need all the resources they can get to ensure everyone is working together. 

Leverage Nifty’s project management features to stay organized and deliver creative products without breaking a sweat! Try Nifty for free . 

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How to write a creative brief: Best-practice, examples & templates 🖌

Here at Briefly, we obsess over the marketing brief - the brief that clients share with their agencies.

But the creative brief (the one that agencies write in response to that marketing brief) is an equally important document.

It translates the marketing brief into a format that will inspire ingenious creative thinking. So crafting it deserves time, effort, careful consideration, and no small amount of fun.

What is a creative brief?

The creative brief is a document used to inspire and instruct a creative team to produce (hopefully) a gorgeous, compelling, and effective advertising campaign. Often, it's written by a strategist or planner at an agency, but can sometimes be the responsibility of a client if they're working directly with a creative team.

Besides the marketing brief (sometimes called the client brief), it is the most important document in the creative process.

The good news: if you follow these 11 steps, you’ll be on track to deliver a great brief.

What is the difference between a creative brief, a marketing brief, and a client brief?

A creative brief is written for a creative team and is designed to direct and inspire the creative work itself. It is usually based on a marketing brief that the client has provided and written by an agency. For smaller projects or if the client is briefing a production agency or freelancer directly, they may write the creative brief themselves. If you're writing this type of brief, you're in the right place.

A client brief is the same as a marketing brief. They're written by clients and outline a new project for their agency. If you're looking to write one of those, head over to our article on ' How to write the perfect marketing brief '.

How to write a creative brief

Step 1: Name your brief and get a template

Step 2: Set the objectives

Step 3: Define the problem

Step 4: Articulate the brand or product truth

Step 5: Capture your audience insight

Step 6: Find a category truth

Step 7: Lean on a cultural lever

Step 8: Craft your key messages

Step 9: Build the strategic proposition

Step 10: Make sure to include the considerations

Step 11: Inspire the creative team

Step 1 - Name your project and get your creative brief template ready 📦

Give your brief an exciting name.

This might sound simple, or even silly. But giving your brief a name is an important step.

This is how everyone will refer to this brief over the coming months. And if you don't name it, eventually someone else will. So if you want to avoid the risk that your brief might become known as the "Stinky Horrible No-One-Wants-It Brief," give it an exciting name.

Creative brief template

Templates structure all your thinking and all the information that you need to include in your brief.

If you don’t already have a brief template, create your own (if you’re brave) or choose one of our free, expertly crafted ones (if you’re smart).

Step 2 - Set your objectives 🎯

Usually, the creative brief follows the marketing brief. And the marketing brief usually includes three objectives :

• The business objective What the company needs to achieve to improve its bottom line
• The marketing objective What you need consumers to do (or not do) that will achieve your business objective
• The communications objective What you need consumers to think or feel that will achieve your marketing objective

You need to think carefully about how you frame your objective in your creative brief. It can be tempting to copy-and-paste the communications objective directly. After all, aren't creative teams trained to solve communications problems with creativity?

Yes, they are. But too often, communications objectives aren't framed in a way that most creative teams will be able to effectively respond.

Most of the time, you can get around this by rephrasing the comms objective in more human language.

For example, if the communications objective in the marketing brief looked like this...

Increase perceptions of 'Nike understands the community I live in' amongst Young Londoners by 30% by Q4.

Then the objective you might write in your creative brief could look something like this...

Get young Londoners to see that Nike understands what it means to grow up in London - and makes products that I'd be proud to wear on the streets of London.

In your creative brief, you can often sidestep some of the rigmarole of SMART objectives. These are creative objectives and KPIs that you're setting, and often too much formulaic rigour can hinder, rather than help, the process.

Step 3 - Define the problem 🧠

In a similar vein, you might receive a few problems from the marketing brief: a business, marketing, and communications problem.

And in another similar vein, you need to be considered in your approach to setting your own problem for your creative brief.

Your problem should be a direct response to the objective that you have set. Ask yourself: What stands in the way of achieving that objective?

You might get to something that looks like:

Nike has spent so long putting sports superstars in its campaign that it has lost its ability to appear relevant to young Londoners.

Step 4 - Articulate the brand or product truth ⭐️

The only question you need to answer in your creative brief here is: What is the one unique thing about the brand or the product that will be most compelling to your audience?

Sounds simple, right?

Afraid not.

This is where many arguments start between marketers and agencies (and their creative teams). Creatives often want to subdue the presence of overtly 'advertising-y' messages, and that often includes calling out product truths. Meanwhile, marketers are often focused on how every piece of advertising is driving sales of their product or service. And these two forces can clash.

So, as you're writing this section of your brief, it's important to think of how this brand or product truth can fuel a creative team's ideas, rather than shackle them.

Product truth example

Flora plant butter's product truth.

In this ad for their new plant-based butter, Flora and their agency Pablo used a product truth to create some simply brilliant OOH advertising (alongside an equally brilliant campaign). The truth that plant-based butter and dairy butter both have their origins in the same material, with some different processing in the middle, became the centre of the campaign idea.

Product messaging doesn't need to be stale and boring. Creative thinking around your product truth can lead to insightful, funny, and memorable creative work.

Step 5 - Find your audience insight 💎

Hopefully, there should be a clear target audience in the marketing brief you have received - if not, press your client for one. Or if you're a marketer writing the creative brief, spend some time thinking about who you want to target with this campaign - and read our guide on finding your target audience to help get you moving.

In a creative brief, you need to go a step further than just finding the right audience. You need to craft an insight for this audience - a key fact, piece of information, or description of them that not only makes it clear who this campaign is aimed at, but unlocks a way of talking to them.

There are lots of ways to find an audience insight, but often the most interesting and most useful in a creative brief focus on an emotional truth for their target audience:

• What are their ambitions?
• What are the problems than annoy them every day?
• What are they afraid of?
• Who do they trust?

There are a million and one questions like this that you can ask, so this part of the brief requires some careful thought and some consistent practice.

Here are a few examples of adverts that clearly captured an emotional truth about their target audience, and in turn what emotion they wanted to make the audience feel.

Audience insight examples

Transport for london's audience insight.

In this impactful campaign to encourage drivers to stick to the speed limit, Transport for London (the local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London) decided not to focus on the drivers themselves, but on their passengers. They recognised that drivers who speed don't care for their own wellbeing because they don't think that they'll get in an accident if they drive over the speed limit. But what these drivers do care about is the safety and wellbeing of their passengers, particularly when they're loved ones. So TfL created a campaign that tapped into this fear that their own reckless driving could not only harm their passengers, but that their passengers were constantly uncomfortable when in the car.

Spotify's audience insight

Spotify Wrapped has been a successful engagement campaign ever since it started. And interestingly, it didn't even come from an audience insight - one of Spotify's engineers realised they had lots of listening data for their users, and began coming up with some ideas for how they could put it to use. Or so the story goes.

But the reason it became such a popular campaign is that, even accidentally, it did tap into a powerful audience insight: people love to share the music they love - and they love to brag about it. Whether it's how much music they listen to, how big a fan they are of a certain artist, or how different their music taste is to everyone else, Spotify Wrapped lets people indulge in the feeling that their opinion is valid and valued (even if no one else pays any heed to their Wrapped Instagram story).

Step 6 - Define the category truth 🥸

In this section, you need to take a top-level view of the category (or industry, vertical, sector - whatever you want to call it). The idea is that if you can understand how people think about the category, and how people behave and buy in the category, then you can better influence their decisions when it comes to choosing your brand.

There are a number of ways to think about the category, but one particularly useful method is thinking about category entry points (CEPs). Pioneered by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, CEPs are useful ways to think about how people shop in your category. Or, according to the Institute themselves, "they capture the thoughts that category buyers have as they transition into making a category purchase".

Jenni Romaniuk states that, "Category entry points are not about the brand, they’re about the buyer" - which may lead you to think that CEPs are more closely linked to audience insights. But what you need to understand about CEPs is that, even though they can vary by audience, they are universal triggers that come to mind for consumers when they are buying in your category.

How to identify category entry points

There are two broad elements to identifying CEPs:

• Need state What situation are people in when they most need a product in your category?
• Determining Factors How do people quickly make decisions about which brand they choose within a category?

Need states usually exist outside of the immediate purchase moment. They tend to crop up when a consumer experiences a problem that a product within a certain category would solve. One of the most famous campaign ideas that stems from a need state comes from Snickers, who decided to own that most universal of need states: hunger.

Category entry point examples

Snickers' category entry point.

Over several years, Snickers ran a campaign designed to associate the brand, a chunky, peanut-riddled chocolate bar, with hunger. Outside of the usual 3 meals, hunger striking at inopportune moments gets plenty of people feeling hangry, and as a substantial, sweet and salty snack, Snickers found a category entry point that they could claim - with no small amount of humour and advertising budget.

Determining factors , on the other hand, typically arise at the moment of selection or purchase. These are more immediate cues that trigger someone to pick one brand over another. There are a number of types of factors up for grabs here, from price to quality, from provenance to innovation.

UberEats' category entry point

UberEats' 'Do Less' campaign focuses on a very particular and under-appreciated CEP: people order food so they can do nothing at home. So often, delivery services talk about speed and convenience. But UberEats narrowed into a key, underpinning reason why people value this convenience. When you order food to your house, chances are you've decided that you can't be bothered to go to the supermarket. But rather than sit there and mull that decision, you entertain yourself in whatever weird ways you choose when no one else is around. This boredom-inspired weirdness is a prime time to think about getting some food delivered, and UberEats created a campaign that associates that moment with their brand - and no other.

Step 7 - Find a cultural lever 🛤️

This topic deserves its own article - and we're writing one right now.

Well really, it deserves its own book (we might get there one day). Truthfully, if there was a quick way to 'read' culture and understand the massive forces that drive people and societies to do what they do and think what they think, then everyone would do it. And looking at all the advertising that sits around us, it's clear that not everyone does try to find a real cultural insight.

So where are you meant to start?

Observation

Yes, sadly, this means lots and lots of research. Talk to your consumers, talk to experts, read books and reports and surveys, study all the data you can get your hands on. But also, observe real life: pay attention to what appears on your FYP on TikTok, think about the conversations that your friends have over pints at the pub. And ask why .

The five Why's

This isn't a surefire route to a cultural insight. But this is a useful trick to start to find one. Like an annoying child who just learned the word "why", repeatedly ask yourself "why" when you observe something interesting. Five times seems to be the magic number.

For example...

A report I read says that 50% of girls stop playing sport as teenagers. Why? Well, the report says that it's because of lower levels of confidence, and higher levels of negative body image amongst teenage girls. Why? Teenage girls are under significantly more pressure than boys their age, particularly when it comes to playing sport. Why? Girls are judged for more than their sporting ability - for things like their looks or their body shape. Why? Many sports have been dominated by the men's game, and so men's sports are seen as the 'norm' while women's sports are seen as different for some reason. Why? Decades, even centuries, of underfunding and sexist policies have lead to a state where women in sport have to be twice as good to be seen as half as worthwhile.

From a single observation, you're able to trace your way to a significant cultural force that shapes the world we live in today. It's important to remember to verify each leap you make with more research - or else you could end up with something that logically make sense, but unfortunately has no basis in reality.

Step 8 - Craft your key messages 🔑

In a creative brief, your key messages are the things you need your audience to remember in order to land your strategic proposition (more on that in a little bit). They are based on your product and brand truth, filtered through your audience insight, and supported by your category truth and cultural lever.

🏞 Simple and jargon-free

This is a brief to a creative team, not the finished article. So you don't need to write elegant, persuasive copy for your key messages.

But, since this brief is asking your creative team to do just that, your task is to be simple - but a little provocative.

The key messages in your creative brief need to be uncomplicated, but they need to spark some creative thinking. Use expressive language, use metaphors if they're helpful. But above all, keep things clear and plain.

👉 Selective

There is a limit to how many messages someone can remember from a single ad.

Think of it like asking someone with mediocre hand-eye coordination to juggle. If you throw them one ball, they can probably throw it up and catch it, no problem. Throw them four balls, however, and they won't just drop one - they'll drop them all. The same applies to your key messages: say too much, and your audience won't remember any of it.

🔎 Supported

For each key message, indicate why the brand has a right to say this. These are called RTBs (Reasons To Believe). Don't expect your creatives to include these in the finished article, whatever that might be, but think carefully. If you're asking creatives to lie about the product (for instance, if you're trying to claim something that you just cannot support), don't be surprised when you get back some vanilla, generic messaging.

If you want to really craft your key messages, check it out our handy guide on writing a compelling set of key messages .

Step 9 - Refine the strategic proposition 🫵

We're not about to take you through the ins and outs of writing strategy. Plenty has been written on the topic, and frankly, by now, we're guessing you really just want o get on with your brief.

One of the simplest frameworks you can use to summarise a strategy is the Get / To / By framework:

• Get your target audience
• To do something that will solve your problem
• By convincing/demonstrating/encouraging/demanding/pleading/etc. that they do that thing

For example:

Get Young Londoners who don't think that Nike understands what it's like to be them ‍ To buy and wear more Nike products on the streets of London ‍ By showing them that Nike doesn't just get what it takes to be a kid in London - they get what it takes to thrive as a kid in London.

And that's it. That's all we're giving you. We weren't kidding - if you're here to learn how to be a strategist, you might be in the wrong place. But, for those of you who do want to learn more, check out this brilliant article by Mark Pollard about how to approach strategy.

Step 10 - Lock down the considerations 🔒

This is where you need to nail down the details. Make sure you’ve got the following in your creative brief:

• Considerations What do you need to say in this campaign? What can you definitely not say? What needs to be in the campaign to avoid your CMO throwing a fit?
• List of deliverables What assets do you actually need to create? Give the channels, formats and number of assets that you're expecting.

Take a look at our in-depth checklist on what admin to include in your brief in our article on the topic here .

Step 11 - Inspire the creative team 🪄

If you've followed all these steps, you should have a concise, focused brief-on-a-page.

But now it's time to think about how you'd actually brief the team.

How are you going to bring the energy? How are you going to inspire them?

Here are some ideas to turn your next briefing into an inspiring mega-session:

• Turn your one-pager into a set of slides so you can tell a real story
• Tell a real story: find real-life examples or analogies to make your brief feel more real itself
• Bring in best-in-class case studies as examples and to set the bar high for your creative team
• Take it out of the office. If you're briefing them on a Nike project, why not take them to a local basketball court?
• Please, for the love of God, don't brief them over Zoom. Do it in person.

If you need any more inspiration, we've put together a few tips on how to make your next briefing more inspiring than any you've delivered before .

Creative brief example

If you've followed all 11 steps, you should end up with an inspiring creative brief. Here's an example for a fictional sports tailoring brand:

That's all it takes to craft the perfect creative brief. Now sit back, and wait for the magic to happen.*

*No actually, don't do that. As the person who has briefed the team, make yourself available to guide and help them as they work through their ideas - and to protect the strategy, and ensure they stay on-brief.

We promise that if you do all of that, you'll find that by the end of the creative process, you'll be pleased with what comes back.

Keep learning

How to define your marketing challenge

How to craft key messages

How to make your brief inspiring

How to set marketing objectives

How to get the admin right

How to segment your market

How to start writing a marketing brief

How to write the perfect marketing brief

How to summarise market research

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How to write a creative brief: Templates and guide with examples

If you have been involved in brand management, marketing, or working with a creative agency, there is a good chance you have experienced the complexity of launching a successful campaign.

Many activities are to be carefully orchestrated, but they can easily spiral into an endless and frustrating campaign delivery when it is not well-managed.

The result? Shmi Skywalker’s quote, from The Phantom Menace , explains it well:

“You can’t stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting”  — Shmi Skywalker

It doesn’t have to be that way. In this article, I will define what a creative brief is, how great ones are created, what they include, and provide you with templates to get going.

Are you ready?

“Set a course for the creative brief, Warp six. Engage!”

OK, sorry, that is a Star Trek reference. I pinky promise it will not happen again.

What is a creative brief?

“Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny,” Yoda once said in The Empire Strikes Back . For this exact same reason, it is essential to only embark on the journey of delivering a creative project when the creative brief has been established.

A creative brief is a document that sets out the strategy, approach, path, and deliverables to achieve the success of a creative project.

Let’s have a look at its purpose.

• Provide clarity early on by acquiring an in-depth understanding of the objectives and providing a carefully considered plan to deliver them
• Get all those playing a role aligned through early involvement, engaging with key players, understanding their concerns, and acquiring their commitment to delivery.
• Have a reference document to manage expectations and keep focus. In the hustle and bustle of the day, commitments might be deviated from or, even worse, forgotten about and disregarded. In those cases, the creative brief is the document to take a look at to keep all heading in the same direction. As Qui-Gon Jinn said in The Phantom Menace “Your focus determines your reality”

The formulation of a creative brief is an inter-team collaborative effort between the project manager, designer, and stakeholders who are contributing to the success or can influence its outcomes. Only together can you rule the delivery of a creative project.

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For that reason, I am sure Darth Vader, in The Empire Strikes Back , is a great advocate of using creative briefs to achieve delivery success:

“Together we can rule the galaxy ” — Darth Vader

What is included in a creative brief?

Before jumping into what’s included in a creative brief, I want to point out two things.

If it is the first time you write a creative brief my advice would be to be like Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian , who said “I like first, good or bad, they’re always memorable.”

In the context of the creative brief, it means that it is important to get started on the creation and retrospect. Learn from what worked well and where to improve. From the get-go, involve multiple people, both for creation and review. It helps in creating a sense of urgency, ownership, and belonging.

Keep in mind there is one person accountable for the end result. As the saying goes: too many Siths spoil the broth.

Analyze the competitors. Understand what they are doing and how they are tackling similar opportunities. What’s more, it allows you to acquire knowledge of their past successes and failures in similar projects.

These insights help you to accelerate creative ideas and try new approaches.

There are many aspects that make a creative brief. They are:

• Objectives and goals
• Target audience
• Deliverables
• Delivery team
• Delivery timelines

Objectives and goals: why are we doing this project?

As with all good things, start with the why. Describe the purpose of the initiative, its goals, and expected outcomes.

Make sure that your goals follow the template of a SMART goal:

• Specific —State your goals clearly and narrowly
• Measurable — Ensure that the success or failure for the matter can be measured
• Attainable — Make them ambitious yet achievable
• Relevant — Align them to the objectives
• Time-based  — Set an end-date to work towards success

Avoid sounding like Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back when he said, “difficult to see; always in motion is the future.”

For a creative project aiming to increase website traffic, an example of a good SMART goal could look something like this:

We want to increase our website traffic by 14 percent in the next quarter by publishing 10–12 articles per week. We believe this is achievable as traffic increased by 9 percent each and every month in the last quarter when posting 6–8 articles. By increasing blog traffic, we’ll improve our brand awareness and generate new leads.

Target audience: who are we doing this for?

Describe who the initiative is targeting. This means that you need a description of the target audience and their characteristics.

Some questions you may ask to get started are:

• What is their demographic?
• What are their wants and needs?
• What is motivating them?
• What is frustrating them?

Personas and empathy mapping are two great tools to use.

Message: what message do we convey?

Capture the tone of voice and brand guidelines to adhere to and what is to be included in the messaging. Address the message to be conveyed to the target audience and the emotion it should evoke.

Some description of items that should be included are:

• Logo specifications

There are many other descriptors that can be used to convey the message, but these are good starting points.

Deliverables: what will we deliver?

Define the scope. Outline the milestones and deliverables of the initiative.

A milestone is a specific significant event in the delivery of an important stage. For instance, the publishing of an ad.

A deliverable is something that is provided as part of the initiative, such as a newsletter, promotional video, or poster.

You can also set out what is not included in the delivery. For instance, if the client will provide all creative assets, it is out of the scope of your delivery.

Delivery team: who plays a role?

Describe who is needed to deliver the initiative successfully and which effort is expected to be required from them.

In addition, you can consider capturing who the major stakeholders are and how to communicate with them to ensure they don’t switch to the dark side. Identifying stakeholders makes it easier to acquire resources and deliver as a cohesive team wile keeping all parties informed.

It is nice when, at the completion of the initiative after all is delivered and objectives are met, you can quote Leia Organa, from The Force Awakens :

“You know, no matter how much we fought, I’ve always hated watching you leave” — Leia Organa

Delivery timelines: what is the high-level delivery timeline?

Delivery shouldn’t last till eternity. The details gathered on milestones and deliverables and the capacity needed to deliver them empower you to define the timelines.

Describe when the initiative starts and when it will be completed. Also, consider being more granular by adding delivery timelines for milestones and deliverables.

There might be a chance that the completion deadline is a given from which you need to plan backward. Keep this in mind when planning roles and costs.

Budget: what will it cost?

It doesn’t come for free now, does it? Line out the expenses and, if needed, when they are expected to be incurred.

Include both the costs of those delivering the results as well as costs associated with any materials needed. For instance, printing and publishing costs.

How to write a creative brief that sets you up for success

There are many steps in the formation of creative brief. When they are done correctly, you will be successful writing and formulating your creative brief. These components include:

Create a project name

Refer to the marketing strategy, gather the project details, write your creative brief, review the brief with relevant contributors, share and acquire stakeholder approval.

Write down a concise title for the product brief that captures the essence and is understandable to decision-makers and stakeholders. Don’t be like the Star Wars franchise that named their movies incorrectly .

Link back to the marketing strategy and ensure that the creative brief supports them. In addition to doing so, stakeholders will find it easier to understand and rally behind the objectives.

Consult those who are required to get the content included in the creative brief. Going through this exercise will also provide you with a good overview of the stakeholder landscape to be managed.

Now that you have all of your information gathered, you can finally jot it all down. Thus, your creative brief is born.

Two people know more than one. A review helps to make the creative brief better.

People tend to overlook their own writing mistakes. Letting others, with fresh eyes, review the brief strengthens it in all aspects by correcting grammar errors and finding holes in the logic and information. (Note: Big shoutout to the editor of this article who captured all my flaws and mistakes, and gracefully improved them :D)

On top of that, when inviting others to review, you create shared ownership and buy-in.

When the brief is in good shape, it is time to share it with stakeholders and acquire their approval.

I personally like what I call the “sure shot” model here. The “sure shot” model is where approval is a 100 percent guarantee. How can you achieve this? By bringing stakeholders on board early, understanding their needs, and validating the buy-in upfront.

Keep in mind that not only do you need their initial approval, but also their ongoing support. Early involvement is the key to success from my experience. As Tobias Beckett would say, in Solo: A Star Wars Story , “You told Chewie people are predictable. You’re no exception.”

Types of creative briefs (including templates)

Creative briefs come in multiple forms for various purposes. Let’s have a look at some of the common ones.

For your convenience, and to get you started on your journey, a template is available for each:

Agency creative brief

This one is mainly used when working with marketing agencies. It allows you to provide a compelling offering that fits their brand.

Agency creative brief template

Campaign creative brief

This creative brief is to envision a creative approach for a marketing campaign. For example, an advertisement, or a new email campaign.

Campaign creative brief template

Video creative brief

The one helps product teams to understand what is needed for video projects. It helps them resonate with and evoke emotions from the target audience.

Video creative brief template

Graphic design creative brief

This brief, like the video creative brief, focuses on the graphics. The difference is that this one looks at static graphics, such as logos, images, and posters. It provides the designer with context to what is to be included and to be adhered to.

Graphic design creative brief template

Copy content creative brief

Where the video creative brief is focused on a specific video, and a graphic design brief on static designs, the copy creative brief focuses on a — you guessed it — specific piece of copy content. Think about e-books, whitepapers, or blog articles.

Copy content creative brief template

If you heard about the legends of creative briefs before — like Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story  — by now you will agree that, “Everything you’ve heard about them is true.”

A creative brief is essential to understanding what is needed to deliver a creative project. A great one includes several sections that set you up for successful delivery. Creative briefs come in various forms based on their purpose.

Let’s end this one with an Obi-Wan Kenobi quote that shows how he feels about creative briefs:

“This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight … an elegant weapon for a more civilized age” — Obi-Wan Kenobi

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How to Write a Creative Brief (+ Examples and 7 Templates)

Table of Contents

Have your creative projects been chaotic? 

Has there been confusion among the team members about what the final product should look like? 

Maybe you wasted a lot of time making sure that everyone has all the necessary information. 

All these problems can be avoided with one simple document — a creative brief. 

In this article, we will go over:

• What a creative brief is, 
• What it should include, 
• How to write a creative brief,
• Tips for writing a high-quality creative brief, and 
• Benefits of a creative brief.

We will also provide you with 7 different types of free creative brief templates .

So, let’s begin! 

What is a creative brief?

A creative brief is a document that functions as a guide for creative teams, helping everyone keep in touch with the project’s objectives and guidelines.

It should be, as the name suggests — brief. Ideally, it should fit on 1 to 2 A4 pages, contain the gist of the project, and serve as a guideline for everyone involved in the project. 

What must a creative brief include?

Not all creative briefs have to look the same. 

There are many ways to organize a creative brief depending on the type of creative project it’s made for — marketing, social media, brand definition, logo creation, etc.

 Still, there are some elements of a creative brief that are always included:

• Project title — indicates what the project is about,
• Company background — information about the company that can be relevant to the project,
• Objectives — what you are trying to accomplish with the project,
• Target audience — who you are trying to reach,
• Tone of voice — the way you speak to your target audience, 
• Distribution — the channels by which your message will reach the target audience (such as social media or TV commercials),
• Budget — the amount of money reserved for the project,
• Competition — companies offering similar services or products as you, and
• Timeline — all relevant time points in the project from the start to the due date.

Of course, you aren’t limited to just these elements. What’s important is that the creative brief contains all the relevant information for your project. 

For example, when creating a website or a logo for a business, instead of using the term “tone of voice”, “style” might be more appropriate. And you could add another element like “color scheme” since that is an important part of creating a good design.

10 Steps to writing a creative brief

In the following text, we will explain all the steps you need to go through to produce a high-quality creative brief.

Step #1: Choose the name for the project and provide a short overview 

The name of the project should be short and reflect the essence of the creative brief. 

For example, the name “Creative brief for a TastyFood restaurant marketing campaign” clearly shows the purpose of the brief and the name of the client. 

A short overview of the project should follow the title — just a sentence or two to summarize what the project is about.

Step #2: Summarize the company’s background

Outline the company background. There is no need to go into detail about the company. It’s enough to mention its core values and the information relevant to the project, such as what problems the company is currently facing and what kind of image they are trying to portray. 

What you write in this section depends on whether your company hired an external agency for the job (for example, a video production company to make a promotional video for a new product) or if the creative team is employed at the said company. 

If it’s the latter, you can omit general information about the company since it’s already known to all involved. 

Step #3: List the objectives

Take the time to precisely state the objectives of the creative project, i.e. what you are trying to achieve with this project. Some of the more general objectives can be:

• Rise in brand awareness,
• Increase in sales,
• Change of company image, etc.

For example, a marketing strategy for an app may have an objective “increase the number of new sign-ups by 10% in the next 3 months” .

💡 Plaky Pro Tip

If you want to make this step easier, learn more about objectives and key results in projects:

• A guide to using OKRs in project management

Step #4: Define your target audience

It’s essential to know who your marketing campaign or your advert is aimed at. Who are the people who will buy your product? You must have a clear vision of them when creating the brief.

Depending on the aim of the campaign and the company’s product, different information can be relevant. Some of the information you can include is the audience’s:

• Social status,
• Employment status,
• Habits, 
• Beliefs, and

Step #5: Choose the tone of voice

After establishing your target audience, the next question is how to get through to them. 

You should determine what emotions you are trying to evoke and what picture you are conveying to the minds of the audience.

For example, a commercial for a bank should have a more serious tone that makes them look dependable and serious. 

On the other hand, a commercial for a soft drink company can have a more relaxed tone, attempting to connect the drink with the idea of having fun and being happy.

Step #6: Research the competition

If you want to conquer a market, you have to be aware of the competition. Or, in the words of Sun Tsu: “ Know thy enemy” . 

Do thorough research on your competitors. Who is currently popular? Who offers products similar to yours? List their positive and negative traits. 

Knowing what your competitors are offering means you can find a way to offer something better. 

Step #7: Set the budget

It’s a good idea to set the budget at the very beginning of the creative project. This enables the team to organize their work accordingly. 

Instead of just defining the total budget, it’s better to allocate your funds at the beginning. 

For example, if you are making an advertising campaign for new sportswear, you can divide the budget between social media ads, TV commercials, and hiring a sportsperson to be the face of your brand. 

If you want to learn about different budgeting methods, take a look at this article:

• Best project management budgeting methods to try

Step #8: Ask for feedback

Once you have completed the brief, you should ask for feedback from project stakeholders , such as your client or company executives, as well as your project team members . 

You can organize a project kickoff meeting where people could express their opinions and ideas together or just send everyone a copy of the brief and have them send the feedback back to you. 

Step #9: Review and edit 

After you have received feedback, consider the suggestions and make changes if necessary. 

You can go back and forth between these 2 steps until both you and the stakeholders are satisfied with the brief.

Step #10: Distribute the brief 

Once the creative brief is finished, distribute it to everyone working on the project. 

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3 Tips on how to write a creative brief 

To help you create a top-notch creative brief, we asked professionals with experience in writing them to share some tips with us. 

Here’s what they had to say.

Tip #1: Think about the aim of the project before starting on the brief

We talked to James Parkinson , Head of Marketing Content at Personnel Checks, and he emphasizes the importance of understanding the goal of the project:

“You need to understand what the end goal or aim for the project or task is before you try to create a brief. Many people get this wrong and end up producing a large document with contradicting information. When, in reality, if you fully understand the desired outcome, then the brief can be very to-the-point and efficient.”

If you become better at setting goals, make sure to read our article on the topic:

• How to define S.M.A.R.T. goals in project management

Tip #2: Include success metrics

We asked Gene Caballero , Co-Founder of lawn care business GreenPal, to share his thoughts on making creative briefs. He points out you have to decide on the success metrics for your project:

“Determine in advance how you will measure the success of the campaign. We usually focus on metrics like sign-up rates, website traffic, and social media engagement.”

You use the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to collect performance data and measure the success of your project. 

Tip#3: Take your time

Don’t be tempted to just rush through the brief so you can start the project as soon as possible. Dedicate enough time to in-depth research. 

Caballero emphasizes how important it is to dedicate enough time to the creation of the creative brief:

“ Remember, the creative brief is a guiding document that helps ensure everyone is on the same page. It’s the roadmap for your project , so taking the time to do it well is critical. ”

7 Creative brief templates

There are many types of creative briefs you can make for different creative projects.

We have singled out some of the most popular ones here and created free editable templates that you can use for your projects.

Simple creative brief template

When creating your first creative brief, it’s best to start with the basics. Here’s a simple creative brief template:

🔽 Simple creative brief template

It has all the key elements necessary for a creative brief, and it can be edited to your preference, so you can use it for any kind of creative project, both in-house and external. 

Marketing creative brief template 

Creating a high-quality marketing campaign requires creativity. But it’s also important to stay organized and not let that creativity lead to chaos. 

According to CoSchedule’s 2022 Trend Report on Marketing Strategy , organized marketers are a whopping 674% more likely to be successful. This is why you need a well-made marketing creative brief.  

Here is a free template to help you create a creative brief for your marketing campaign.

🔽 Marketing creative brief template  

This template can be useful to anyone managing a marketing project . 

It presents all the elements in the form of a table. You can adjust the space dedicated to each element to fit your project’s needs. 

For example, you will probably want to describe the target audience and the tone of voice in more detail than the other elements since these 2 are crucial in organizing a good marketing campaign. 

Advertising creative brief template 

Although marketing and advertising are similar, the focus of advertising is a bit different, so the creative briefs will differ as well. You can use the template below to write a creative brief that would fit your advertising project. 

🔽 Advertising creative brief template

The most important part of this brief is deciding on the distribution model — how the ad is going to reach the audience. 

You can dedicate a substantial amount of the brief to clearly stating how you want your advertising campaign to reach your target audience. 

Video creative brief template 

The process of video production is complex, requiring people from different areas of the business to work together through 3 different phases in their video management software : 

• Pre-Production,
• Production, and 
• Post-Production. 

That’s why creating a creative brief is a step you mustn’t overlook. You can use the template below to create a well-organized creative brief for video projects without difficulty.

🔽 Video creative brief

Whether it’s a promotional video, a tutorial on how to use a product, an interview with a customer, or a commercial, creating a video is often part of a bigger project. 

But the video production team (or an agency you hired) likely won’t be familiar with the details of that project. So, the video creative brief will serve as a guide to help them create a video that meets all the requirements. 

Having good project management software for video production can be a great help in your work. Check out the following list of the best such tools on the market: 

• Top 10 project management software for video production 

Logo creative brief template 

A logo is the first thing a customer notices about your product or service. 

So, making a logo that will stand out and attract the attention of your target audience is a crucial part of getting your product recognized.

That’s why the creation of the logo is a separate project that requires its own creative brief. You can find a well-designed logo creative brief template on this link:  

🔽 Logo creative brief template

Unlike some other creative briefs, the logo creative brief doesn’t include “tone of voice”, but instead has elements such as:

• “Color scheme”, 
• “Logo style” and
• “Font type”. 

This is because the visual element is highly important when creating a logo, so it deserves to be divided into several categories. 

Social media creative brief template

According to Kepios’ 2023 report on global Internet use , there are 4.80 billion social media user identities in the world. So the quality of your social media campaign can be the difference between a successful product and an unsuccessful one. 

Make sure to use a creative brief to guarantee a well-organized social media campaign. You can use the template below to make your first social media creative brief.

🔽 Social media creative brief template  

Aside from the basic categories a creative brief should have, you should also specify which social media channels you are focusing on in the social media brief. 

For example, if your target audience are teenagers and people in their early 20s, you will probably focus on TikTok and Instagram. But if you are targeting business people in their 30s and 40s, your main focus should be LinkedIn. 

💡 Plaky Pro Tip 

If you want to learn how to create a social media calendar, check out the links below: 

• Social media content calendar guide + 60 ideas
• Social media calendar template 

Website creative brief template 

Since designing a website often involves a web design company and an external client, a well-written creative brief is a necessary part of the project. 

Make sure to try the website creative brief template we created for you. 

🔽 Website creative brief template

Almost any business today needs a website, so it’s very common for various businesses to employ a web design company to create it for them. 

This brief helps companies and web designers be on the same page and work together without problems.

7 Creative brief examples 

To help you see what a filled-out creative brief looks like, we have prepared an example for each type of the above-presented types. 

Simple creative brief example

In this simple creative brief, a construction company needs a marketing strategy for their new estates. 

Since their target audience are upper-class and business people, the tone they’re aiming for is confident. They want to look exclusive so their customers should feel privileged to own the property they’re selling. 

CREATIVE BRIEF FOR SKY HOUSES PROJECT

Paradise Estate needs to develop a marketing strategy for their new project “Sky Building”

Company background

Paradise Estate is a company building modern and exclusive buildings on the outskirts of cities. They have recently started a new project called “Sky Building”, which will have 48 apartments (12 stories with 4 apartments each). 

Objectives 

• Sell 50% of apartments before the building is completely built.
• Confirm Paradise Estate apartments as high-quality and exclusive housing.

Target audience

• Upper-middle and upper class
• Business people in their 40s and 50s 
• People with families

Tone of voice

Confident tone with an air of exclusivity, making people feel privileged to own apartments in this building. 

Stakeholders

Company CEO: Michael S.

Sales Director: George N.

Marketing Team Director: Diana C.

Design Team Director: Priya K.

Distribution

Social media (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook)

TV commercials

Budget 

Social media advertising: $10,000

TV commercials: $25,000

Project start: July 7, 2023

Advertisement due date: July 28, 2023

Social media campaign: From August 4, 2023, to October 13, 2023

TV campaign: From August 11, 2023, to October 13, 2023

Marketing creative brief example

In this example, a restaurant owner hired a marketing agency to organize their marketing campaign for their restaurant in a new location. 

CREATIVE BRIEF FOR A RESTAURANT MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Company  

TastyFood restaurant 

TastyFood is a family restaurant on the outskirts of town. They are opening a restaurant in a new location. Their customers are mostly people in their 50s and 60s from the same neighborhood. 

• Show that TastyFood is a good restaurant for families with children.
• Have a full restaurant on the day of the opening.
• Middle-class people in their 30s and 40s who go to restaurants for late lunch or dinner after work
• Young families with children 

Friendly tone to paint a picture of a warm atmosphere: happy families enjoying their time together, friends eating dinner and laughing, etc. 

Competition

• Italian restaurant on the same street
• Two other small family restaurants in the neighborhood

Restaurant owner: John R.

Marketing agency owner: Tom A.

Marketing team lead: Dev C.

Project start: August 1, 2023 

Project due date: September 19, 2023 

Website launch: September 25, 2023

Billboards in the neighborhood

Youtube ads

Facebook and Instagram ads

Total: $20,000

Marketing agency: $7,000

Billboards: $5,000

Social media ads: 7,500

Additional expenses: $500

Advertising creative brief example

Here, a chocolate factory wants to increase sales numbers of their hot chocolate drink. They want to reach children and adults through TV commercials and YouTube ads. 

ADVERTISING CREATIVE BRIEF FOR A CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Project overview

A chocolate company wants to make a Christmas advertisement for their hot chocolate drink.

Company name

WeLoveChocolate

The company produces chocolate bars, chocolate cookies, and hot chocolate drinks. While bars and cookies have high sales numbers, chocolate drinks are not as popular. They want to advertise their product as an indulgent treat customers would want to buy.

• Connect this brand of hot chocolate with feelings of contentment and happiness during Christmas time in the minds of the customer. 
• Increase the sales of hot chocolate by 20% by the end of 2023. 
• Children aged 5-14
• Adults feeling nostalgic about their childhood

Happy, relaxed tone of voice that paints a picture of an idyllic family atmosphere during the Christmas holidays. 

• TV commercials on children’s channels, and on regular channels in the evenings
• Youtube ads 

Total budget: $45,000

Advertisement creation: $25,000

Advertising on TV: $20,000

Youtube ads: $5,000

Video creative brief example

This video creative brief is created by a supermarket working with a video production company to create a video that will promote online shopping.

VIDEO PRODUCTION CREATIVE BRIEF FOR A TUTORIAL

Video production project name

“How to order online” tutorial video creation

Easy Shop Supermarket

The popularity of the supermarket is increasing constantly. There are too many customers for the supermarket’s facilities to handle, and the rows at the cash register are long. The supermarket launched online shopping on their site, but the majority of the customers are not using it. This is why they hired a video production company to create a video that would promote online orders. 

Objectives  

• Increase online sales by 40% in the next 4 months.
• Decrease the time people have to wait at the cash register.
• Eliminate crowds in the supermarkets.
• Busy people with full-time jobs and families with children
• People who are struggling to achieve everything and who have too many errands in a day

The tone should be informative and friendly, with simple explanations, without unnecessary tech jargon to confuse the customers. 

The video will be posted on the supermarket’s homepage.

There will be a post on all the supermarket’s social media accounts, notifying customers there is a new tutorial video.

There will be a TV at the entrance to the supermarket playing the video. 

Budget  

Video production team: $3,000

Speaker for the video: $400

Pre-production due date: July 17, 2023

Production due date: August 28, 2023

Post-production due date: October 9, 2023

Stakeholders  

Video production company, represented by: Andrew C.

Supermarket’s marketing manager: Christina L.

Supermarket’s IT department head: Fiona N.

Logo creative brief example

In this example, a design agency is hired by a soft drink company to create a logo for their new drink. 

BRIEF FOR SOFT DRINK COMPANY LOGO CREATION PROJECT

Company name  

Sparkle Inc. 

Overview  

A soft drink company wants a new logo to represent their new cherry-flavored fizzy drink.

They produce soft drinks which are sold in most supermarkets and stores in the country. But the sales are quite low. They want to attract young customers.  

Create a logo that would appeal to a young audience. 

Pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults with the average income 

Vibrant and modern style that looks fun and lively. 

Color scheme

Cherry Red #D2042D

Cadmium Red #D22B2B

Jet Black #343434

Almond #EADDCA

Indie Flower

Soft drink companies:

• Fanta 

Client: Sparkle, Inc.

Represented by: Andrew R.

Design team leader: Jessica B.

Design team members: Ben H, Kate E, Lee J. 

Timeline  

Start of the project: June 16, 2023 

First draft due: August 16, 2023 

Final version due: September 9, 2023 

Social media creative brief example

Here, a company making face masks wants to raise brand awareness by promoting its products on social media.

SOCIAL MEDIA CREATIVE BRIEF FOR FORCE OF NATURE

Force of Nature

Force of Nature is a small business that produces organic face masks with minimal impact on the climate. They are a new company on the market, and they are trying to raise brand awareness with social media campaigns.

Platforms  

The campaign will cover 3 social media platforms:

• Instagram 
• TikTok 
• Facebook 

Raising brand awareness with: 

• Short videos with skincare tips,
• Articles offering free gift cards to new subscribers, and 
• Stories with satisfied customers.

Women in their 20s and 30s in college or working with busy schedules who don’t have time for long and complex skincare routines. 

People who pay attention to the environment and try to make eco-friendly decisions 

Bright and joyful  

First posts on Instagram and Facebook: July 3, 2023

Videos on TikTok: July 5, 2023

Youtube ads: July 10, 2023 

$15,000 ($5,000 each for Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok)

Company CEO: Sarrah C.

Social media team: Jenny L. (Instagram and Facebook), Mark A. (TikTok) 

Design team: Kate R, Lisa N, 

Video production team: Ben T, Taylor E.

Website creative brief example 

In this website creative brief, a company selling organic vegetables hired a website design company to create a website where their customers can place orders and have the vegetables delivered to them.  

ORGANIC FOOD WEBSITE CREATIVE BRIEF

Organic Food needs a functional easy-to-use website for their customers to place orders

Organic Food has been selling their products to supermarkets and stores for 6 years. Now, they are looking to expand and enable their customers to buy directly from them instead of going to the store. 

• Create a functional website for people to place orders and book deliveries. 
• Expand to a new market. 
• Increase overall sales by 15% by the end of November.

Middle and upper-middle-class people who pay attention to their health and want supreme-quality produce. 

People in their 20s to 50s who are used to ordering online.  

Style 

• Simplistic and modern style
• Website should look professional without any unnecessary bling
• All Organic Food — offer a great variety of fruit and vegetables to order online, but the prices are quite high
• Natural Food — affordable organic vegetables, but they don’t offer delivery 
• Sunny Valley — the most serious competitor. They offer organic vegetables to order online, and if you spend more than $100 the delivery is free. 

Website design company 

Head of web design: Claire A. 

Organic Food CEO: Mark S.

Organic Food sales team leader: Helen L.

Introductory meeting: June 30, 2023 

Website idea presentation: July 14, 2023

Project due date: July 31, 2023

Website launch: August 3, 2023

Why do you need a creative brief?

Composing a creative brief at the beginning of your project is something you should never skip.

Some of the biggest benefits of having a creative brief include:

• Eliminating confusion and saving time,
• Saving money, and
• Encouraging creative thinking.

Benefit #1: Eliminates confusion and saves time

Caballero explains how the creative brief helps his team be on the same page and save time:

“We all know what it feels like to be lost in a swirl of emails and meetings. The brief keeps everyone aligned, cutting through the confusion. We’ve all got our copy, and it’s like we’re singing from the same hymn sheet. It’s a real time-saver.”

Benefit #2: Saves money

Creating a brief with everything planned at the very beginning of the project will save you money in the long run. 

Having a creative brief means that everyone will know the objectives and expectations right at the start of the project, so there is a higher chance that the creative team will succeed in creating what the stakeholders want. 

This way, the project resources won’t be wasted on the trial-and-error stage of the project. 

Benefit #3: Encourages creative thinking 

Caballero points out how having a creative brief actually helps boost creativity:

“A clear brief sets boundaries but also grants the freedom to explore within those boundaries. It’s like having a sandbox where our creatives can build the most magnificent castles, resulting in unique and effective solutions.”

When should you use a creative brief?

The easy answer is — whenever you have to manage a creative project . No matter the type of creative project, having a creative brief can come in handy.

But, specifically, you should never skip a creative brief when you are working on a complex project that has a large number of stakeholders and requires smooth cross-team collaboration. 

For example, an advertising campaign that includes the sales team, the marketing team, and the video production team would definitely benefit from having a creative brief. 

All of these teams probably work on several different projects simultaneously and aren’t familiar with the details of the advertising campaign, so it’s important to have a document with all the information in one place.

Who can fill out a creative brief?

Who will fill out a creative brief depends on whether it’s an in-house project or if a company hired an external contractor.

If it’s an in-house project, the creative brief will most likely be written by the team manager. 

If a company is working with an agency, the creative brief can be written by someone from the company who is familiar with the project, like a marketing manager or a product manager . The brief would then be delivered to the agency. Of course, the people in the agency can give their input and the brief can be revised if necessary. 

The creative brief might also be written by someone from the creative agency who would work closely with the representative of the company to understand all their demands and wishes. 

Creative briefs eliminate confusion and save time

No matter the type of your creative project, a creative brief is a must. 

Hopefully, after reading this article you have come to appreciate how significant creative briefs are and how much of a difference they can make. 

If you haven’t yet, make sure to incorporate them into your future projects.

After all, as Caballero says:

 “ A creative brief is the unsung hero behind every successful project ”.

Creative projects can easily become hectic, so it’s important to have a project management tool like Plaky to help you stay organized and on the right track. In Plaky, you can create a board for each project containing all your tasks, along with their due dates, statuses, assignees, and so much more. Sign up for a free Plaky account today and introduce structure to your creative projects.

Galina is a project management author and researcher at Plaky. She combines her interest in team collaboration and her natural knack for organization into writing informative and engaging texts that help people better understand project management. When she is not working, she can be found relaxing with a cup of coffee and a TV series or trying out new recipes from Asian cuisine.

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How To Write a Rock Solid Creative Brief [Examples + Template]

• August 16, 2021

Do you know those campaigns that hit it off with the audience? The ones that manage to create a mark, strike all the right chords. Call it what you want, but campaigns of this caliber that show unparalleled creativity don’t usually happen overnight.

They’re all backed by a rock solid creative brief.

Marketers today are not willing to settle for anything less than legendary and why should they? As per a recent survey by Business Wire , design and creativity climbed up the charts to become the top priority for 60% of marketers in the UK and US.

Need we say more? The stakes are high and creativity at its finest is the ask.

When nothing short of excellence is the need of the hour, you need an exceptional game plan in place — a compelling creative brief.

In this quick guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about creative briefs. Plus, we’ll walk you through the steps of writing a killer brief and bring out some classic examples. Then we’ll share a customizable creative brief template to get you off the ground.

First things first, what is a creative brief?

A creative brief is the cornerstone of a successful marketing campaign . It sculpts the campaign right from outlining the scope, setting the goals, and defining the audience to deciding the brand’s voice, messaging, deliverables, and deadlines.

Plus, the creative brief is a blueprint that clearly outlines a creative project’s mission, tackles the challenge, and lays out the path to achieve the goals.

Creative briefs, prepared by account managers (or in some cases project managers), are iterated till the work begins owing to evolving expectations and creative requirements. However, once the work for the campaign kicks off, this piece of the document serves as the guiding principle for all stakeholders involved in the creative process.

It’s all about the purpose… why do you need a creative brief?

Without a creative brief in place, your designers, copywriters, and overall marketing team or external creative agencies wouldn’t know the vision of the campaign, budgets would get blown out of proportion, and timelines would end up getting pushed.

The creative brief, being a standard practice in most organizations and agencies, guides your teams to do their most creative work from start to end.

Here are a few reasons why the creative brief “is the most sacred of all sacred ad documents,” as Will Burns rightly puts it.

The creative brief:

• Sets the campaign’s vision and purpose for your teams
• Brings everyone on board with a stable plan and ensures that they are on the same page
• Serves as an inspiration and the single point of reference, directing teams and third parties throughout the process
• Ensures that the creative strategy is in line with the budget and the expectations that are laid out

Know thy brief: What are the elements that make up a creative brief?

We have put together a bunch of essential elements that will remove all the back and forth and help you pin down exactly what you need to include in a creative brief. Besides, having a proper plan from the beginning will help you avoid unnecessary conflicts down the road.

Here’s a rundown of 10 key elements and the questions that they should address:

• Project background and business details: To begin with, you need to define the background of the project and your business – why is the project even happening in the first place and what led up to it?
• Product: It’s always about the product that you’re tasked with selling – what is the product, its features, benefits, price point?
• Objective: What are you looking to accomplish with this project?
• Target audience: What segments are you targeting?
• Competitors: Who are your top competitors and what is their current market share?
• Messaging and tone: What is the primary message of your campaign and what is the tone that you’d like to use?
• Budget: How much money are you going to shell out for this project?
• Stakeholders: Who will do what?
• Approvals and deliverables: What are the deliverables and who will be in charge of the approvals throughout the process?
• Timelines: What are the deadlines that you need to stick to?

The step-by-step process of writing a creative brief

Building a creative brief is no easy task — when you have so many important details to cover, how do you manage to pack everything into a single document?

Lucky for you, we’re letting you in on the process of writing a convincing and concise brief (not more than 2 pages).

Let’s just be clear on one thing, all creative briefs need not be the same — the point is to find what works for you. You can go ahead and include elements as per the needs of your campaign. Having said that, touching upon the below aspects can help you write a great brief.

1) Set the scene with the project background and brief overview

Give a short overview of the brand’s mission and what you plan to achieve with this campaign. You also need to outline the business profile and the details that set your brand apart.

2) Tackle the challenge and layout the objective:

Talk about the challenges and the problems that you are looking to solve and then move on to the goals and the objectives. Ensure that these goals are tied to the challenges you’ve mentioned above and set out KPIs by which you can track and measure them.

3) Define your audience

Carve out customer personas and analyze their demographics, interests, lifestyles, etc. Also mention what their current perception of your brand is and how you would like to change this.

4) Evaluate the competition

Talk about the competition, it’s important to know what their marketing strategy is and what channels they are using to reach out to the audience. Why? Knowing what they have done, will help you come up with better strategies (ideas that they have missed out on), giving you an edge in the market.

5) Describe the chief messaging concept, the tone, and set the budget

Mention the essence of the message and specify the tone that you would like to use. Establish brand guidelines that you need to follow and the mandatory elements that you need to include in the campaign.

The budget need not be set in stone. You could make a few additional spends, but it’s always best to stick to the initial budget.

6) Mention the stakeholders, the deliverables, and the timelines

It’s imperative to assign roles and set clear expectations with each team member that’s involved in the project.

A creative campaign involves multiple stages of approvals, specify who will be in charge of this. Clearly state what deliverables and assets you expect throughout the process.

Time management is key here. What are the deadlines for each of the processes involved? And what is the due date for the campaign to go live?

Examples of stellar creative briefs

We came across two great examples of creative briefs from marketing giants Nike and Netflix. These briefs are right on point, stressing upon all the core elements — they even have a great visual representation.

Source: Gwil Harris

Source: Laura Ferrari

The ultimate creative brief template

We promised you a template right at the beginning and here it is. Download a customizable template that will set you on the right path and get you going in no time.

Bottom Line

Ready to roll out brilliant creative briefs? We bet you are! With the sample steps and template shared above, you’ve got everything you need to flesh out a compelling creative brief and set sail to success .

Once you’ve drafted the brief, you’ll want to share it with other teams in the organization to fill them in on the requirements from their end and the basic goals of the campaign.

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10 Free Creative Brief Templates & Examples

ClickUp Contributor

February 13, 2024

No matter your business, it’s tough for creative projects to keep the balance. You need to make sure they stay on track but don’t want to structure them so much that they become formulaic. ⚖️

On the one hand, less structure leaves more room for creativity—AKA, the fun part! Emphasizing ideas first leads to beautiful designs, engaging content, and thoughtful collaboration. But on the other, the lack of process, accountability, and guidance often leads to missing deadlines and a lack of consistency throughout your work.

Plus, the structure behind your creative projects is what props them up for success! Without a sturdy and standardized operating procedure to l ay the foundation, it may be unclear to the team what your project is actually trying to accomplish.

That’s why a creative brief is essential to every creative project, no matter its complexity or size! With an equal focus on creativity and structure, your creative brief is the compromise your design and marketing teams have been searching for!

These documents help you think about and solidify the who , what , where , when , and why of your project. They keep your team aligned on goals and establish your next steps! Plus, they often go through a hefty approval process from every key player, so you know the finished product will meet (or exceed) all expectations.

But there’s no need to start from scratch on your creative brief for every new project. Instead, invest your time more productively—with a creative brief template! These resources are easy to use, collaborative, and best of all, customizable!

And lucky for you, we’ve already done the work to bring you the 10 best creative brief templates for any use case! Follow along for more creative brief FAQs, key features, template breakdowns, and more. 🎨

What is a Creative Brief Template?

1. creative brief template by clickup, 2. creative brief whiteboard template by clickup, 3. creative brief demand planning template by clickup, 4. product brief template by clickup, 5. campaign brief template by clickup, 6. event brief template by clickup, 7. seo content brief template by clickup, 8. design brief template by clickup, 9. marketing campaign brief template by clickup, 10. marketing project brief by clickup, what makes a good creative brief template.

A creative brief template is a pre-built document defining the key information, parameters, and goals for an upcoming creative project. These documents are typically created for stakeholders and project members to stay aligned on the project objectives throughout its lifecycle and kept by the project managers for easy reference.

Creative briefs are also, well, brief. We’re not looking for pages of research, we’re looking for a high-level rundown of what you’re going to deliver. If any additional resources are needed for context, hyperlink to it. 🙂

Creative briefs come in many forms, especially depending on your specific project type and complexity, but each brief consistently follows a standard set of categories to ensure your ducks are in a row before the kickoff meeting. Think of your creative brief kind of like a coloring book—it sets the boundaries for your creative team to work within to the best of their abilities!

Bonus: Creative Brief Examples!

10 Creative Brief Templates

Your creative brief is most useful when it integrates seamlessly with your other work tools. And since ClickUp is the only creative project management software flexible enough to bring all of your work together across apps into one centralized platform, that’s where we’re starting. ✅

Check out the top 10 creative brief templates for virtually any use case in ClickUp! Access collaborative and pre-built Docs, Whiteboards , workflows, Lists, and more—all at no cost!

We’ll start with what might be the most easily modified and comprehensive creative brief template you can find. The Creative Brief Template by ClickUp ensures your creative team is on the same page and working toward the same goals from the jump. This beginner-friendly ClickUp Doc template comes pre-formatted to support tables, media, and checklists. Plus, designated sections to clearly organize and quickly locate project information. These sections include:

• Target audience
• Deliverables
• Timeline and milestones
• Key stakeholders and sign-offs

ClickUp Docs is the ideal document editor for your creative brief template for its many collaboration features like live editing , assigned comments , and URL sharing. Its intuitive formatting, styling, and rich text editing also help you create highly visual and engaging briefs that stakeholders can read without needing a walk-through from the project manager!

And since ClickUp Docs live within your Workspace, you can convert text into actionable tasks, add tags to your Docs for easy referencing, and keep your work automatically updated without ever having to press “save.”

While creative brief templates are often pre-made documents—they don’t have to be! A key part of building your creative brief begins in the brainstorming process. And what better way to implement your best ideation techniques than on a dynamic digital whiteboard software ? 🤓

The Creative Brief Whiteboard Template by ClickUp takes your typical brief a step further, applying a pre-built List of creative project tasks to your Workspace and brainstorming diagram using its collaborative Whiteboards feature.

Whiteboards are ideal for capturing and acting on your ideas the moment they happen. Use this diagram as the framework to explore your creative project’s goals, audience demographics, research plans , and potential workflows. And when you’re ready to take things to the next phase, simply convert your text, shape, or note directly into a ClickUp task!

While the previous template was comprehensive in Doc sections and formatting, this Whiteboards template is rich in features and functionality to convey the same information visually! In this template you’ll find:

• Seven custom task statuses to oversee all progress
• Nine Custom Fields to bring more context into every view and within each task
• Four project views including Timeline, List, and Doc view
• Workflow automations to keep your project moving forward (without the pesky busywork in between tasks)

And it doesn’t end there. This template ensures your creative team, stakeholders, and clients always have access to the information they need as your project takes shape.

The creative process starts long before your brief takes shape. You have to be able to set clear goals that align everyone on where the project should go, along with a roadmap on how to get there. You’ll also likely be juggling multiple project ideas at a time—how do you decide which projects are developed first?

Project prioritization may depend on current resources, the amount of work required, and complexity. But ultimately, it comes down to the projects that resonate best with your clients or audience. AKA, there needs to be a demand for the project before you can justify acting on it. That’s where the Creative Brief Demand Planning Template by ClickUp comes into play.

This List template is designed for teams managing several creative campaigns at a time. With five custom statuses arranged on an interactive Kanban board using ClickUp’s Board view , you’re able to visually manage every small step in progress across multiple projects using the whopping 20 Custom Fields included in this template.

For a smooth product development process, it is crucial that everyone is on the same page. The Product Brief Template by ClickUp provides a solution to this challenge with a detailed Doc to foster cross-functional collaboration, reference high-level research, and work toward a successful product launch.

With this creative brief template, product managers can easily work with members, stakeholders, or clients to organize product specifications, review feedback, and act on their next steps—all from the same Doc.

At its core, this formatted template prioritizes the key information your teams will need to get to work. That includes a simple overview, functional specs, a detailed release plan, a description of the problem to be solved, and a list of key team members.

Ready to learn more about the product development process? Start with an intuitive product management template to guide your workflow!

Creative campaign briefs take a little more elbow grease to put together than your average project. Similar to product briefs, they require input, action, and collaboration from other departments to carry out successfully. That’s because campaigns are typically made up of several smaller projects to drive a larger result. The Campaign Brief Template by ClickUp outlines these key parameters and makes it easier for project managers to oversee a campaign’s many moving parts.

This five-page ClickUp Doc breaks down your campaign elements from a high level to ensure alignment on messaging and goals from the top down. Starting with the overall campaign brief, this template establishes your goal, target audience, budget, deliverables , resources, and more. Within those sections, you’ll be prompted to dive into greater detail to guide the other elements of your campaign.

From there, pre-built subpages will help you create briefs for your smaller creative campaign elements and assets.

Hosting an event is no easy feat! But the Event Brief Template by ClickUp is the ideal resource to ensure you’re kicking off your event project management process in the best way possible.

This Doc serves as a detailed checklist to refer back to throughout the planning and execution phase to manage the event logistics, resources, and ultimately, its success.

The summary section not only lists the event title, date, and location but also allows you to link your ClickUp project template and message channel for the event. Other sections include an outline of goals and objectives, your target audience, the project team working on the event planning and execution, and a specific event schedule.

This is a great template to have on hand when presenting progress to stakeholders and clients to ensure the larger event needs are being met before contracts are sent out and vendors are solidified.

It’s not just about having a steady flow of blogs planned on your content calendar —it’s about making sure they reach the right audiences! Proper search engine optimization (SEO) reviews and strategies are key to achieving this and should be a critical part of your content creation workflow to ensure your writing is ranking well.

While there are many tools you’ll consult throughout your SEO project management processes, having a reliable starting point like the SEO Content Brief Template by ClickUp can provide writers with everything they need to create content that is both engaging and search-optimized. 

In addition to a project overview, this Doc template includes the SEO title, meta description, and intended word count. An OKR section leaves space for objectives and key results, target audience, and keyword info to focus the content, and an outline gets writers started in structuring their content.

Bonus: Outline generators !

If you’re looking to add images to a blog or create posts for social media channels, you’ll likely need to submit a design request first. These requests gather basic information about the image or graphic you need, and will ultimately help shape the design brief .

Since these requests are often a small piece of a larger project, your design team will likely be managing multiple briefs at a time—sometimes several each day! This makes having an organized framework like the Design Brief Template by ClickUp a must for keeping all requests, progress, and feedback together.

Use it to outline the goals, scope, and timeline of your project with multiple views to manage your work from every angle—even assign responsibilities, delegate action items, and set task priorities from a single List view.

Then, track the execution of the design project using custom task statuses and a pre-built Kanban board to make sure that the deliverable timeline stays on track and every stakeholder stays in the loop on where it stands at any given time.

The Marketing Campaign Brief Template by ClickUp shines not just in its usability, but also in its presentation. A presentation-ready cover page makes it easy to get your core information across visually, while sections for the target audience, the proposed budget, and your significant dates help with planning.

As you build out the brief, you can also add context through embedding extra marketing materials and references, simply put, it’s the perfect overview for any team working on the planning and execution of a marketing campaign.

Believe it or not, not every marketing project is a campaign! For smaller projects or individual asks, the Marketing Project Brief Template by ClickUp is your go-to. This pre-built task keeps things simple and structured, so you can focus on the good part—being creative!

This task and its subtasks ensure you’re supplied with all the key information you need to get the project off the ground, including the audience, overview, next steps, and key players. 

Need help choosing a creative brief template? The best creative brief templates have to be standardized enough to fill out quickly every time there’s a new project, while also being general enough to leave room for unique development.

That’s a tough line to walk, especially considering the many types of creative briefs you might need. But it’s possible! Look for briefs that include the following elements:

• A quick summary of the project . That way, everyone will grasp the gist of the project—especially stakeholders and cross-functional team members
• A section for the target audience , with space to explain some of the nuances about that audience and the problems they face
• The goals of the project . It always helps when a designer or writer knows exactly  why  they’re doing what they’re doing
• Room for open-ended information . Your brief won’t include every little detail. In fact, some elements of the project may still be up for discussion—your brief will ultimately help those elements take shape
• The project timeline . This sets hard and fast expectations for what will be produced in the project and when it will be completed

And of course, it needs to be easy to complete. The less time the project manager has to spend filling it out each time they need to, the more time there is to focus on the project deliverables.

Streamline Your Creative Projects With a Creative Brief Template

Building creative products, campaigns, and deliverables is hard work. So why make it any more difficult than it has to be? When you use the right creative brief template, much of the organization is already done for you.

ClickUp’s vast Template Library is filled with thousands of templates for every use case! Access any of the 10 templates listed above for free to start crafting the perfect creative briefs in no time. And when you’re ready to take your creative project off the ground, ClickUp has the perfect set of features to help you do it.

Find hundreds of project management features , over 1,000 integrations , a built-in Whiteboards feature, a collaborative document editor, and more when you sign up for ClickUp today .

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Creative Brief Examples

Unlock the power of effective communication and streamline your creative project management with our comprehensive guide to creative brief examples

Did you know that a staggering 65% of projects encounter delays due to miscommunication within teams? In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, the ability to craft a clear and concise creative brief has never been more critical.

In this resource-packed page, we dive deep into the world of creative briefs, exploring how they impact project management, resonate with target audiences, and drive successful marketing campaigns.

Discover the secrets of top-notch content creation, campaign management, and the innovative AI tools that can revolutionize your approach. Join us on a journey to transform your process with real-world examples and actionable insights.

What is a Creative Brief?

A creative brief is a foundational document used in the planning and executing various projects, particularly in the marketing and design fields. It serves as a guide, providing clear direction and context for the project at hand.

The creative brief outlines objectives, target audience, messaging, and desired outcomes, ensuring that everyone involved is aligned with the vision. Looking at creative brief examples can be enlightening; each creative brief example typically includes details like the scope of work, timelines, and specific requirements for creative assets.

While a creative brief can vary in format and detail, most creative briefs share a common goal: to encapsulate the essence of a marketing campaign or project in a concise, easy-to-understand manner. This clarity is crucial for effective communication and collaboration, leading to successful project outcomes.

Importance of Creative Briefs in Project Planning

The importance of creative briefs in project planning cannot be overstated, especially within the realm of project management. A good creative brief is pivotal as it articulates the project’s purpose clearly, ensuring all team members are on the same page.

This alignment is crucial in any creative project, fostering a shared understanding of the project goals and the desired outcomes.

For a  marketing planner , a well-crafted creative brief serves as a roadmap, guiding the project from conception to completion. It helps identify the target audience, set realistic expectations, and allocate resources effectively.

A creative brief bridges the gap between vision and execution, making it a fundamental tool in achieving project success.

Components of a Creative Brief Template

A creative brief template encapsulates key information for a project’s success. Among its essential elements, the template clearly defines the project goals, setting a clear direction for the internal team and any external agency involved.

These goals help in aligning the project’s vision and execution strategies.

A simple creative brief template often includes a project background, the target audience, key messages, and the expected desired outcome. This helps in ensuring that every stakeholder has a unified understanding of the project.

In addition, a creative brief template should detail the timeline, budget, and specific roles and responsibilities. This level of detail is crucial for effective project management and execution.

Each creative brief example serves as a roadmap, offering a structured yet adaptable approach to planning and implementing a project, ensuring that all parties are aligned and informed throughout the project’s lifecycle.

The Role of the Creative Team in Template Design

The creative team, consisting of creative agency team members and marketing team members, plays a crucial role in template design, especially for creative brief examples. Their expertise is key in ensuring that the designs are visually appealing and effectively convey the project’s objectives.

Working alongside the internal team, creative teams help translate abstract concepts into concrete, actionable plans, making them an essential part of any project that blends creativity with strategic execution.

Tailoring a Creative Brief Template for Different Creative Projects

Tailoring a creative brief template for different creative projects is crucial in aligning the creative process with the project’s purpose and project objectives.

When writing a creative brief, it’s important to adapt the template to fit each project’s unique demands, whether in-house or external.

This adaptation involves adjusting sections like the project timeline and specific goals. Using varied creative brief examples as references can aid in this customization, ensuring that each brief effectively guides the creative team from concept to completion.

Examples of Creative Briefs in Various Contexts

In various contexts, examples of creative briefs demonstrate their versatility.

The brief might focus on marketing strategy and brand voice for a marketing campaign, while an advertising campaign could emphasize the company background and creative approach.

Details about the video creative are crucial when writing creative briefs for a promotional video. As creative work progresses, these briefs guide the project objective, ensuring that each piece of creative work aligns with the intended goals and messaging.

Creative Brief Example in Marketing Campaigns

A creative brief example in marketing campaigns is a valuable tool for both marketing agencies and businesses. It outlines the campaign goals and sets the direction for the marketing creative.

Whether for an advertising campaign or other marketing initiatives, a well-crafted creative brief example ensures that all stakeholders are aligned and focused on achieving the desired outcomes in the marketing campaign.

To edit the brief, select “File” in the upper left-hand corner and then, “Make a Copy”. 

Target Audience Analysis in Creative Briefs

Target audience analysis in creative briefs is a crucial step. Whether for a marketing campaign or any creative project, understanding the target or intended audience is essential.

A creative brief example demonstrates how this analysis helps tailor messaging and creative elements to resonate effectively with the desired audience, enhancing the project’s success.

Brand Voice and Messaging in Creative Briefs

Defining the brand voice and brand statement is key in writing a creative brief. These elements guide the design creative and messaging to connect with the target audience effectively.

A well-crafted brief ensures the brand’s identity and messaging are consistent, creating a cohesive and impactful communication strategy.

Creative Brief Example for Advertising Campaigns

A creative brief example for advertising campaigns is indispensable, whether created by an advertising agency or in-house project. It encapsulates the essence of the campaign, defines the target audience, and guides the creative process.

With the help of creative brief examples, teams can ensure that the campaign’s objectives and messaging are clear and effective, setting the stage for successful advertising endeavors.

Elements of Creative Brief for an Advertising Campaign

The creative brief for an advertising campaign, whether prepared by an advertising agency or in-house creative team, comprises essential components that guide creative work effectively.

These elements in creative brief examples include details about the campaign’s objectives, target audience, messaging, and creative direction.

Such a brief acts as a roadmap, ensuring the creative team is aligned and focused on delivering impactful advertising content.

Creative Deliverables and Outcome Expectations

The essential elements in an advertising creative brief encompass specifying creative deliverables, establishing the desired outcome, and aligning them with the project objective and campaign goals.

Whether prepared by an advertising agency or an in-house team, this brief ensures that the creative work resonates with the company background and contributes effectively to the campaign’s success.

The Process of Crafting a Creative Brief

Crafting an effective creative brief, as demonstrated in creative brief examples, involves a structured approach to writing a creative brief.

Most creative briefs start by understanding the company background and project goals. Then, they define the creative work required to meet those objectives.

Whether you’re part of a marketing agency or learning  how to become a content creator , mastering the process of creating a concise and insightful creative brief is essential for success!

Steps to Write a Creative Brief

To write a creative brief, follow a structured approach. If needed, begin with understanding the project’s goals, using a simple creative brief template.

Define the creative work required in the first creative brief, drawing inspiration from a creative brief example. Keep the process of writing creative briefs concise and focused on guiding the process effectively.

Getting the Creative Team on the Same Page

Ensuring the creative team is on the same page is vital for professional project management.

Utilize a creative brief template and involve the account manager to facilitate alignment. Share a well-defined creative brief that serves as a common reference point.

This approach helps creative teams and team members understand their roles, ensuring that everyone is synchronized in delivering creative work that meets project objectives, as exemplified in a creative brief example.

Defining the Project Scope and Projective Objectives

Defining the project scope and objectives is critical to project management. A creative brief example can serve as a helpful guide for this process.

Involving the creative team and account manager in gathering key insights ensures the design creative aligns with the project’s goals. Keep it concise, and ensure everyone is clear about the scope and objectives in just a sentence.

Utilizing Creative Brief Templates

Utilizing free creative brief templates, like the simple creative brief template, streamlines the process of creating a comprehensive creative brief. These templates provide a structured framework for efficiently outlining project details.

By leveraging these free creative brief templates, teams can save time and ensure consistency in their project planning and execution.

Free Creative Brief Templates and Resources

Free creative brief templates and resources are valuable assets for guiding the creation of comprehensive creative briefs. These templates provide a structured framework for outlining project details and aligning teams.

By leveraging a free creative brief template, teams can ensure clarity and consistency in their project planning and execution, resulting in more effective utilization of creative assets.

Customizing Templates for Your Own Creative Brief

Customizing a creative brief template for your own creative brief is a practical approach. Whether you’re writing a creative brief template or using creative brief examples as references, tailoring the template to your specific project ensures that it aligns perfectly with your objectives.

Typically, creative briefs benefit from this personalized touch, allowing you to address unique project requirements effectively.

Managing the Creative Process Through a Creative Brief

Managing the creative process with a creative brief is essential for a successful creative project. Whether you’re writing a creative brief overview or using creative brief examples as a guide, it is a crucial tool for aligning all project stakeholders and ensuring that the creative work stays on track and meets the project’s goals.

Aligning Creative and The Marketing Team

Aligning marketing creative with the marketing agency is pivotal for a successful collaboration. Ensuring that both teams understand the target audience and project goals is crucial.

By crafting their own creative brief and defining creative deliverables, the creative team can work harmoniously with the marketing team to achieve the desired outcomes. Effective project management and clear communication among team members facilitate this alignment, resulting in a cohesive approach to meeting campaign goals.

Creative Ideas and Marketing Strategies

Fostering creative ideas that align with the marketing strategy is paramount. A good creative brief guides the design creative process, enabling the creative team to develop innovative concepts that harmonize with the overarching marketing goals.

Communication and Collaboration in Creative Teams

Effective communication and collaboration within a creative team, including each internal team member with the broader creative team, ensures that every team member is on the same page regarding the details outlined in the creative brief.

This alignment fosters a seamless workflow and contributes to the successful execution of project objectives.

Role of the Creative Project Manager

The project manager is crucial in ensuring the creative project runs smoothly. They possess a deep understanding of the target audience and project objectives, enabling them to guide the creative team effectively.

By providing a brief overview of the creative brief and overseeing the various elements of a separate project, they bridge the gap between the client’s company and the creative execution, ensuring that all aspects align seamlessly.

Project Management and Timeline Planning

Effective project management and project timeline planning are vital to ensuring that projects stay on track. The project manager and each team member collaborate closely to coordinate and oversee the project’s progress.

Clear project management ensures that tasks are completed in alignment with the creative brief, and the account manager helps to maintain the timeline, ensuring that project milestones are met efficiently.

Advanced Considerations in Creative Briefs

Advanced considerations in creative briefs go beyond the essential elements to encompass key insights about the intended audience, company’s background, and the client’s vision.

These details ensure that project stakeholders comprehensively understand the target audience and the nuances of the company background.

Utilizing a good creative brief template, these advanced elements help align the creative direction with the client’s vision, resulting in more impactful and tailored projects.

Incorporating Company Background and Marketing Campaign Strategies

Incorporating the company background and marketing strategy into the creative brief is essential for a successful marketing campaign.

Using a well-structured creative brief template, the marketing creative and marketing agency can align their efforts with the company’s unique background and strategic objectives, resulting in a more cohesive and effective marketing campaign.

Understanding and Articulating the Brand Statement

Understanding and articulating the brand statement is crucial to crafting effective marketing creative. By referencing a creative brief example, teams can ensure that the brand’s messaging resonates with the target audience, aligning the creative direction with the brand’s identity and values.

Key Stakeholders and Their Influence on the Brief

Identifying key stakeholders and understanding their influence on the creative brief is essential. They play a vital role in shaping the brief to align with the target audience, project objective, and the client’s vision.

Utilizing a good creative brief, these stakeholders help define the scope of creative deliverables and guide the creative work to ensure that it effectively meets the project’s goals.

Specialized Creative Briefs for Different Media

Creating specialized creative briefs for different media is essential to effectively convey the visual elements and align with the client’s vision.

Whether it’s video creative for a promotional video or design creative for graphic designers, tailoring the creative brief to the specific medium ensures that creative work aligns with each project’s unique requirements, resulting in a cohesive and impactful outcome.

Creative Briefs for Social Media Campaigns

Crafting a creative brief for social media campaigns involves considering the  specific elements of a social media campaign , such as social media ads and the  social media kit .

Collaborating with a  social media strategist  ensures that the brief aligns with the objectives of  social selling  and effectively conveys the brand’s message across various social platforms.

Print Ad and Video Creative: Unique Challenges

Creating video creative and print ad campaigns presents unique challenges that require careful consideration within the creative brief.

While video creative involves motion, storytelling, and visual elements, print ads demand a static yet impactful visual message. Tailoring the creative brief to address these distinct requirements ensures that each medium effectively communicates the intended message.

Finalizing and Utilizing the Creative Brief

Finalizing and utilizing the creative brief is the culmination of your strategic efforts, setting the stage for a successful outcome.

Once your creative brief is complete, it’s essential to review it meticulously, ensuring that it aligns with the project’s objectives and resonates with your audience. It serves as the guiding document for your creative team, providing a clear roadmap for content creation and campaign execution.

By leveraging the insights and direction laid out in the brief, you can streamline your creative processes, minimize miscommunications, and enhance management.

This ultimately leads to delivering cohesive, impactful content that resonates with your audience and achieves your project’s objectives.

So, don’t underestimate the power of a well-crafted creative brief—it’s the key to turning your creative vision into a reality.

Key Elements of an Effective Creative Brief

Key elements of an effective creative brief, whether you’re using a simple creative brief template or referencing a creative brief example, include clear communication with the creative team and a well-structured approach when asked to write a creative brief that guides the project seamlessly.

Ensuring Clarity and Precision in Communication

Ensuring clarity and precision in communication is paramount when working with a creative team. Whether you’re writing creative briefs or using a creative brief example, conveying your expectations and requirements for creative assets with clarity ensures that the creative approach runs smoothly and delivers the desired outcomes of the project objective.

Measuring the Success of Creative Briefs

Measuring the success of a creative brief is essential for evaluating the outcome of a successful project. It involves assessing how well the brief aligns with the target audience and the achievement of the project objective.

Effective project management ensures that video projects and other creative endeavors are on track, contributing to the overall success of the creative brief.

The Evolution of Creative Work Post-Brief

The evolution of creative work post-brief is a dynamic process.

Whether you’re using a creative brief example to write a creative brief or relying on a deep understanding of the client’s vision and company’s background, it involves project management and adaptation as creative work progresses.

This evolution ensures that creative elements, such as social media ads, align seamlessly with the brand statement and continue to reflect the overall vision effectively.

Tracking Progress and Adjusting Strategies

Tracking progress and adjusting strategies is vital to project management in creative endeavors. It involves monitoring how well the creative work resonates with the target audience and aligns with the campaign goals outlined in the creative brief.

Adapting strategies based on the evolving landscape and company background ensures that the creative work remains effective throughout the project for initiatives like a social media campaign or video creative.

The Impact of Well-Designed Creative Briefs

Well-designed creative briefs have a significant impact on projects. They ensure that the target audience is effectively addressed, whether you’re writing a creative brief from scratch or using a creative brief template or creative brief example as a guide.

This clarity in communication leads to more cohesive creative work, particularly in the realm of marketing creative. It is instrumental in achieving the project’s desired outcome through effective project management.

How Kiopi Can Help Your Social Media Management Strategy

Kiopi, the versatile social media management platform, extends its capabilities beyond traditional social media management to assist with crafting compelling content briefs.

With its scheduling tool, you can plan and organize content creation tasks in a structured manner, ensuring that your content aligns seamlessly with your designated target audience. Kiopi’s  social media content calendar  is invaluable for content planning, helping you maintain a consistent posting schedule that resonates with your audience.

Regarding content ideation and creation, Kiopi’s  AI social post generator tool  is a standout feature. This innovative tool aids in generating engaging and creative content ideas, effectively saving you time and effort.

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How to Write a Creative Brief (Example & Template Included)

What Is a Creative Brief?

A creative brief is a short, one-or-two-page document that summarizes marketing and advertising projects. Creative briefs are used by marketers and creative professionals to define the goals, scope and timeline for a project and set guidelines for their teams. For this reason, a creative brief can be described as a project management document for creative teams.

Who Should Create a Creative Brief?

A creative brief may be written by an in-house marketing team, an advertising agency or a marketing consultant for internal purposes. It’s a document that should capture the requirements of a client who needs their services.

The creative brief is like a blueprint for a project that’s made to help graphic designers, writers, videographers and other members of a creative team know what they’re responsible for and how their work and deliverables fit into the larger project.

After you write a creative brief for your team, you’ll need to plan, schedule and track your creative project. To do so, you’ll need project management software like ProjectManager . ProjectManager is equipped with tools such as Gantt charts, kanban boards, project dashboards and timesheets to help you manage any creative project. Assign work to your team members, create schedules, track costs and much more. Get started for free today.

Why Are Creative Briefs Important?

The value of having a creative brief is that it sets out to ensure that the deliverables from the creative project meet the client’s expectations and business needs. Because of their clear value in managing marketing and advertising projects, creative project managers typically employ them for each project.

Yes, a creative brief is just a document, but it’s an essential one. If you have a well-made-up creative brief at the front of your project , you’re less likely to have problems as you progress through the life cycle of the work.

When Should You Use a Creative Brief?

A creative brief might be used for a variety of marketing and advertising projects such as:

• Launching a marketing campaign for a new product or brand
• Revamping your existing marketing strategy
• Rebranding an existing business
• Creating a website for your brand
• Creating a promotional video
• Starting a social media campaign
• Guiding your marketing team when working for an external client

Creative Brief Outline

A creative brief can be made in many ways, from a Word document to a PowerPoint presentation or PDF. While there’s no single way to write a creative brief, as the structure of a creative brief depends on who’s requesting the creative brief and who’s drafting it.

For example, a marketing agency working for an external client will need to gather as much information about their client as an in-house marketing team working on a project. Having said that, here’s a quick overview of the main elements most creative briefs should include.

• Company background: Include important information about your client such as its company’s core values, mission and vision as well as the name of the project , what it is and why it’s being done.
• Brand voice: The brand voice is critical to success and must be tied to the target audience and their values, so decide if it’s serious, light, humorous, etc.
• Message: Have a clear, simple and single message to tell the target audience. How will they believe that message to be true?
• Target audience: Who’s the target audience? What do they think about the product or service you’re developing, and is there anything that the creative team should avoid? Also, note the competition.
• Market insights: What are the key insights that have been learned about the market, and how does that relate to the company, brand or product?
• Project goals & objectives: Outline what needs to be accomplished, how it’ll be measured and what success will look like.
• Project scope: The scope of a project simply refers to all the tasks that will be executed.
• Project deliverables: List how to deliver the message to the audience and what the best way to do that is.
• Project timeline: Have a schedule to note when something is needed, when it must be done, how many revisions can be fit into that timeframe, etc.
• Project budget: What’s the financial commitment to developing this project?
• Approval: Who’s responsible for making approvals and decisions related to approval?

How to Write a Creative Brief

Now, let’s go over five simple steps you should follow when writing a creative brief.

1. Start by Understanding Your Client’s Requirements

Understanding the expectations and requirements of your client is key to success when writing a creative brief. This will be easier if you’re leading an in-house marketing team, as your team members will already have a good understanding of your company’s strategy, target audience and goals. If you’re working for an external client, make sure you get as much information from them as possible and make sure they approve your creative brief.

2. Conduct Market Research

Don’t neglect the work and marketing research before the creative brief is written. Some parts will be easier to develop than others. Defining the target audience and the best strategies to reach potential customers will require your team to do market research. Be sure to give those parts of the creative brief their share of time to get it done right.

3. Set the Goals for Your Creative Brief

Once you’ve understood the project requirements , it’s time to translate them into measurable and realistic goals for your team. For example, the main goal of your creative brief might be to simply increase the brand awareness of your company. Meet with your client and agree on an attainable goal, such as 30% more visitors to their website.

4. Define Your Project Scope & Deliverables

To accomplish the goals set forth in your creative brief, your marketing team will take a series of actions such as launching a social media campaign. Some deliverables will be images and promotional text created by your creative team. Once this social media campaign is live, you will track its success using digital analytics tools. Brainstorm with your team so that you don’t miss any detail.

5. Create a Budget for Your Creative Brief

Now that you’ve defined what your team should accomplish and how it’ll be accomplished, you’ll need to estimate the costs of each activity on your project scope. Once you know the costs for each task, you will be able to create a budget for the creative brief.

Creative Brief Template

Our free creative brief template is a great tool to get started with creative briefs. It’ll facilitate the process and help you make sure you don’t miss anything.

Creative Brief Example

The ad agency, Wieden & Kennedy , came up with the Happiness Factory campaign for Coke, with the tagline, “the Coke Side of Life” in 2005. It was driven by an issue that its client had, specifically that “Coke had become a forgotten friend.”

Its challenge to the creative team was to remind people what makes Coke special. The brand idea they wanted to deliver to their target audience was that Coke is the genuine taste of happiness. To support that, they listed that Coke is delicious and refreshing, but it won’t resolve world peace or restore the ozone layer.

Therefore, the tone was honest, intimate and personal, being friendly, joyful and uplifting. With these signposts to lead the creative team, they developed this eye-catching video . It’s remarkable to see how an outline can be filled in so dynamically with the right creative team and the proper direction.

Creative Brief vs. Client Brief

As stated above, a creative brief is created by marketers and creative professionals to guide the efforts of their teams. A client brief on the other hand is a similar document that’s created by a client, who uses this document to communicate his expectations to the leaders of a creative team who will then turn that client brief into a creative brief.

Creative Brief vs. Content Brief

A content brief is simply a document that’s created to guide the efforts of writers who are working on websites, social media management or other forms of copywriting. It may include guidelines such as brand voice, word count and SEO keywords.

Tips for Writing a Creative Brief

Just because they are highly effective, doesn’t mean that creative briefs are present in every instance of project planning . Surveys of ad agency executives have shown that many of the creative briefs used are not clear, and can be incomplete or inconsistent.

To avoid these shortfalls, the creative brief should be written after a client explains their expectations. Then the creative team can compile a list of questions that are answered by the requestor, usually a marketing team leader.

The answers to these questions will become the template for the creative brief and the whole creative execution of the project. As the project moves forward, the creative brief is always referred to, and any deviation can be identified and addressed.

Avoid Adding Too Many Details to Your Creative Brief

Adding too much information to a creative brief is a common mistake. While the creative team should know all there is about the product or service being developed, this is a creative brief—emphasis on the brief. The brief must be short and to the point; there are supporting documents for the details.

Know the Client Before Drafting Your Creative Brief

The client interview is critical to a successful creative brief. They are, after all, the ones who know what they want from the project. The creative team needs to have clear communications with the client, and before any creative brief is executed, it must be approved by the client.

Don’t Rush the Process of Writing the Creative Brief

While a creative brief is a short document you should take your time when researching and writing one. Also, once it’s completed, don’t just let it sit with the creative team. Yes, they can come to you with questions, but it’s best to be proactive and keep the human interaction present. Be available for the creative team to ask questions through the project life cycle .

How ProjectManager Helps You Manage Creative Briefs

While a creative brief sets guidelines for your creative team it’s just the first step when planning a creative project. Once you’ve written a creative brief, you’ll need the right project management software to plan how your team will execute the work. ProjectManager is robust project management software that offers tools that are ideal to plan, schedule and track creative projects. Here are some of its key features.

Plan With Multiple Project Planning Tools

ProjectManager’s project planning tools are perfect to plan and schedule the work that’s needed for your creative brief. You can use Gantt charts , kanban boards, task lists and project calendars to create a project schedule, assign tasks to your team members, set due dates and collaborate with them in real time.

Real-Time Project Dashboards & Reports

ProjectManager’s real-time dashboards are ideal for tracking costs, timelines, progress and workload at a glance. In addition, ProjectManager lets you create project reports in minutes so you can keep stakeholders informed.

Track Labor Costs With Timesheets

Creative briefs are executed by a diverse team of professionals, which means different rates of labor costs. ProjectManager’s timesheets and planning tools let you track the work hours of each member of your creative team so you don’t miss anything.

The creative brief is one of many essential documents that help with the planning of a winning project. ProjectManager is online project management software that helps you plan, track and report on every stage of the project’s progress. It offers kanban boards and a collaborative platform for teams to work together more productively and provides managers with real-time data, so they know exactly where the project is at any time. See how it can empower all your teams by taking this free 30-day trial.

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How to Write a Creative Brief [Free Template & Examples]

• October 10, 2022

Content Writer

There comes a time in the life of every business professional when they need to create a creative brief, and the first questions that pop up are What are the elements of a creative brief? and How do I write one?

But don’t worry, we are here to provide you with some insightful answers.

As we all know, there’s much more to a creative process than just being creative.

Before starting, you need an effective plan that sets the tone for your future strategies.  And in this case, your plan is called a creative brief that can be used for multiple business projects and digital marketing campaigns.

In today’s article we will talk about:

• What is a creative brief
• The 20 essential elements of a creative brief
• How to write a creative brief

Let’s get started!

Use the template to guide your creative brief creation.

What Is a Creative Brief?

Let’s see how we can define this concept a bit better so we can understand what we’re working with.

So a creative brief is a document used by creative professionals, marketing departments, and diverse agencies to:

• Outline a creative project and its progress
• Develop creative deliverables such as marketing campaigns, visual designs, promotional videos, advertising, websites, print ads, and more creative assets
• Brainstorm creative ideas

The document is usually developed in the initial stages of the creative marketing process by the requestor, which in most cases happens to be a marketing team member, creative project manager, or account manager. 

But no matter who creates the brief, they should be in close consultation with the client. After a thorough analysis, it is then approved by the creative team of graphic designers, writers, and project managers.

The creative brief is one of the many tools marketers have that ensure their marketing and advertising campaign materials connect with the audience they are targeting.  Not only this, but it also allows creative teams to better understand a project from start to end. 

Why Is a Creative Brief Important? 

There are many reasons why an effective creative brief is important to the marketing department, and essentially, to the whole business. 

To better understand the importance of a creative brief, let’s see how it can help your marketing and creative departments deliver better results.

The benefits of writing a creative brief:

• Allows you to outsource your digital marketing tasks
• Provides a stable plan
• Saves up time
• Keeps you and your internal team accountable
• Improves communication
• Helps you deal with requests faster

1. Allows You to Outsource Your Digital Marketing Tasks

Running a business is more than a job, and it usually doesn’t leave time for any other responsibilities. Any small business owner has been a jack of all trades at a certain point in time because they had no choice.

We know that hiring full-time content writers and digital marketing specialists can be expensive, but there is a better way to approach things — and a creative brief can be a huge help.

Let us explain. Having a detailed creative brief ready at all times allows you to share your vision with skilled freelancers who deliver customized services that will help you achieve your business goals. 

Outsourcing your digital marketing tasks is way more affordable, and by using a creative brief, you make sure the professionals you are working with provide customized and on-brand services.

SocialBee’s freelancers are ready to help whenever you need them.

Share your creative brief, thoughts, and objectives with our specialists so you don’t have to worry about creating content for your website, blog, and socials or growing your social media audience.

We got you covered!

Here are all the concierge services you can choose from:

• Social Media Specialist  – Starting at – $129/ month
• Article Writing – Starting at: $129/ month
• Copywriting – Starting at: $129/ month
• Guide Creation  – Starting at: $499/ guide
• IG Community Management – Starting at – $129/ month
• LinkedIn Lead Generation – Starting at – $129/ month
• Concierge Migration  – Starting at: $199/ one-time only
• Concierge Onboarding  – Starting at: $199/ one-time only

SocialBee offers digital marketing services for all your business needs. Pick the subscription that works best for you and start collaborating with skilled freelancers that have the creativity and knowledge to grow your business online.

Outsource your digital marketing now with SocialBee!

2. Provides a Stable Plan

When you have a plan, you know precisely how you can get from point A to point B. 

Not only that, but you know who is involved in the creative marketing process and what business tools you will be using in order to get to your destination. 

So, the creative brief offers you the plan that you need to get the job done. 

3. Saves Up Time 

Again, the creative brief will have all the details that the creative and marketing team members need. 

Every single participant knows what they are supposed to do and they know the deadline. So there is no more confusion and fumbling when it comes to completing tasks. 

4. Keeps You and Your Team Accountable

If the creative brief is well-thought-out, and all the tasks are shared equally among team members, then you will know exactly who doesn’t complete their work on time. 

As a result, you can ask if your colleagues need help or more time to complete a task and improve team collaboration. 

5. Improves Communication

In order for a project to be completed successfully, effective communication is essential. If you can’t communicate with your team about your project, then the project is most likely set to fail. 

But a creative brief can prevent this and make sure everyone is on the same page. With everything outlined, you know to whom you need to go when you need something and when. 

6. Helps You Deal with Requests Faster

In any project, creative or not, you will need higher-ups or clients to take a look over what you’ve already done, so you can see if you can proceed with the creative project. 

If you follow the creative brief thoroughly, then your clients or supervisors will have an idea of what was done and what follows. This makes them check requests faster and have them approved.

Creative Brief Key Elements 

• Project Name
• The Context and Background
• Business Profile
• The Product or Service
• The Target Audience 
• Buyer Persona 
• Customer Benefit
• Key Insight 
• Project Objectives 
• The Message 
• Calls to Action (CTAs)
• Communication Channels
• Desired Customer Behavior 
• The Tone of Voice 
• Essential Project Details 
• Deliverables 
• The Budget 
• Involved Team Members 
• Approval System

So now that we know what a creative brief is and some of the reasons why it’s important, let’s see what goes into creating an effective creative brief. 

Right off the bat, it’s good to mention that not all creative briefs are the same. Each team or business chooses what is important for them and customizes their brief to reflect those elements.

After a few creative projects, you too will see that your business might value different things and prioritize certain elements that other businesses don’t. 

The ideal is finding something that works for you .  

That being said, there are some essential elements that usually appear in the most effective creative briefs that you can use as inspiration for your own creative brief.

Here are some elements that you can consider including: 

1. Project Name

This is simple, any project needs a name — mainly for keeping things tidy and organized.

Try to name your creative brief as obvious as possible so that you can find it with a simple search.

2. The Context and Background

This section is necessary to establish the context for the project. Who wants this project to be done and more importantly, why? Moreover, here you should also include what lead to the development of this project, the mission it has and why is it important for the brand.

3. Business Profile

The business profile reveals general details about the business, such as values, mission, and vision, details that can put things into perspective and give your stakeholders an idea about your company’s culture.

4. The Product or Service

Every project has a purpose, and most of the time that purpose is to sell more of a product or a service.

So, it’s important that everybody involved in the project knows:

• What are you trying to sell
• Its features
• Product/service benefits
• The unique selling proposition (USP)

You should also mention how your product is different from what your competition offers and list some of your competitors.

5. The Target Audience  

Any creative project has a target audience . 

Defining your customers in detail will help your team and stakeholders understand who you are trying to reach through your marketing efforts. In addition, this will help you develop a better plan that resonates with your target market.

6. Buyer Persona  

Creating a buyer persona is an extra step that makes all the difference. 

Besides describing your customers by presenting general information about them, which is usually quite difficult to remember, try thinking about them as just one person (or more, depending on your business).

Building a character and giving it a story will help you and your team remember who you are trying to reach at all times.

7. Customer Benefit

Mention the main benefit your customers will have after purchasing from your business. In this way, the people involved in the project will know what to focus on while creating a promotional plan for your product/service.

8. Key Insight  

This element refers to all the information you have acquired regarding the public’s attitude towards your company, brand, product, or service.

The key insight is the starting point for your project. 

9. Project Objectives 

You can’t start a project without knowing what you want to achieve. 

What is to be accomplished? How will you track your performance and measure your success? 

State your objectives in the creative brief so you can have a constant reminder of what you are trying to accomplish and keep your team on the right track.

10. The Message  

This represents the main thing that your audience should remember from your marketing campaign or from your creative project. Make sure your team knows it and that they are able to present it in an effective and memorable manner, perhaps through an interactive digital presentation .

11. Calls to Action (CTAs)

CTAs are short and actionable statements that reflect the actions you want your customers to make after being exposed to your marketing materials.

List all of them in the creative brief and suggest how they should look and where should they be placed.

12. Communication Channels

In your creative brief, you should also mention your communication channels, the platforms you plan to share your messages for your target audience.

These can be online and offline channels, such as:

• Social media platforms
• TV channels
• Physical locations

13. Desired Customer Behavior  

Would you like the customers to purchase a product? Or maybe to recommend your business to other people? 

This is when you need to think about how you want your customers to act when they are in contact with your product or service.

14. The Tone of Voice  

This and the way you present yourself are things that are very important for your brand. When deciding on your brand’s tone, you can go for something that represents your brand’s personality. 

Your tone of voice can be serious, light-hearted, humorous, friendly, anything that best describes your business.

15. Essential Project Details  

These are the elements that are an absolute must in the creative project, such as the client’s information and contact details.

16. Deliverables 

Representing the means of delivery, or the best way in which your message will reach your audience. Here you can include the marketing materials you plan to use and the communication strategies that suit your project.

17. Due Dates  

Time management is very important in any business, so this element is a must in most creative briefs. It represents the deadline by which you need the creative project to be done.

18. The Budget 

Another thing that you need to know is the budget that the creative project is going to have. Monetary resources are finite, so you need to be careful with the amount that you can spend and not surpass it. 

19. Involved Team Members 

Split up the roles as soon as possible and decide who does what. This way, you will know who to turn to when you need updates and help with the project.

Moreover, you will eliminate any confusion regarding roles and responsibilities. 

20. Approval System

Designate people that need to check, edit and approve each task from the process. As a result, you establish an effective approval system and make sure the information you publish is correct, on-brand, and up to your company’s standards.

How To Write a Creative Brief

Start with the your company , mention your business objectives, provide details about your target market , list your competitors, establish your messaging strategy, include essential project details .

Now that you know the elements of a creative brief, let’s see how you can write one that is going to make your creative project stand out. 

Before starting the writing process, it’s important to remember this tip: keep your creative brief as simple as possible . 

After all, a creative brief is one-two pages long and it should only contain key information. This means that you shouldn’t crowd the brief with unnecessary details. Try to keep it concise and easy to follow. 

As we mentioned, you can use any elements that you find important.  If this is your first time coming up with a creative brief, then we suggest following this pattern, or even using a template. 

So without any further ado, here are some of the elements that most businesses have in the creative brief:

When you’re writing a creative brief, imagine that you are writing it for somebody who has never heard of your company. This person might be a client or a third-party agent, like a designer or a writer. 

This portion usually provides details regarding the history of the company, the mission, the brand, the product, etc. You need to try to give the essential details that will make your business stand out. 

Here you can add the main objectives of the project. Basically, you need to underline what you are trying to accomplish through this creative project. 

This can be done by uncovering a problem that your company has faced and presenting a solution for it, an action plan that will help you achieve a set of ambitions that will take your business to the next level.

Here are a few examples:

• Promoting a new product or service
• Expanding your target audience by getting the attention of a new group of people
• Increasing brand awareness

Image source

When starting a business, the target audience is one of the things that you need to consider first. And when you’re starting to work on a new creative project, you need to take the target audience into consideration. 

Generally speaking, the target audience of the creative project should be the target audience of the business. But some projects focus on expanding the target audience or getting the attention of a new class of customers. 

In any case, you need your project to be seen by the right people. And this can be done by defining the target audience. 

To find out who your audience is, here are some guiding questions that you can ask yourself or your team:

• Who is the product designed for?
• What is your client’s demographic? (for example, location, age, gender, job, annual income, etc)
• What are your client’s needs? Does the product fulfill those needs? 

Here you can also add information about:

• Key insights about how your audience perceives your brand
• The customer benefit
• Desired customer behavior

If you pay attention, you can learn a lot from your competition. Your team can see what other businesses are doing right, but more importantly, it can see what other businesses are doing wrong. 

Because although some marketers believe that bad marketing is still marketing, it’s best to stray away from making any mistakes and tarnishing your image. This is why having a solid list of competitors, local and international, is a good idea. 

The message is what your audience gets to see from your creative project. If your message is not clear enough, your customers will not know:

• If the message is intended for them 
• If your product is the solution for their problem 

So when drafting your message you need to pay close attention to the tone you’re using and to the channel that it will be promoted on. Also, remember to add clear and convincing CTAs that will encourage your customers to do the desired action.

When it comes to tone, take a look at the company’s brand and try to match it to the already established image. 

For example, if the company is generally using a more serious tone, don’t go for something overly friendly or humorous. If you don’t stay on brand, you risk losing the trust of your existing customer base.

For example, the tone of a brand can be empowering and uplifting. Dove and Cromat are great examples of this, using their campaigns not only to market their products but also to make women feel comfortable and happy in their skin. 

Another great example is Old Spice , whose brand tone is humorous and friendly. This can be seen in the funny commercials the brand has with Terry Crews, which just end up sticking out in the dull drone of TV commercials. 

Of course, your brand tone can be serious, informative, and professional as well, as seen in CloudSmartz example or most B2B businesses. 

Briefs can have different mandatory elements, because generally, what is mandatory is different from business to business and from project to project. 

For example, if you’re working for a new client, then these mandatory elements can be the logo, the brand colors, and fonts, the brand voice, the USP, the differentiators, etc. 

Mandatory elements can also be the budget for the creative project, the timeline, and the team members that will participate in this project. 

Creative Brief Examples

We know reading all of this information can be pretty confusing, which is why we have prepared a few great examples of creative brief templates that you can analyze.

Here are two creative briefs designed by Redbull and Reebok:

Another example of a brief well-done comes from Nike. We can see that the general go-to technique is keeping things sweet and short .

You can see that although some points are the same, businesses usually customize their creative briefs and add whatever seems important. 

Are you looking for free creative brief templates? Look no further, we have created a customizable brief you can start using today.

Write Your Own Creative Brief

So, what do you think? Writing creative briefs is not as intimidating as it sounds, right?

Plus, by considering our tips and having access to our creative brief template, we believe that coming up with your own brief will be a much easier and even a fun task to do, dare we say.

So, check out our creative brief examples, download our template and start creating your next big project today.

Don’t forget to use SocialBee to share your messages on your social media platforms and make the most out of your business projects.

Start your free 14-day trial today to test all the content creation and publishing features SocialBee has to offer!

Article written by

Content writer at SocialBee

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How to write a compelling creative brief (with examples & free templates).

• Creative briefs, explained
• The 5 elements of an effective creative brief
• How to write a creative brief

Browse more blogs

Are you ready to finally understand what makes up an awesome creative brief and how to create your own?

In this post, we'll cover:

• Exactly what a creative brief is (and what it is not)
• Great examples of creative briefs
• Our step-by-step process for writing a creative brief

The creative brief is the foundation of any successful creative campaign. It outlines the client’s vision and ensures that everyone is on the same page. So let's get started!

Communication - including the creative brief- is the cornerstone of success for any marketing campaign. And yes, it's more important than creativity. 

As Will Burns of Ideasicle says, the creative brief is the “most sacred of all sacred ad documents”.

From the choice of font in a print ad to the overall theme of the campaign, everything springs from the creative brief.

Creative Briefs, Explained in Detail

The creative brief is the foundation of a creative campaign. Despite its importance, it is poorly understood, mostly because of its open-ended nature.

This section will help you understand creative briefs and their purpose better.

What is a Creative Brief?

A creative brief is a short 1-2 page document outlining the strategy for a creative project.

Think of it as a map that guides its target audience - the creative team - on how to best reach the campaign’s stated goals.

The creative brief is usually created by the account manager in close consultation with the client.

To that effect, it’s an interpretation of the client’s ideas and vision for the brand and the product.

Since this brief is usually created by and for the agency, it is open-ended in nature. You can, and should, include anything and everything that will help the creative team understand the brand and product better.

Most creative briefs include the following:

• A short brand statement.
• A brief overview of the campaign’s background and objectives.
• Key challenges that the campaign aims to resolve.
• Target audience for the campaign.
• Chief competitors.
• Primary message describing the brand’s values and market positioning.
• Communication channels on which the campaign will run.

For example, here’s a creative brief for Hush Puppies :

Essentially, the creative brief describes the “what” of the project (i.e. its objectives) and “how” to achieve it (i.e. the creative approach).

Why Do You Need a Creative Brief?

There is a long list of reasons to create a creative brief.

The most important reason is also the simplest: it is standard agency practice.

Your clients will expect a creative brief before they sign off on a project. And your creative team will expect it before they can start working.

For better or for worse, you can’t start a campaign without it.

But there are other reasons to create a creative brief:

• Ensure that all creative messages are on-brand.
• Give the creative team a broad vision of the brand, the business, and the product.
• Offer inspiration and give your team a starting point to brainstorm ideas.
• Give third-party contributors a quick understanding of the brand and its background.
• Reduce client-creative conflict by ensuring they're on the same page
• Align the client's budget and expectations with your creative media strategy

Who Creates the Creative Brief?

Nominally, the person responsible for managing the client relationship makes the creative brief. Usually, this is the account manager or the project manager.

This person works closely with the client to understand their requirements, their current situation, and the desired future outcomes.

Actually putting together the brief, however, isn’t a one-person job. You usually need input from a range of people such as:

• Creative team: to analyze whether the client’s vision is viable and to brainstorm creative ideas.
• Marketing team: gather customer data, analyze competitors, and develop a viable media strategy.
• Accounts team: to analyze budgets.

Who is the Creative Brief Made for?

It might surprise you to learn that the end-user of the creative brief isn’t the client.

Rather, it’s the creative team .

While you’ll certainly need the client’s approval on the brief to get the go-ahead, the people who’ll actually use it are your creative team.

Your job, thus, is to interpret the client’s vision in such a way that it is accessible to the creative team.

This means no jargon, no fluff, and no “marketer-speak”. Create the brief in such a way that a designer or developer can understand it.

At the same time, the creative brief is not the answer to the client’s problem; it’s a starting point to inspire your team. It should have just enough insight to challenge your team and get them to think creatively about the problem.

As one commentator points out, it’s always good to ask yourself:

“Are you confident that this brief will inspire a solution to our problem?”

If the answer is a “no” or a “maybe”, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

 What Are Some Creative Brief Examples?

The best way to understand a creative brief is to see a few real-life examples.

Here’s a creative brief for Reebok shoes.

This brief focuses extensively on the audience. In a competitive, brand-focused market, understanding the audience is crucial for creating better-targeted marketing.

Here’s a more visual creative brief for Quaker Oats . This one has an unorthodox structure. If you look closer, however, you’ll notice that it has the same fundamentals as Reebok’s brief above.

For another example of an unorthodox creative brief, take a look at this one for PayPal . It eschews conventional sections and uses a bold visual design instead.

This just goes to show that creative briefs are flexible in their content and design. You can use whatever format you need as long as it works for both the client and the creative team.

In the next section, I’ll walk you through the ideation process for making a creative brief.

The 5 Components of an Effective Creative Brief

When it's wrapped up, the creative brief doesn't look like much.

It's at most 2 pages long. A good one will usually be free of jargon and marketer-speak. Many will also be visual.

The effort that goes into creating this simple document, however, is immense.

You have to have an acute understanding of the brand, the product, its target audience, and the message.

To write a good creative brief, you need to know five aspects of the campaign:

1. The Product

A creative campaign starts and ends with the product. After all, this is what you're tasked with selling. If you don't understand it well, you can't expect your creative team to do a good job of it.

Start by asking the client some fundamental questions about the product:

• What product are you advertising?
• What category does it belong to?
• Where is the product currently being sold? Where is it being advertised? Where will it be advertised in the future?
• What is the product's current status in the market?
• What are the product's existing brand values?
• What is the product's price point? How many variants are currently available?

Your goal is to map the product's current brand perception. This will be a combination of factors - price, quality, perceived quality, etc.

Use the client's existing records, market surveys, and customer data to understand the product and its brand better.

You'll use it later when you write the creative brief.

2. The Business

The business and the product can often have a complex relationship. In some cases, the business brand might be completely independent of the product. In most other cases, they might affect each other in a symbiotic relationship.

For example, Toyota (the company) and Toyota Camry (the car) have different brand perceptions.

A customer might see Toyota as "reliable" and "efficient". But he might see Camry as "unreliable" after a spate of recalls.

Business and product brand perceptions often bleed into each other. If a customer has repeated bad experiences with a product, he might associate that with the business itself.

The exception is when the business is "invisible" to the customer. This usually happens with B2B brands, holding companies, etc.

For example, Luxottica manufactures several iconic eyewear brands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, etc. But the Luxottica brand itself is invisible to customers. Poor performance from one of its products is unlikely to affect its brand perception.

Your goal should be to:

• Analyze the business' brand perception.
• Understand the business relationship to the product brand.
• Map the factors affecting the business' brand perception.

In the creative brief, this information will be a core part of the campaign’s “background” section.

For example, this brief for Red Bull introduces the problem by framing it in the context of the business:

3. The Market

The 'market' is a combination of the “Three C’s”:

• Competitors , their strengths, weaknesses, market position, and media strategy.
• Context for the campaign - political, social, and technological movements.
• Category , i.e. how people see the product category.

All these have a marked influence on the campaign.

For example, the popular "Mac vs PC" campaign wouldn't be successful if Apple was the market leader.

Similarly, an overly positive, upbeat campaign wouldn't work in a down economy.

Your goal should be to analyze the following aspects of the market:

Competitors:

• What are the products and the brand's chief competitors? What is their market share compared to the product?
• What is the competition's marketing strategy? Where do they advertise?
• What kind of messaging and tone does the competition use?
• What kind of customers buys the competitor's products?
• How does the market currently see the product or its category?
• Is there a cultural moment you can tap into to promote the product?
• What cultural values, ideas, or events can you align the product with?
• How is the economy doing? Is it a time for optimism? Or are people concerned with saving?

For example, to celebrate its 100th anniversary, Oreo aligned itself with a bunch of cultural and historical events:

In a time of "activist brands", businesses are increasingly aligning their products with social and cultural movements. Think of how you can tap into the zeitgeist to create a better brand message.

• How do people perceive this product category? What factors affect this perception?
• Is there a change in people’s perception of the category? Is this change positive or negative? What is leading this change?
• Are there any category conventions you can use in the campaign?

4. The Customers

Your customers are important, more so than anything else on this list.

( Image source )

A deep understanding of the target audience, its wants, desires, and tastes is crucial for writing a creative brief.

To do this, start by describing the following:

• Demographics data (age, sex, income, marital status).
• Psychographics data (interests, aspirations, lifestyles, habits).
• What they think about the product and the brand right now ("boring", "fun", "not for me", etc.).
• What you want them to think about the brand ("change perception", "shift frame of reference", etc.).
• Frustrations, aspirations, life need, and shared belief you can tap into.
• The purpose of all this data is to find a trigger that will motivate them. This trigger should align with the campaign's objectives.

For example, Toyota sells an MPV - Toyota Sienna - that had a shrinking market share. Part of the reason for this decline was the general unpopularity of MPVs among young parents. For a lot of young people, MPVs are "boring" and "old school".

To get these customers to consider Sienna as an alternative, Toyota had to change their perceptions.

To do this, Toyota created a YouTube campaign highlighting the inherent “coolness” of the Sienna, such as this music video:

5. The Campaign

Every campaign has a specific goal, message, and audience. It's not uncommon for brands to run several campaigns at the same time with different messages.

Your job is to understand the goals of your campaign and find a way to get there. That is, to define the campaign's strategy and approach.

To do this, answer the following questions:

• What is this campaign trying to do? Increase awareness? Increase traffic? Get more shares? Be as specific as possible.
• What customer action would make the campaign "successful"? Fill out a form? Click a link? Call the business?
• What specific challenge is the campaign trying to address? State this in a single sentence. Example: "We want to advertise new features to get more trials".
• What is your media strategy? Where will the campaign run?
• What is the chief message for the entire campaign?

Your goal is to find the "driving idea" for the campaign and where to run it.

For example, the driving idea for the Toyota Sienna campaign I shared earlier was:

"Awesome parents drive the Toyota Sienna "

This campaign didn't highlight the car. Instead, it highlighted the customers and how their aspirations align with the car. Since the target audience was young parents, all print ads specifically highlighted them.

 ( Image source )

This approach was specific to only this campaign. Toyota had other ongoing campaigns for the Sienna. These campaigns targeted a completely new audience with a different message.

This might seem like a lot of research - and it is - but it is crucial for writing creative briefs. Without understanding the campaign, customers, and product, your briefs will be off-brand.

And if the brief is off-brand, the results will suffer.

This is why I recommend getting input from several people. Ask your marketers for data and your creative team for ideas. The more information you have, the better the final brief.

In the next section, I’ll walk you through the actual process of writing a creative brief.

How to Write a Creative Brief

Creative briefs don't have a fixed format. That said, if you need a template, we’ve got you covered. You can  download free creative brief templates HERE - or read on to learn how to build your own. Most agencies have their own templates. Some have a simple text document, while others use more visual designs.

Regardless of its format, your creative brief must revolve around the five elements we covered earlier.

To write the creative brief, use the following template:

1. The Project

Start your creative brief by writing a broad overview of the project. Establish the identity of the client, talk about the product, and list the goals of the campaign.

2. Key Challenge

Every campaign has a key challenge. This is the "what" of the project.

Describe this challenge in a few short sentences.

You might have something like this:

• "[Client] wants to leverage a new feature to get new trials."
• "[Client] wants to reposition the product so a new user will consider it."
• "[Client] wants existing users to consume more of the product."

For example, here’s the key challenge in the Quaker Oats creative brief I shared earlier:

 3. Purpose of Communication

A successful campaign needs a clear and distinct purpose. This purpose should ideally be trackable and measurable. It should also be tied to the key challenge you described above.

Use this section to describe the action you want to inspire in your customers.

Try something like this:

• "[Client] wants to increase awareness of [Product]'s new feature."
• "[Client] wants to change opinion about [Product category]."
• "[Client] wants to mobilize existing customers of [Product] to visit its website."

4. Competitors

The client's competitors, as we learned above, have a big impact on the campaign. Use this section to briefly describe the key competitors and their media strategies.

Some things you can include about the competition here are:

• Market share
• Media strategy
• SWOT analysis

5. Target Audience

Refer to the audience research you did earlier to describe the following:

• Demographics
• Psychographics
• Current perception/belief about the brand
• Target perception/belief about the brand
• Approach for motivating them to take action

6. Background or Context

Briefly describe the background and context of the campaign. Include specific details for the following:

• Cultural context, i.e. current events and ideas you could leverage to achieve campaign goals.
• Category context, i.e. how customers currently see the product category and how you can change it.
• Brand context, i.e. how customers currently see the product and its brand.

For example, this creative brief for TOMS shoes gives readers a detailed overview of the company’s background and its customers’ aspirations:

7. Tone and Brand Voice

Use adjectives to describe the tone, brand voice, and key qualities you want customers to associate with the:

• Product ("fun, reliable, efficient")
• Brand ("mature, trustworthy, cost-effective")

8. Media Strategy

Briefly describe how you plan to spread the message. Include the following

• Channel(s) you'll use for the promotion.
• Why this channel will help you reach your target audience.
• How can you use the channel's own form and audience expectations to make the idea more shareable (such as adding "tag a friend" on Facebook)?

Include details about the estimated budget for the campaign. If possible, break down budget requirements by creative type and promotion.

10. Chief Message

This is the "driving idea" behind the campaign. Usually, it's a short, pithy statement that condenses the campaign into a slogan.

Think of something like this from Reebok:

Or this one from PayPal:

One way to write a better creative brief is to create a press release that you might send journalists at the end of the campaign. You don’t have to actually use it, but it helps you think of the campaign’s goals and the approach you used to get there.

These are only guidelines, of course. You can change the creative brief as per your requirements. As long as your creative team can understand it, you are free to include or exclude anything you want.

Workamajig has built-in support for creative briefs to make the process seamless, and of course, these can be customized according to your needs. 

Click the link below to get your free Workamajig Demo.

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7 creative brief examples to help you improve your briefs

Afoma Umesi

Gathercontent contributor, writer, 7 minute read.

Interviewed by:

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Lead with Content

How to put content at the centre of digital transformation.

Padma Gillen

Digital Content Consultant

That’s exactly how it feels to work without a creative brief. You might have an idea of what you want, but you have no idea how to achieve it.

A creative brief bridges this gap. It breaks down the specific elements of your project and provides a clear pathway from concept to finished product.

In this article, we’ll show you the essential elements of an effective creative brief. Plus, we’ll look at several creative brief examples (including content briefs) to get your creative juices flowing.

What is a creative brief?

A creative brief is an overview of a creative project such as a marketing or advertising campaign. As we’ll see, it covers everything from project goals to deliverables to distribution plans.

A creative brief:

• Gives all relevant teams and stakeholders visibility into project details
• Serves as an accessible reference point or central hub for high-level project info
• Keeps team members (including external and internal teams) on the same page as creative work progresses

This prevents various issues:

• Misunderstandings about project scope and goals
• Contributors acting independently, which can negatively impact the cohesiveness of the end product
• Confusion about who key stakeholders are or who is responsible for approvals

Sound familiar? Content briefs and creative briefs serve similar purposes, so they’re often confused. But the two are a bit different.

Creative brief vs. content brief: What’s the difference?

Content briefs and creative briefs differ primarily in scope.

Creative briefs contain instructions for producing a wide range of creative deliverables. They work for any creative project—not just written content. These briefs generally include different elements from the content brief. Details like company background information, campaign goals, key messaging, and brand statement(s).

Creative briefs are commonly used by creative teams—for example, a team at an advertising agency. Creative briefs include the following elements:

• Web or graphic design briefs
• Content briefs
• Strategy briefs
• Copywriting briefs
• Marketing campaign briefs
• Social media campaign briefs

Notice that a content brief is one kind of creative brief.

Content briefs help writers create content that matches marketing goals. Typically, they’re geared toward helping writers produce SEO-friendly content while covering the full scope of the topic.

7 creative brief examples (content briefs included)

With their differences in mind, let’s look at seven creative brief examples—content briefs included—for some inspiration.

1. GatherContent

Are you planning a large content project? If so, this content project brief template will be an invaluable resource for your content marketing team. The template covers everything from the project summary to key performance indicators (KPIs) and budget. All you have to do is fill it in with your project details and make it available to your team.

While this template is specific to content, it falls into the broader category of creative briefs. This is because it’s for a larger project, not a single piece or a small part of a marketing plan. So, this is creative brief example is high on the list.

2. Omniscient Digital

Content agency Omniscient Digital uses a comprehensive content brief . It includes keywords, SEO metadata, an audience description, search intent, competitor content, and more.

This sample creative brief for PayPal shows the difference between content and creative briefs. As you’ll see, this marketing campaign brief is not for writers. Instead, it focuses on the brand’s marketing strategy, including elements such as key insights and PayPal’s brand statement.

This creative brief for Reebok is a good example from a customer focus standpoint. While it’s shorter than many briefs, it does go into detail about the target audience. It covers who they are and their life circumstances. Not to mention the top challenge they face and how the brand addresses that challenge. These are details copywriters, designers, and others involved in print ad creation find useful.

5. Content Harmony

Content Harmony uses a mix of tabular and text formats for its content briefs . It also includes details like the strategist’s name, content management system (CMS) settings, suggested content outlines, and internal and external links.

6. Coca-Cola

One of the more in-depth creative brief examples on our list, this brief for Coca-Cola teaches several lessons. It doesn't just give a basic description of the target audience.  It also covers their current perception of the brand and how the campaign proposed should change it. Plus, it gives campaign ideas for inspiration, showing how the info in the brief could be applied.

The Zapier blog has a comprehensive but straightforward content brief template . It includes a one-sentence description, ballpark word count, and call to action, among other details.

How to write a creative brief: 12 elements to include

Of course, elements of creative briefs vary depending on the project type. For example, a graphic design brief would have a heavier focus on visual elements than one for a copywriting project. But here are 12 elements that are commonly seen across many types of creative briefs.

1. Project name

This may seem like a trivial thing. But everyone involved in a project needs a singular, memorable way of referencing the project name. Everyone having their own nickname for an initiative results in unnecessary friction and confusion.

2. Project summary

Rather than diving right into the specifics of a project, a great creative brief will lead with a summary of the foundation of your project:

• Your or your client’s company or organization
• What the project is and why it’s important
• Main project goals

To be clear, team members and stakeholders shouldn’t treat this as a TL;DR. (It’s not comprehensive enough to be a standalone info source.) Yet, it is helpful to have a concise overview to refer to when necessary.

3. Buyer persona(s)

Any good creative brief will answer the question, “Who are we trying to reach with this initiative?” Speaking on the importance of including buyer personas, Christiaan Huynen of   Designbro says:

But typical buyer personas have some flaws. For one thing, too few are informed by actual input from customers.

You’ll have an incredible advantage if you build personas on validated customer insights. Don’t guess. Learn their biggest pain points, goals, motivations, and hesitations. Then, observe the language they use to communicate those things. This is the way to make your audience feel heard and understood, as Christiaan mentioned.

Additionally, realize that strong buyer personas don’t mean your creative work will automatically resonate. Deniz Kuran, Head of Marketing at Idiomatic , explains:

4. Drivers and objectives

Work quality hinges on how well internal teams and external contributors understand the drivers behind a project. Give context on the project’s purpose and the problem you’re trying to help your audience solve.

This leads us to the topic of objectives. Rather than non-descript outcomes like “we want more leads,” get specific about what targets you want to hit. What metrics will be important? How will you measure them? If you value a metric like brand awareness that’s not as measurable as others, how will you judge the success of the project?

5. High-level competitor overview

You don’t need to include all of your competitor research here. Give a brief overview of direct competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. Also, mention any significant threats they pose to the success of your project.

Defining how you’ll meet the needs of your audience is important, of course. But including competitor info also gives your team a clearer picture of how this project stacks up to the competition:

• The project is an answer to competitors’ efforts to outcompete you
• The team appraoches their part of the project to help your or your client’s organization gain the upper hand

6. Messaging guidelines

All creative projects convey a message. So, whether for design, copywriting or anything else, creative briefs should include messaging guidelines of some sort.

Identify the theme of your project, your unique value proposition, or the main takeaway for your intended audience. Beyond that, consider outlining (at a high-level) what messages, themes or ideas shouldn’t be part of your messaging.  

7. Tone of voice guidelines

Closely linked with messaging, specify the appropriate tone of voice for the project. Why does this matter? Tone—how you say what you say—should vary depending on:

• Your audience as a whole
• The subset of an audience you’re talking to
• Subject matter
• Content type
• Distribution channel

Voice of customer research, in particular, can help you identify the best way to get your message across to your audience.

8. Relevant assets and deliverables

What will you produce during your project? List out deliverables large and small. Also, mention any existing assets that will inspire or help with deliverable creation.

How much money you have to spend determines the approach your team will need to take to get the outcome you want. Clarify the total budget and, if necessary, budgets for individual teams or elements of a project.

10. Project timeline

According to Will Yang of Instrumentl , timing is a commonly forgotten element in creative briefs. But it’s one that “can be hugely important in ensuring the success of a project.” Will continues:

A good creative brief should outline the project workflow and how much time will be allotted for each stage.

11. Stakeholders

Outlining key people involved in your project saves time and prevents confusion. For example:

• Key people direct contributors to the appropriate points of contact for questions or concerns
• Stakeholders allow contributors to give feedback in a timely manner
• They make sure deliverables get the necessary approvals before moving to the next stage

But do more than make note of who stakeholders are. Stacey Danheiser of Shake Marketing Group also recommends getting their approval on the brief:

12. Distribution strategy

Detail what channels you’ll use to distribute final deliverables or end products to your target audience. These channels could, of course, be digital (e.g. social media) or physical (e.g. billboards). But, whatever they are, mention them in the brief so that team members know what to optimize their work for.

Use creative briefs to streamline your content workflows

The creative brief is a map covering the major touchstones, but not necessarily all the attractions. It's critical for keeping all team members and stakeholders on the same page. But it’s not the be-all-end-all.

Don’t forget to leave room for creativity , even as you fit in the major elements (e.g. target audience, messaging and tone guidelines, etc.).

Looking to optimize your content creation process? If you’re tired of juggling multiple platforms for brief creation, content writing, and content reviews, it’s time to try out GatherContent.

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7 creative brief templates you can use right now

Creative brief templates can bring structure to your marketing campaign ideas — while saving you time in the process. Use one of the creative brief templates in this guide for your next project to fully harness your creativity and channel ideas that will help you reach your goals.

If you are ready to level up with interactive creative briefs, try Aha! software — purpose-built for product and marketing teams. You can document goals, create briefs, build calendars, and coordinate go-to-market plans — all in one place.

Get started using our creative brief whiteboard template — with a free trial.

Creative briefs align creative work with business strategy — keeping everyone on-brand, on-message, and on-track so you can successfully deliver against your marketing goals. Jump ahead to any section:

• What is a creative brief?

How to write a creative brief

Creative brief components and examples, 7 creative brief templates.

A creative brief captures the creative essence of marketing and advertising campaigns. It is a foundational document that establishes important details about your approach and deliverables — such as your objectives, launch date, budget, audience, and key messages. Creative briefs help internal teams, third-party consultants, or advertising agencies understand the brand voice and message you want to deliver.

Creative briefs are particularly useful for communicating with external creative or advertising agencies, but they are helpful for internal teams too.

Writing a creative brief is a great way to kick off your next marketing campaign. In this guide, we will go over how to write your own, what to include, and provide free creative brief templates to help you get started.

• What is a marketing strategy?
• How to set marketing goals
• How to do market research

Writing a creative brief requires a deep understanding of your strategic goals , where your product or service fits in the market , customer needs, as well as the resources available to your team. With that in mind, here is how to write a creative brief:

Name your project

Choose a descriptive but concise title for your marketing campaign to include in your brief. As you share your plans with stakeholders, this will serve as a shorthand for the project's focus.

2. Refer to your marketing strategy

Writing creative briefs is part of the strategic planning process. Consult overall business goals and marketing objectives first to ensure your creative brief will support them.

3. Gather the details

Project owners, budget, and timelines are all details to consider before writing your creative brief. You may need to consult leadership to collect this information.

4. Write your creative brief

Your creative brief should include components like customer truths, key messages, brand voice, and deliverables. Use a creative brief template to capture these important elements.

5. Review with the team

Once your creative brief is drafted, solicit feedback from other members of the marketing team. Collaborating on a creative brief helps to ensure you have included all the right details — and builds excitement for new campaigns.

6. Share with stakeholders

Whether you have prepared it for internal teams or an external agency, present your creative brief to communicate what you want to achieve. Treat your creative brief as a touchstone that everyone can refer back to as your campaign gets underway.

• What is a marketing plan?
• How to create a marketing plan

Introduction to marketing roadmaps

As the name suggests, creative briefs are not long or complex documents. In a page or two, you should be able to summarize your project parameters and distill your approach into key concepts. Here are the essential elements to include, questions to help you fill out each section, as well as creative brief examples:

Marketing strategy templates

Marketing messaging templates

Marketing roadmap templates

Competitor analysis templates

Market positioning templates

Marketing calendar templates

Using a creative brief template makes it easy to write a succinct and compelling overview that clearly communicates your ideas. Below you will find a whiteboard template from Aha! software as well as free Excel and Word options.

Creative brief whiteboard template

This creative brief whiteboard template in Aha! software is a great option for collaborating between marketing and creative teams. Everyone can talk through ideas in a live session, which helps to ensure you are all in sync on the creative plan.

Start using this template now

Simple creative brief template

This is a starter creative brief — it includes all of the key components in a streamlined document. You can easily adapt this template for a wide range of marketing projects, from content marketing to social media campaigns.

Campaign creative brief template

Use this template to plan your creative approach for a marketing campaign. For example, if you are working with advertising agencies or consultants, you could outline a creative treatment for an advertisement , new logo, or tagline. For internal teams, this template can kick-off a new lead generation or email campaign. Anytime you need to create a new treatment or adaptation, write a new creative brief.

Agency creative brief template

Agency creative briefs are often used within marketing agencies. An account manager can use this template to capture what a client wants to achieve and essential details about their audience, key messages, and brand voice. This helps the agency team better understand their clients' needs so they can deliver outstanding service that fits their brand.

Content creative brief template

A content creative brief is used to provide writers and designers with the information they need to successfully produce a piece of content. This type of creative brief is typically for planning larger pieces of content like ebooks, whitepapers, or case studies — but you could use them to plan more routine content like blog posts as well. It is important to include details like research, background, and examples that can help creators understand your company's point of view on the subject.

Design creative brief

This template is helpful for working with graphic design professionals. Design creative briefs set you up for success by ensuring designers understand the brand and target customer as well as elements like tone, look and feel, and desired reaction. A detailed and thorough design creative brief will help produce high-quality design for everything from a new landing page to a billboard.

Video creative brief

Video creative briefs help production teams efficiently plan video projects. Creating new videos for a product or company is a significant investment, whether it is a short digital advertisement or a full brand video. Starting with a well-defined creative brief provides the clarity needed to produce a video that speaks to the target customer's problems in a compelling way, while staying on time and on budget.

Brilliant marketing happens when entire team is centered around a clear creative brief and well-defined plan. Get started, stay open minded, and share these templates with your teams or agencies.

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What Is a Creative Brief in Marketing?

Discover the importance of a creative brief in marketing and how it helps guide successful campaigns.

In the world of marketing, a creative brief is a vital document that serves as a roadmap for any creative project. It outlines the goals, objectives, and specifications that guide the creative team in developing effective marketing materials. A well-crafted creative brief can make all the difference in ensuring that marketing campaigns deliver impactful and consistent messaging, resonate with the target audience, and achieve desired outcomes.

The Purpose of a Creative Brief

At its core, the purpose of a creative brief is to provide clear direction and alignment between the marketing team and the creative team. It acts as a blueprint that helps everyone involved understand the objectives, key messages, and desired tone for the project. By defining these elements upfront, a creative brief streamlines the creative process, minimizes miscommunication, and ensures that the final output aligns with the brand's identity and marketing strategy.

Defining the Creative Brief

The creative brief is a concise document that outlines the project's objectives, target audience, key messages, and any other necessary information. It typically includes sections such as:

• Background: This section provides context about the project, including the brand's background, industry landscape, and any relevant research or insights.
• Target Audience Analysis: Understanding the target audience is crucial in developing effective marketing materials. The creative brief should include details about the target demographic, their preferences, needs, and motivations.
• Marketing Objectives and Goals: Clearly defining the marketing objectives and desired outcomes ensures that the creative team has a clear understanding of the project's purpose and what it aims to achieve.
• Key Message and Value Proposition: The creative brief should highlight the core message that needs to be conveyed, along with the unique value proposition that sets the brand apart from its competitors.
• Brand Guidelines and Tone of Voice: Maintaining brand consistency is essential for establishing a strong brand identity. The creative brief should outline the brand guidelines, including the logo, colors, typography, and tone of voice.
• Budget and Timeline: Aligning expectations on budget and timeline helps manage project scope and ensures that the creative team can deliver within the allocated resources.

Each section of the creative brief plays a vital role in providing a comprehensive overview of the project. The background section sets the stage by providing the necessary context for the creative team to understand the brand's history, values, and market positioning. This information helps the creative team to develop marketing materials that are in line with the brand's identity and resonate with the target audience.

Target audience analysis is a critical component of the creative brief as it allows the marketing team to define the specific demographic they are targeting. By understanding the preferences, needs, and motivations of the target audience, the creative team can tailor their messaging and design to effectively engage and persuade the intended recipients.

Marketing objectives and goals establish the purpose and desired outcomes of the project. These objectives serve as a compass, guiding the creative team in their decision-making process. With a clear understanding of the marketing objectives, the creative team can create materials that are not only visually appealing but also strategically aligned with the brand's overall marketing strategy.

The key message and value proposition section of the creative brief is where the brand's unique selling points and competitive advantages are highlighted. This section ensures that the creative team understands the core message that needs to be communicated and the value that the brand offers to its customers. By emphasizing these key elements, the creative team can develop compelling content that resonates with the target audience and effectively communicates the brand's value proposition.

Brand guidelines and tone of voice are essential for maintaining brand consistency across different marketing channels and materials. The creative brief should provide detailed instructions on how the brand should be visually represented, including the logo, colors, and typography. Additionally, it should outline the desired tone of voice, ensuring that the messaging is consistent with the brand's personality and values.

Budget and timeline are practical considerations that need to be addressed in the creative brief. By aligning expectations on budget, the creative team can plan and allocate resources accordingly. Similarly, setting a timeline helps manage project scope and ensures that the creative team can deliver within the agreed-upon timeframe.

Why is a Creative Brief Important in Marketing?

A well-crafted creative brief is important in marketing for several reasons:

• Clarity and Direction: A creative brief provides clarity and direction to the creative team, guiding them in developing marketing materials that align with the brand's vision and goals. With a clear understanding of the project's objectives and key messages, the creative team can focus their efforts on creating impactful content that effectively communicates the brand's value proposition.
• Efficiency: By outlining the project specifications and requirements upfront, a creative brief allows the creative team to work more efficiently, reducing rework and streamlining the creative process. With a well-defined brief, the creative team can avoid unnecessary back-and-forth communication and make informed decisions that move the project forward.
• Consistency: By defining the brand guidelines, key messages, and tone of voice, a creative brief ensures consistency in branding and messaging across different marketing channels and materials. This consistency helps to build brand recognition and trust among the target audience, reinforcing the brand's identity and values.
• Collaboration: A creative brief encourages collaboration between the marketing and creative teams. It facilitates effective communication, aligns expectations, and fosters a collaborative environment that leads to better outcomes. By involving both teams in the brief creation process, a shared understanding of the project is established, fostering a sense of ownership and teamwork.

In summary, a well-crafted creative brief is an essential tool in marketing, providing clear direction, streamlining the creative process, ensuring consistency, and fostering collaboration. By investing time and effort into creating a comprehensive creative brief, businesses can maximize the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and achieve their desired outcomes.

Components of a Creative Brief

Let's delve deeper into the key components that make up an effective creative brief:

Target Audience Analysis

Understanding the target audience is fundamental to developing successful marketing materials. The creative brief should include detailed information about the target demographic, their preferences, needs, and motivations. By knowing the audience inside out, the creative team can tailor the messaging and design to resonate with them effectively.

Marketing Objectives and Goals

Clearly defining the marketing objectives and goals ensures that the creative team understands the purpose of the project. Whether it's raising brand awareness, driving sales, or launching a new product, the creative brief helps align everyone's efforts towards achieving the desired outcomes.

Key Message and Value Proposition

Identifying the key message and value proposition is crucial in capturing the essence of the brand and the campaign. The creative brief should clearly articulate what makes the brand unique and why the target audience should care. This ensures that the creative team can develop messaging that resonates and compels the audience to take action.

Brand Guidelines and Tone of Voice

An effective creative brief should outline the brand guidelines and the desired tone of voice. This includes elements such as the logo, colors, typography, and the style of writing that reflects the brand's personality. By maintaining consistency in branding, the creative team can reinforce the brand's identity and build brand recognition.

Budget and Timeline

Managing expectations regarding budget and timeline is crucial in ensuring a smooth project execution. The creative brief should include information about the available resources, allocated budget, and the timeline for completing the project. This helps the creative team plan and prioritize their work accordingly, ensuring that deadlines are met and deliverables are within scope.

Creating an Effective Creative Brief

Now that we understand the components of a creative brief, let's explore the key factors in creating an effective one:

Collaboration between Marketing and Creative Teams

A collaborative approach between the marketing and creative teams is essential in developing a strong creative brief. The marketing team provides valuable insights and objectives, while the creative team brings their expertise in crafting compelling messaging and design. By fostering open communication and collaboration, a creative brief can truly capture the brand's essence.

Conducting Research and Gathering Insights

Before creating a creative brief, it's important to conduct thorough research and gather insights about the target audience, market trends, and competitors. This research provides the foundation from which the creative brief is built upon, ensuring that it is informed and data-driven.

Crafting a Clear and Concise Brief

A clear and concise creative brief is essential for ensuring that everyone understands and stays focused on the project's objectives. Avoid overly technical language or jargon and use clear, simple, and concise language to communicate the vision, key messages, and goals of the project.

Setting Realistic Expectations

Setting realistic expectations regarding budget, timeline, and deliverables is important in managing stakeholders' expectations and ensuring a successful project outcome. Clearly communicate any constraints or limitations upfront to avoid misunderstandings or scope creep during the project execution.

Benefits of Using a Creative Brief

Ensuring consistency in branding and messaging.

A creative brief sets the foundation for consistent branding and messaging across all marketing materials. By defining the brand guidelines and key messages, a creative brief helps maintain a cohesive and recognizable identity, reinforcing the brand's values and resonating with the target audience.

Maximizing Efficiency and Productivity

With a well-defined creative brief, the creative team can work more efficiently and productively. By having a clear understanding of the project objectives, key messages, and target audience, the creative team can focus their efforts on delivering high-quality materials that meet the brief's requirements.

Minimizing Miscommunication and Errors

A thorough and well-communicated creative brief minimizes the risk of miscommunication and errors. It ensures that everyone involved in the project, from the marketing team to the creative team, is aligned and has a clear understanding of the project scope, deliverables, and expectations.

Facilitating Creative Problem Solving

A creative brief also provides an opportunity for the creative team to approach the project from different angles and explore innovative solutions. By understanding the objectives and desired outcomes, the creative team can think creatively and find unique ways to solve marketing challenges, ultimately delivering more impactful and effective campaigns.

Overall, a creative brief is a critical tool in the marketing industry that sets the foundation for successful and impactful marketing materials. By providing clear direction, aligning teams, and ensuring consistent messaging, a creative brief maximizes the chances of delivering marketing campaigns that leave a lasting impression on the target audience and achieve desired outcomes.

When it comes to managing marketing assets, a digital asset management platform like HIVO can greatly enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the creative brief process. HIVO provides a centralized hub for storing, organizing, and sharing marketing assets, making it easier for marketing and creative teams to collaborate and access the necessary materials when working on a project. With features like version control, metadata tagging, and permissions settings, HIVO streamlines the creative process by providing a seamless workflow and ensuring that the right people have access to the right assets at the right time.

In conclusion, a well-crafted creative brief is an essential tool in marketing that ensures alignment, clarity, and efficiency in creative projects. By investing time and effort into creating a comprehensive and effective creative brief, marketers can set their campaigns up for success and deliver impactful and consistent messaging that resonates with the target audience. And with the support of a digital asset management platform like HIVO, the process becomes even more seamless and efficient.

20+ inspiring creative brief templates

A compelling brief should inspire, inform and challenge creatives to do great work. Whether you're planning a new design, project or campaign, this template collection helps you create detailed, shareable briefs to get everyone on the same page.

Advertising Campaign Brief Template

Streamline your advertising process with a comprehensive brief that clearly communicates campaign goals, target audience, messaging, and creative direction for effective ad campaigns.

Design Brief Template

Collaborate seamlessly with designers and clients by providing a clear design brief that outlines objectives, styles, deliverables, and project timelines, resulting in a clear vision for the project.

Brand Strategy Brief Template

Develop a strong brand strategy using a comprehensive brief that clarifies brand positioning, target audience, unique value proposition, brand voice, and visual identity guidelines, ensuring a consistent and powerful brand presence.

Media Planning Brief Template

Optimize your media planning efforts by using a concise brief to define campaign goals, target audience, media channels, budgets, and scheduling for efficient and effective media placements.

Digital Campaign Brief Template

Plan and execute successful digital campaigns with a detailed brief that outlines campaign objectives, target platforms, messaging, content strategy, and performance metrics for impactful online advertising.

Illustration Brief Template

Communicate your illustration requirements effectively by providing an illustrative design brief that outlines project objectives, style preferences, subject matter, and usage context.

Logo Brief Template

Create a strong visual identity by using a detailed logo brief that specifies logo requirements, design preferences, brand values, and application guidelines, resulting in a distinctive and memorable brand mark.

Marketing Brief Template

Streamline your marketing efforts with a well-crafted marketing brief that defines campaign objectives, target audience, messaging, channels, and success metrics, driving effective and impactful marketing initiatives.

Social Media Brief Template

Strategize and execute successful social media campaigns with a clear social media campaign brief that outlines campaign goals, target platforms, content strategy, tone of voice, and key performance indicators, maximizing social media engagement.

Website Design Brief Template

Collaborate seamlessly with web designers by providing a comprehensive website design brief that defines project goals, functionality requirements, design preferences, and user experience considerations.

SEO Brief Template

Boost your website's visibility using an effective SEO brief that outlines keyword research, on-page optimization, link-building strategies, and analytics tracking, improving search engine rankings and organic traffic.

Press Release Brief Template

Craft compelling press releases by utilizing a well-structured press release brief that outlines key messages, target audience, distribution channels, and desired media coverage, resulting in effective PR campaigns.

Event Brief Template

Plan and execute successful events with a detailed event brief that defines event objectives, target audience, budget, logistics, and branding requirements, ensuring memorable and seamless event experiences.

UX Research Brief Template

Conduct user-centered research using a comprehensive UX research brief that outlines research goals, methodology, participant profiles, and research questions that informs design decisions.

UI Design Brief Template

Collaborate seamlessly with designers using a clear UI design brief that provides design objectives, user interface requirements, style references, and interaction guidelines, resulting in visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces.

App Design Brief Template

Develop engaging and user-friendly app designs by using a comprehensive app design brief that outlines app objectives, target audience, functionality requirements, and user flow considerations, creating intuitive and delightful mobile experiences.

Video Brief Template

Create captivating video content with a well-defined video creative brief that outlines video objectives, target audience, messaging, visual style, storyboard, and key performance indicators, ensuring compelling storytelling through video.

Motion Design Brief Template

Inspire and guide motion designers using a detailed motion design brief that provides project goals, visual references, animation preferences, and desired motion effects, bringing visuals to life with dynamic and engaging motion graphics.

Animation Brief Template

Plan and execute animated projects with a concise animation brief that defines animation objectives, storytelling elements, style preferences, and technical specifications, resulting in engaging animated content.

Photoshoot Brief Template

Plan and execute a successful photo shoot with a comprehensive brief that outlines the creative concept, desired aesthetics, locations, shot list, and mood board, ensuring a cohesive and impactful visual storytelling experience.

Interior Design Brief Template

Achieve your desired interior design vision by providing a detailed brief that encompasses the project goals, functional requirements, desired ambiance, color schemes, furniture preferences, and layout considerations, resulting in a beautifully designed space that reflects your style and purpose.

Model Brief Template

Select the right model for the job by creating a concise brief that includes the project scope, look and feel, wardrobe requirements and poses, resulting in the correct casting who brings your vision to life.

How to write an inspiring creative brief

A strong creative brief outlines the problem to solve and the path to get there. It gives your team the ingredients to do their most creative work without prescribing the solution.

Read our step-by-step guide on how to write a creative brief

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