Brand Out Loud Topic 2: Creative Briefs

Why a clear creative brief sets your campaign up for success

Whether you're working with a designer, an agency, or briefing your internal team, a well-written creative brief can make or break your campaign. It’s one of the simplest ways to clarify your thinking, reduce confusion, and get better creative results – faster and with less back and forth.

Think of the creative brief as a concise roadmap that guides your campaign from start to finish. It outlines what you're creating, why it matters, who it’s for and what success looks like. And while it doesn’t need to be long or complicated, it does need to be clear.

Here’s how to approach it.

Start by defining your campaign type

Before you start writing, take a moment to define what kind of campaign you're running. Generally, campaigns fall into two categories:

• brand campaigns build awareness, recognition and emotional connection

• retail campaigns drive action, like booking, buying, entering or sharing

If your brand is new or not widely known yet, focus first on building awareness. You can’t expect action before people know who you are or what you stand for.

Your campaign type will also shape your call to action. Brand campaigns might use softer prompts like “learn more” or “explore the space”. Retail campaigns tend to use more direct language (or call to action) – “buy now”, “book your spot” or “enter today”.

Having a clear goal from the start will help keep the brief (and the campaign) focused.

What to include in a creative brief

A good creative brief should be short, sharp and focused. Ideally, aim for one to two pages that clearly lay out the essentials. You don’t need to write the next great novel – the more concise and specific you are, the better.

Here’s what to include:

Project overview

A quick summary of what the campaign is and what you’re trying to achieve. Example: We’re launching our first brand campaign to introduce our space to a new audience and build awareness.

Goals and objectives

Define what success looks like – both in terms of big-picture goals and specific campaign results. Example: Goal – build awareness. Objective – increase traffic to our profile and grow our social following by 15%.

Key considerations

Mention anything that could impact the campaign, like past learnings, timing challenges or strategic constraints. Example: We’ve had good engagement from foodie content – want to continue that focus while introducing a more refined visual style.

Audience profile

Think about who you’re trying to reach – not just demographics (age, location, income) but also psychographics (interests, values, behaviours). You can also include “customer truths” – things your audience believes, cares about or expects. Example: They’re curious, creative and time poor. They want content that’s inspiring but easy to act on.

Messaging

What are you trying to say, and how should people feel or respond? Include a core message, headline or tagline if you have one. Example: Core message – ‘Small moments. Big connection.’

Mandatory inclusions

List anything that absolutely must be included – logos, slogans, colours, channels or formats. Example: All videos must be under 30 seconds and formatted for Instagram Reels. Logo must appear at end frame.

Deliverables

Be specific about what you need created. If you’re not sure on the technical details, that’s fine – your creative team can help. Example: 4x social videos, 1x landing page banner, 1x paid ad set (static + motion).

Budget

Outline the budget and, if relevant, how it’s split between development and production. Example: $20,000 – split evenly between strategy and creative production.

Timeline

Add your key dates, from first drafts to final approvals and go-live. The earlier you brief, the more room there is for great work.

Other requirements

Include anything else worth knowing – access to venues or talent, preferred suppliers, creative inspiration, or content you already have.

Tips for writing an effective brief

• Keep it short. If it’s more than two pages, check if you’re over-explaining. Stick to what’s essential and offer a follow up meeting if the team have more questions.

• Be specific. Vague goals lead to vague creative. Clear inputs = better outputs.

• Invite feedback. Once you’ve drafted the brief, share it with others and refine it based on their questions.

• Stick to it. Avoid changing direction halfway through unless absolutely necessary – it can derail the process and confuse the team.

• Learn from each campaign. Reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and use those insights to improve your next brief.

Practical next steps

Here are a few simple actions to take now:

• Set aside 30 minutes to write a creative brief for your next campaign.

• Use the list above as a template – just fill in each section.

• Share your draft with someone who’ll be involved in the project.

• Review it together and update it with any useful feedback.

• Save a copy to re-use and refine for future campaigns.

Summary– Creative Briefs

A creative brief is one of the most valuable tools you can use to guide your campaign. It aligns your team, sharpens your thinking and sets a clear foundation for great creative work.

The best briefs aren’t long – they’re focused. They help people understand the big picture, stay on the same page, and deliver work that hits the mark.

You don’t need to be a marketing expert to write a great brief. Just be clear, be specific, and keep your audience in mind. The rest will follow.

Read more of the Brand Out Loud series

This article is part of an impactful series designed to help you plan, develop and deliver creative campaigns that connect with the right audience:

• Brand Out Loud: a creative strategy series for getting noticed

• Brand Out Loud Topic 1 : Brand Identity

• Brand Out Loud Topic 2: Creative Briefs (this article)

• Brand Out Loud Topic 3 : Creative Assets

• Brand Out Loud Topic 4 : Getting your campaign live