Three little words
Why do we at Capstrat put so much emphasis on nailing down positioning strategy and a good creative brief before starting a project? Because, at the most basic level, we don’t believe in taking up a listener’s time if we don’t have something interesting to say.
If I’m trying to get any kind of reaction out of you through my communication—be it a speech, a letter, a song, or almost anything else—it requires, at the very least, two things: clarity and relevance. You must understand exactly what I’m saying, and it must matter to you.
Isn’t that the case with any conversation? If I can’t figure out the point you’re trying to make, I’m either going to get frustrated or bored, or both. And the same is true if I do understand your point, but it has zero relevance to me.
A great creative brief defines, with pinpoint accuracy, those two things—clarity and relevance—as well as audience. When a copywriter and art director sit down with their creative brief in hopes of making something powerful and compelling, they must know exactly who they’re talking to, exactly what they’re trying to communicate to this audience, and exactly why the audience should care. I submit that if you’re missing any of these three pieces of information before starting a creative project (at least in the marketing world), you’re doomed to failure.
Checking those three boxes is a great litmus test for everyone on the agency team when gearing up for any project—and it always amazes me how often, even after all the years I’ve been in the business, I forget to do this. My creative partner and I will work a day or two on something, find ourselves frustrated as we hit brick wall after brick wall while concepting, only to realize one of those three pieces of strategy—who, what or why—is missing.
In fact, the main reason I’m writing this post is to help me remember to ask the right questions at the beginning of every assignment. Maybe it’ll help you remember, too.
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