Prepare your integrated communication
You need to use the insight and key strategic decisions from stage 1 of the IMC plan to prepare your Integrated Communication Brief. The creative brief is due to be completed and submitted online in Week 7.
In the real world, clients use many agencies: creative agencies, media agencies, new media agencies, public relations agencies, customer relationship management agencies, direct mail / telemarketing agencies, viral agencies, social media agencies, etc. While regularly briefed together, they are also often briefed separately, but informed of each other’s roles and expected to work seamlessly together to achieve the client’s objectives. Therefore, all agencies used by clients on a particular campaign need to collaborate to ensure a properly integrated and effective campaign. You need to write your brief with this in mind. (Smith & Zook 2011)
Integrated Communication (creative) Briefs need to:
– Be Concise – Whether it is a noun, a verb or an adjective, ‘brief’ means short. Forget this at your peril. Deciding what to leave out is tough. Clients invariably ask for too much and sacrifices must be made.
– Provide Clarity and simplicity are also crucial characteristics. Creative people do not speak marketing or client jargon; they have to communicate with real people. They should not get too embroiled in the client’s version of events. Use precise, carefully chosen language.
– Provide Consistency of internal logic within the brief is essential. It should hang together, with the pieces fitting snugly like a jigsaw, building to form a complete picture.
– Be Creative – If there is a leap at the briefing stage, there is more likely to be a leap in creativity. Or, put another way, if the brief is lacking imagination and flair, then you can’t expect anything different from the creative team.
Parente also notes that the Integrated Communication (creative) Brief is also known as the copy platform or creative inspiration. This this is the principal document that will guide the creative team in developing the “big idea”. It is the message strategy that directs all aspects of the campaign, from its target to its major takeaway. That said, it does take a bit of skill to craft a good brief… The brief boils down all of the research, insights, and decisions that have come before into a succinct package. It identifies the creative emphasis and defines the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of the campaign.
“Creatives don’t have the time or inclination to sit through consumer focus groups, wade through proprietary research sources, or entertain a marketing deck. Data are daunting to them. Their energy is better spent finding the most powerful way to get the client’s message across. Be prescriptive yet inspiring. The brief not only directs the creative team’s efforts by providing useful parameters for them to brainstorm within but also frames up an interesting challenge.
When inspired, creative minds move a million miles a minute. During conception, the possibilities could be endless, and a lot of time can be lost spinning wheels toward the wrong solutions. So never feel as though you’re limiting your team. You’re both fuelling and funnelling their vigour.
Make it contractual and factual. The Integrated Communication (creative) Brief serves as a contract between the client and the agency. It ensures that all members of the team is on the same page and focused on achieving the same goals from the beginning. And it provides a way to objectively evaluate creative ideas at the end.
Many clients are left brained and operationally focused. So there’s always a degree of difficulty when evaluating ideas or articulating their reactions to executions. The Integrated Communication (creative) Brief provides a fall back, something they can refer to and tell whether a concept is on strategy or not. Be sure it’s original and single-minded. An Integrated Communication (creative) Brief must be “ownable” by the brand, and not usable by a competitor. Wherever possible, make certain to include brand-specific elements. What’s more, the document needs to thread, with each point building on the previous one. You cannot simply fill in the blank for each component. You must carefully think about the overall approach before drafting the document and then begin by articulating your points. The result should be a simple, single-minded message direction”. (Parente & Strausbaugh-Hutchinson 2015)
Top Tips for Top Briefs
– Your briefing template is a useful tool; learn how to use it
– Define the problem clearly.
– Inform and inspire.
– Aim to surprise and challenge preconceptions.
– Spin your numbers – make them come to life from a fresh perspective.
– Be clear and single-minded.
– Make sure it hangs together as a coherent whole.
– Could you write an ad from it?
– Check you have the right measurement tools in place for maximum accountability.
– Clearly define the role for each media channel or activity. (Baskin 2010)
Groups are required to complete stage 1 of the IMC Plan before documenting their Integrated Communication (creative) briefs. Please note: stages 1 & 2 of the IMC Plan are due to be handed in and posted online in Week 12.
