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Like any creative effort, a successful design project involves many different people with different talents coming together. But too often, lots of cooks in the kitchen can be a recipe for disaster. That’s why great design starts with a great creative brief: a single, clear direction that communicates everything anyone needs to know about a project.
This can seem daunting at first, and that’s why we’ve provided this easy guide to putting your best foot forward with a comprehensive brief. Creativity is messy, but it’s definitely worth it.
Overview
Here’s a basic outline of what your brief should include. This won’t be the same for every project, so just consider it a starting place....
Two of the most common words in the flack’s vernacular (next to coffee) are strategy and tactic.
According to Michael Porter, strategy leader and author of Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance,
“Competitive strategy is about being different. It means deliberately choosing a different set of activities to deliver a unique mix of value.” The conundrum in this industry is that, although you have to think (strategy) before you do (tactic) anything, these two terms are often used interchangeably. It seems “being different” is understanding the difference in the first place."
This should help…
In short, a strategy is a larger, overall plan that can comprise several tactics, which are smaller, focused, less impactful action items that are part of the overall plan. Without a great strategy, there are no good tactics....
Corporations have spotted a gaping hole in the market left by traditional media and are attempting to fill it with their own forms of corporate media. But according to former-Financial Times journalist turned media entrepreneur Tom Foremski, corporates are failing to connect with their audiences and there are very few successful examples of the genre....
a case study from Blogwell NYC... ...Last month, Dow Chemical’s Abby Klanecky spoke at Blogwell NYC about developing its in-house scientists into well-respected social voices (check out the play-by-play on SocialMedia.Org). The decision to turn to its scientists came after the company realized that while the nation’s unemployment rate is hovering between eight and 10 percent, there are still 1-2 million open jobs in science – yet only 26 percent of the country is currently qualified for these positions.
By building social awareness about the opportunities within science, Dow Chemical could help secure their future as a home for the top talent in the industry, as well as encourage a younger generation to explore opportunities within the field.
While the concept of turning scientists into socially savvy advocates seemed like a great solution, the reality of taking these traditionally internal professionals with minimal social knowledge and turning them into ambassadors for the brand presented several challenges....
[A unique social advocacy strategy seems to be paying dividends for Dow ~ Jeff]
You can always count on Jay Rosen for thought-provoking ideas and insight. None better than his recent speech called “Covering Wicked Problems.” While he spoke about the challenge of creating and covering a “wicked problems beat” by journalists, what’s interesting is how precisely it applies to strategic public relations too. First, what are “wicked problems?” Rosen gives us this definition... In providing 10 descriptions of how a “wicked problems” journalism beat would work, Rosen offers some interesting ways that PR can respond as well. In fact, it’s a wonderful blueprint for strategic public relations. With apologies and thanks to Rosen, here’s how I’d reframe his “beat” to guide PR strategists...
...However, the coolest and most valuable analysis comes from determining the nuances of an issue and not just the numbers. This is what I call “the art of analysis.” In my opinion, the best results are derived from multiple data sources. When overlaid on top of one another patterns begin to emerge and real insights can be gleaned....
Last week, I led a workshop on public relations for senior officials at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Some may find this surprising, because intelligence agencies are known more for keeping secrets than communicating proactively. The fact that CSIS is thinking differently today shows that its leaders understand just how much the rules have changed in an era of communication without control.... However, the commitment to communicate is only the first step; the second is to communicate with transparency and authenticity – which is not easy. For governments and businesses alike, there are some types of information that cannot be shared....
One of the first things I learned in marketing was to “mirror” my audience’s behavior. For example, working at an agency for years, we learned to watch... ...Let’s start with the CEO or the executives that you work with. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the same team (in-house marketing for a brand, non-profit, etc.) or you’re the agency partner, the amount of relevance and value the executives experience with you and your interactions will determine your level of relationships success. It’s important for you to think like the executives to deliver what they need from their communication professionals. Here is your list of things to think about when you interact with the CEO to make his or her experience better...
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Political press conferences are pointless, and mostly about media showboating. This isn’t something reporters are supposed to admit. We’d all like more chances to see a potential presidential candidate on the hot seat. But these days, at these things, the heat isn’t on. I cringe at press conferences more than I learn from them, because they usually degenerate into shout-fests based on questions that are rarely designed to elicit any new information, but rather a response to the other party’s latest talking point. “Reporters ask questions not to get information, but to get a reaction,” Susan Milligan wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review last year. “And even with that strategy, they rarely succeed.” With social media, candidates don’t need to rely on reporters to convey their views. That in turn means that stories that break news are rarely produced by press conference. So why the ongoing obsession with press conferences? Could it have something to do with a need to justify the money being spent by mainstream news organizations to keep reporters on the campaign trail, versus the exclusive content they take away from that investment?...
All too often strategy meetings devolve into pitched battles over who is right and who is wrong about the company’s future direction. How can you reshape the discussion to produce collaboration rather than discord?
The key is to switch the fundamental question you consider from what is true to what would have to be true?....
...In a world where your competitors have all shown up on the various social networks, and where your target market is having trouble keeping up (there’s actually a lot of writing now about “social media fatigue”), how will you stand out? In “The Impact Equation,” Julien Smith and I recommend that you learn how to stand out from others, or Contrast. The equation is “Impact= Contrast x (Reach + Exposure + Articulation + Trust + Echo). The following idea is a mix of Contrast plus Exposure. One way that companies are earning new customers is by content that checks two of the three boxes * interesting * helpful... [Chris Brogan talks about the secret of winning the attention war which includes being more personable than your competitors ~ Jeff]
Harvard Business School Professor (and former IBM and Kodak executive) Willy Shih poses an intriguing question: "Let's say your goal is to average 60 miles per hour in a journey across a one-mile bridge," he said. ...It's a scary moment when a company realizes that the goals it has set for a quarter or a year are simply not attainable. And yet in today's continually choppy environment, leaders are encountering that moment with increased frequency. And it is at this moment that leaders truly earn their pay, because many short-term actions can have devastating long-term consequences, particularly when it comes to innovation. If you discover that you're stuck on Willy's bridge, consider these three tips... [Scott Anthony offers sage advice for leaders -- JD]
[When it comes to PR, this group of nuns is flying - JD] ...The nuns’ bus tour is part of Network, the national Catholic social justice lobby. The nunsonthebus.com site provides updates as the sisters visit local Congressional offices (Ryan, Steve King, House Speaker John Boehner, Steve Chabot, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Mike Fitzgerald, Joe Walsh and Roscoe Bennett), meet with editorial boards (Cedar Rapids Gazette, Chicago Sun Times, Cleveland Plain Dealer), conduct press conferences and hold “friend raisers” to generate grassroots support. Food pantries, homeless shelters, schools and medical facilities are other stops. The website has tips on how to write a letter-to-the editor with the “core message...
When it comes to media outlets and platforms, there are an abundance of options to get one’s word out, but where should you start – and more importantly... – which medium does your market trust the most?According to the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms, traditional media sources still reign king, with newspapers leading the pack....
If you want people to talk about your business and brand, you need to explore making social ideas. ...This article intends to extend his thinking on the topic, focusing on a specific type of idea that’s particularly in vogue: the social idea.... [Liked this fresh thinking - JD]
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Jamahl Johnson offers tips on how to write a good creative brief.