The Swedish Association of Communication Agencies put their best creatives, specialists and academics in a room to redefine the creative brief.
The output was an updated approach to creative communication from the country behind The Epic Split, Volvo LifePaint and, most recently, The Swedish Number came up with.
Sweden’s progressive communications industry has assembled some of their best and brightest – leading creatives, researchers and marketers – to redefine the creative brief starting in the reality of 2016.
”In a time when USPs are copied within days, the biggest differences between brands or products are created through creative communication.” That was the starting point when Swedish advertising festival Guldägget assembled six experts from agencies, clients and academy to produce an up-to-date version of the creative brief, rethinking old premises and priorities about communication.
As the consensus-seeking people they are, the Swedes got together across agency and discipline borders to collaborate on the creative brief of the future. Here is what the country behind groundbreaking ideas like the Epic Split, Volvo LifePaint and, most recently, the Swedish Number, came up with.
THE BRIEF
About seven years ago, Simon Sinek published the book Start with why, and a few months after came his celebrated TED Talk on the theme. The ideas quickly gained a foothold in the advertising industry and have largely influenced the way communications thinking works today. Basically, the book is about that it's important for companies to stand for something, they must have a clear reason for being that consumers can support or identify with.
As a result, we see that more and more campaigns to a lesser extent aims to highlight a product or service. Instead ethical positions or intentions are emphasized. This puts great demands on both the client and agency. Success requires a more integrated collaboration between client and agency. Therefore we raised the idea that the brief is a shared responsibility and that the agency and client should develop it together.
Since communication is made to clarify or strengthen a brand journey, it was proposed to add a cover page to the creative brief. A cover page designed to remind all involved of the brand journey, and ensure that the solution strengthens the journey.
Cover page to creative brief
1) Why do we exist?
2) Where are we?
3) Where are we going?
4) What values / opinions do we have?
5) What do we measure?
Creative brief
1) What is the problem / opportunity?
2) Why?
3) How can communication help?
4) What do we say?
4a) Is it distinctive?
4b) Why should you care?
5) Who are we talking to?
6) Which external factors affect the mission?
7) What does the competitors do that affect?
8) What's the goal of the operation? When / how do we measure it?
9) When should it be done?
10) What will it cost?
11) Who should be involved?
The participators in the workshop
Ann Ystén, CEO Perfect Fools
Caroline Forsshell, marketing and communications director Lidl
Rebecca Oswald, copywriter Garbergs
Goran Åkestam, creative advisor Åkestam Holst
Stefan Rudels, Account Director Forsman & Bodenfors
Erik Modig, doctor and researcher Stockholm School of Economics