Insight Mining & The Creative Brief

The old man and the rubies - a fable Source: From the oral teachings of H.W.L. Poonja, quoted in ‘I’ll have one small insights and two large ones’, Gordon, W, 2002, Admap

Insight ‘…the magic moment when ideas, trends and behaviour cross a threshold, tip and spread like wildfire' Source: Malcolm Gladwell, Tipping Point

How do you get insight Competitor landscape how is it changing? Category understanding how is it converging? Customer connection who are the customers? Consumers as people the reality check of everyday life Contexts how do people encounter brands and products, and how does context determine behaviour? Culture changes, trends and influences. Source: Gordon, W, 2002, Admap

“At the heart of an effective creative philosophy is the belief that nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature, what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action, even though his language so often can camouflage what really motivates him” Bill Bernbach

The People Portrait

Insight: Transforming Data

Source: e3b62970b-popup e3b62970b-popup

Think about… Hot Buttons (motivation) Hot Buttons (motivation) Touchpoints (where can you reach them) Touchpoints (where can you reach them)Remember… ‘A researcher may paint a picture of the consumers; an account planner should be able to tell you not only who the consumers are but also what they feel.’ Kelly & Jugenheimer, 2006, Advertising Account Planning, M.E.Sharpe Inc, US

David Ogilvy said… ‘ You don’t stand a tinker’s chance of producing successful advertising unless you start doing your homework’ Quoted in: Kelly & Jugenheimer, 2006, Advertising Account Planning, M.E.Sharpe Inc, US

CREATIVE BRIEFS

A Contract ‘A brief serves 3 masters ‘A brief serves 3 masters The marketer should see an insightful summation of how communications strategy satisfies marketing objectives The marketer should see an insightful summation of how communications strategy satisfies marketing objectives The creatives should receive a clear focus of the problem which the advertising aims to address The creatives should receive a clear focus of the problem which the advertising aims to address The brief writer should benefit from going through the discipline of writing it by creating a succinct summary of his or her thinking about the strategy The brief writer should benefit from going through the discipline of writing it by creating a succinct summary of his or her thinking about the strategy Source: How to plan advertising, Cooper, 1997

The General Components Why are you advertising at all; what are the objectives; what’s advertising’s role Why are you advertising at all; what are the objectives; what’s advertising’s role Who is the advertising aiming to influence Who is the advertising aiming to influence What do you wish to communicate about the brand What do you wish to communicate about the brand Why do you think those it is aimed at will believe it? Why do you think those it is aimed at will believe it? How do you wish to say it, what tone of voice? How do you wish to say it, what tone of voice? What do you think they will say having received this communication? What do you think they will say having received this communication? What are you not allowed to convey about this product, or must be communicated legally within paid-for communication? What are you not allowed to convey about this product, or must be communicated legally within paid-for communication? Source: How to plan advertising, Cooper, 1997

Creative Briefing & the Sistine Chapel – Damian O’Malley (How to Plan Advertising, APG, 1997) ‘Please paint the ceiling’ ‘Please paint the ceiling’ ‘Please paint the ceiling using red and green paint’ ‘Please paint the ceiling using red and green paint’ ‘We’ve got terrible problems with damp and cracks in the ceiling and we would be ever so grateful if you could just cover it up for us’ ‘We’ve got terrible problems with damp and cracks in the ceiling and we would be ever so grateful if you could just cover it up for us’ ‘Please paint biblical scenes on the ceiling incorporating some or all of the following: God, Adam, Angels, Cupids, devils & saints’ ‘Please paint biblical scenes on the ceiling incorporating some or all of the following: God, Adam, Angels, Cupids, devils & saints’

Creative Briefing & the Sistine Chapel – Damian O’Malley ‘Please paint the ceiling for the greater glory of God and as an inspiration and lesson to his people. Frescoes which depict the creation of the world, the Fall, mankind’s degradation by sin, the divine wrath of the deluge and the preservation of Noah and his family.’ ‘Please paint the ceiling for the greater glory of God and as an inspiration and lesson to his people. Frescoes which depict the creation of the world, the Fall, mankind’s degradation by sin, the divine wrath of the deluge and the preservation of Noah and his family.’

Alternative briefs for The Great Wall of China thrown about by Emperor Meng T’ien, in various meetings with his wall design agency, around 221 BC. Oliver Cartwright (after Damian O’Malley )

‘Please build a big wall’ (bad) ‘Please build a very big wall, longer than ten thousand li.”(worse) ‘I’ve got lots of spare labour so I wondered if you might put it to good use, by building a very big wall or something’ (much worse) ‘Please build a wall to keep us safe from invasion’ (better) ‘Please build a Great Wall, stretching from Lin-t’ao to Liao-tung, that will forever protect the people of the newly unified China from the murderous barbarian hordes to the north‘ (best)

INSPIRATION

Saatchi & Saatchi Ideas Brief What the brief is for? – brief description of what we are trying to achieve What the brief is for? – brief description of what we are trying to achieve What is our Challenge? – not business objective, but a statement of consumer or brand transformation. It should be big and ambitious What is our Challenge? – not business objective, but a statement of consumer or brand transformation. It should be big and ambitious Who are we talking to? – pen portrait Who are we talking to? – pen portrait When and where will they be receptive? – media consumption, buying patterns When and where will they be receptive? – media consumption, buying patterns

Saatchi & Saatchi Ideas Brief The Idea The Idea What qualities of the brand will help us to meet the challenge? – Could be product/service truth, and/or brand personality. Tone of voice What qualities of the brand will help us to meet the challenge? – Could be product/service truth, and/or brand personality. Tone of voice In the End – The practical hard headed business objective – grounded on measurable data In the End – The practical hard headed business objective – grounded on measurable data

How to Write a Great Creative Brief By Steve Henry (HHCL) 1.Find out what everybody else is doing in your marketplace and do something different 2.Forget the logical proposition and find the personality of the brand instead (Unique Selling Persona) 3.Define the ‘target market’ so that you like and respect it  ‘the consumer is not a moron. The consumer is your wife’ David Ogilvy  ‘Customers’ not ‘consumer’, ‘target audience’ or ‘punter’

How to Write a Great Creative Brief By Steve Henry (HHCL) 4.Put in creative starters 5.Make it inspiring  Be ambitious  Be confident  Believe that you can change the marketplace P.S. ‘..do not make your enthusiasm shallow. I recently saw a brief from another agency which included, as its proposition, the line ‘Phwoooarr, they don’t half taste good’. Its looks enthusiastic, but is actually a camouflage for the most boring proposition there ever was.’ S.Henry, HHCL, ‘How to write a great brief, Admap

The proposition

Unique Selling Proposition Rosser Reeves 1.Each advertisement must make a proposition to the consumer. Not just words, not just product puffery, not just show-window advertising. Each advertisement must say to each reader: ‘Buy this product and you will get this benefit’ 2.The proposition must be one that the competition either cannot or does not offer. It must be unique either in the brand or in the claim 3.The proposition must be strong enough to move mass millions, that is, pull over new customers to your brand Quoted in Belch & Belch, 2004

The Proposition Unique selling proposition Unique selling proposition Emotional selling proposition Emotional selling proposition Single-minded proposition Single-minded proposition Key idea Key idea The Big idea The Big idea Brutally simple thinking (M&C Saatchi) Brutally simple thinking (M&C Saatchi)

The Proposition Whatever you call it, the proposition is the most important thing that you want to say to the target audience Whatever you call it, the proposition is the most important thing that you want to say to the target audience It could be an idea you want to pass on, a feeling you must convey or a memory you want to evoke It could be an idea you want to pass on, a feeling you must convey or a memory you want to evoke Some agencies preface the proposition with ‘To persuade the audience that…’ Some agencies preface the proposition with ‘To persuade the audience that…’

The Proposition What the advertising must say What the advertising must say Does the proposition have meaning, truth & promise? Does the proposition have meaning, truth & promise? Is it single-minded? Is it single-minded? Is it supported or supportable? Is it supported or supportable? Does it clearly fit with the rest of the brief? Does it clearly fit with the rest of the brief? ‘The proposition would be unlikely to make sense in isolation. A good brief will have interesting thoughts and will draw clear conclusions in each of its parts, which will explain why the proposition is how it is.’ Source: ‘How to Plan Advertising’, Ed. A.Cooper, 1997

The Proposition ‘that flash of insight that synthesizes the purpose of the strategy, joins the product benefit with consumer desire in a fresh, involving way, brings life the subject to life, and makes the reader or audience stop, look and listen.’ John O’Toole, ‘The Trouble with Advertising’, 2 nd Edition (1985), Random House, p. 131

Pot Noodle Satisfies an unhealthy urge

M&C Saatchi