Brief-ly Speaking

A creative brief may not be a very long document — most in the industry say a page or two is typical — but if done right, it is a very powerful tool. The success or failure of a shopper marketing program often can be a direct result of the effectiveness of the brief."It is the key document where the client and agency agree on how the shopper strategy will be creatively transformed," says Jamie LaRue, senior director, shopper marketing at Kellogg Co. "A great brief makes great choices so that it is single-minded, and it is rooted in shopper insight and [also] inspiring to the creative team. It doesn't have to be elaborate or long; it just has to be clear."Manufacturers and agencies have made it clear that there's no one right way to do a brief, and that briefs are valued for different aspects. None of the companies interviewed were willing to share examples of their briefs (with the exception of Chicago-based agency TPN; see image above), and some (e.g., Nestlé) weren't even willing to talk about their briefing process, saying it is proprietary.Companies use briefs to not only create the framework for successful programs but also to identify where the onus falls when something goes wrong. "Well-crafted briefs can guarantee the success of any project and, in all honesty, put the necessary ownership of the thought leadership with the demand creator," says Bevan Bloemendaal, senior director-global creative services for Stratham, N.H.-based The Timberland Co.Lily Lev-Glick, founder of Shopper Sense, says it's a good idea to write one, whether for a large or small effort. "It holds everyone accountable. Even if just an update or for minor nuances, it provides focus and direction. If it's just emails and back-of-napkin requests, programs won't be as structured and successful. A brief keeps everybody aligned."Says LaRue: "All elements of the campaign should be judged on how well they meet the brief."Insights and the ShopperBriefs can take various shapes and forms — e.g., bulleted, narrative, long paragraphs, storybooks — and it's important they "contain all the information and insights that everyone needs," says Lev-Glick. "Insights are not singular in nature but rather the synthesizing of new and actionable information into a contextual problem that a designer can solve. Simply dropping data into a brief is not helpful and often drives the designer to default to the familiar and not design from a strategic standpoint."Shopper insights, as well as any necessary retailer information, are critical components of a comprehensive brief. "The shopper needs to be at the center of it all," says LaRue."Shoppers, what they think and where and how they shop, is our starting point," says Ben DiSanti, senior vice president, planning and perspectives, at TPN. "If the store becomes the starting point, the campaign may steer too much toward only meeting retailer needs."Brief writers often include shopper insights that are very targeted. "Say we're looking at the age range of 20 to 40, women who are highly active in the outdoor lifestyle, and this is the attitude they have when shopping," says Spencer Blaker, global director, retail marketing, at Durham, N.C.-based Burt's Bees, part of The Clorox Co. "Tell a story to the agency about their habits, where they shop, when they are most likely to be in the store and where they research. These are all things you could call out depending on the brand and what you're working to accomplish. The better you know that, the more likely the agency is to satisfy your expectations."In its creative briefs, TPN includes a shopper/target portrait along with key shopper insights that are focused in three areas: "Their mindset throughout the path to purchase, their behavior, and the surroundings or environment they encounter," says Eric Ehrlich, group creative director.Including the RetailerKimberly-Clark uses an integrated approach to briefs so that both shopper and retailer are explicitly included, "ensuring the brief outlines how an idea comes to life at retail for the shopper, including the pre-store, in-store and at-shelf elements," says Deb Hannah, director, integrated marketing and enterprise.With a "building block" approach, K-C's process ensures that the most current information from the brand, retailer and agency viewpoints is included in one location and is tracked. "Field shopper marketers" create retailer-specific briefs by building upon brand program briefs and incorporating retailer mandatories and insights. K-C's brand program briefs include such points as brand promise, objectives, program overview, budget and how the program will be measured, while the field shopper marketers add specifics about how a program will translate for the retailer by including specific tactics, budget and measurements.Rob Colarossi, vice president, category leadership, at Hostess Brands, says it's critical for the marketing department and sales teams to align on the "consumer/shopper target" for a particular retailer. "The creative briefs are now including national consumer criteria along with channel/retail shopper criteria."There's no such thing as having too much retailer data. "If I'm developing a program for retailer X, I want to know everything on their plate," says Peter Viento, executive creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi X, Springdale, Ark. "It all ties back to getting as much information into the brief as you can, and it also comes back to understanding the retailers and their policies. You need to understand the brand equity and the retail equity, and pretty much meet in the middle."Lev-Glick says briefs need to include logistic information such as retailers' account specifications, mandatory elements and materials scope. "Without paying attention to these details and fully understanding operational efficiencies, a brand risks blowing the sell-in, or worse, rolling out a program that is not accepted into the retail environment because color, imagery, materials or labor requirements are not acceptable. By establishing and incorporating these parameters up front, a program has a much greater chance of being perceived as working in conjunction with the store environment."Who Writes the Brief?Just as there's no definitive format for the brief, there's no absolute as to who should write it. CPGs prefer not to have too many hands in the pot, instead having a "lead brief writer" who seeks collaboration and the necessary sign-offs as needed. At Kimberly-Clark, the lead writer tends to be a brand manager or shopper marketing manager."It's not always done by a pure marketing team," says Blaker of Burt's Bees. "Many times it's done by a group focusing solely on shopper marketing."Some brands may develop the brief themselves, while others may ask their agency to write it and then give approval. And while the CPG side generally writes the brief, a retailer might choose to write the core brief if one of its programs includes participation from multiple brands.No matter who takes the lead on the brief, communication appears to be the biggest hurdle among all involved parties. "The CPGs writing the briefs often have very specific wants and needs that are articulated in the brief, but the designers reviewing the brief do not always interpret these in the same manner," says John Feindt, executive vice president of sales at The Strive Group, Chicago.DiSanti says that a brief should be considered a "living, breathing document" with expectations that some areas may need to be adjusted. For example, "Timing in market may change due to a shift in scheduling at the retailer, and these changes must be captured with appropriate updates for the creative team."Seemingly counterintuitive to the creative process, briefs thrive when given boundaries, DiSanti says. "Without establishing these boundaries, ideas can run rampant and lead to creative that is beyond reality for the shopper/target, brand and marketplace and does not deliver the needed ROI."Get It RightThe challenge is for brands to engage in integrative, holistic planning, says Sal Fiordelisi, executive vice president, at Westport, Conn.-based GfK Interscope. "Good briefs are grounded on a deep understanding of the path to purchase, across all shopper touchpoints. The creative idea needs to execute effectively across all mediums to reach these touchpoints. If online search is a critical stage in the shopper's pre-purchase process, our creative idea must execute effectively across the digital media that impact the shopper's search process."Kimberly-Clark's Hannah agrees, saying it's important to ensure enough time is given to think through and record all the crucial elements that are part of the program. "You can't underestimate the importance of getting it right."

Brief-ly Speaking

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