Advertising Research & The Creative Brief

RESEARCH & THE CREATIVE BRIEF © Hunter Territo / Xdesign, Inc - If duplicating please reference appropriately

EXTENSIVE RESEARCH HAS PROVEN THAT EXTENSIVE RESEARCH IS OFTEN WRONG

RESEARCH & THE CREATIVE BRIEF


YOUR GOAL: CONNECT THE CONSUMER & THE BRAND


“There is always a reason a company makes a product and a reason people buy it.”

Source: Luke Sullivan - Hey Whipple Squeeze This


“Audiences are more fragmented. Media buys are more expensive. Great advertising is harder to create. Getting noticed in a crowded field is tougher than ever. The more you understand exactly who you’re talking to, the better your chances are of reaching that audience with an effective message.”

Source: Steve Lance - The Little Blue Book of Advertising


ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES HOLD THE KEY


TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED IN RESEARCH:


ASK TO SEE THE PREVIOUS WORK



EXAMINE THE BRAND STATUS



RESEARCH THE INDUSTRY



RESEARCH THE COMPETITOR



IMMERSE YOURSELF IN THE MEDIA YOU WISH TO LEVERAGE



“There’s too much money being wasted in advertising today. You need to know what’s going on, why it’s going on, and what brands are benefitting the most from those activities.”



GET TO KNOWTHE BRAND



BUT, ALWAYS TRY TO STAY STUPID



THE CLIENT IS NOT ALWAYS THE TARGET AUDIENCE


YOU ARE NOT ALWAYS THE TARGET EITHER


DEFINE YOUR TARGET/COMMUNITY


Who does your brand appeal to? Who makes up the majority of those people? !

What do they know, like, love or dislike about your product? Your brand? !

Is there a difference between how they feel about your brand vs. your product?



SPEND A DAY IN THEIR LIFE



“People buy from people they perceive are like them.”



COMMUNICATING WITH THE CONSUMER REQUIRES THAT YOU ACTUALLY KNOW THEM


HARNESS THE80/20 RULE


“It’s much easier to make a sale to someone who’s already interested in what you’ve got to say.”



FOCUS GROUPS KILL CREATIVITY


IF YOU HAVE TO, TEST STRATEGY NOT EXECUTION


“We are so busy measuring public opinion, we forget we can mold it, we are so busy listening to statistics that we forget we can create them.”

Source: Bill Bernbach


INNOVATION CAN THE BEST FORM OF ADVERTISING


“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Source: Henry Ford


THE FREEDOM OFA WELL DEFINED CREATIVE BRIEF


“The creative brief is a blue print, a guide, even a source of inspiration. It details our objectives, audience/community, message or utility, the context in which we’ll engage, timing, and budget.”

Source: Edward Boches


IN SHORT, THE WHO, WHY, WHERE, & WHEN


RESEARCH & THE CREATIVE BRIEF Edward Boches

THE BRIEF IS THE WHAT WE ARE DOING


THE CREATIVE IS THE HOW WE ARE DOING IT



CLEARLY DEFINE THE GOAL


WHAT ARE THE FEATURES & BENEFITS?


WHAT’S THE PERCEPTION?


What do we want to accomplish? Whom are we talking to? What do they think now? What do we want them to think? Why should they think this? What is our message/tone?

Source: VCU Brandcenter


Who is our community? Where do they hang out? What value can we add? What should our content be? How will people get involved? What platforms, tech, APIs will be used? What will make it ongoing? How will we measure success? !*Edward Boches: Mullen

Source: Edward Boches - Mullen Advertising Agency

What type of project is this?

How did this idea come about?

What is the story?

What makes it unique?

What reasons support this?

What have you done in the past?

What must we accomplish?

How old are they?

Gender?

Income?

Education?

Where do they live?

Local? Regional? National? Global?

Who is the “perfect” customer?

How would you describe a day in the life of the customer?

Why would they talk about this to their friends?

What are the strengths?

What value are we bringing to their life?

What is the desired style?

What is the personality?

What kind of watch would it be? What kind of car?

Elegant? Humorous? Technical? Inspirational? Provocative?

What are the weaknesses?

What threats could be anticipated?

What opportunities might be available?

Who is the market leader?

What unique insights can you provide about the market?

Who will be generating content?

Any key copy points that must be included?

Are there any legal or regulatory requirements?

Any specific time-line dates?

Are there any existing media contracts we need to be aware of?

This piece of paper is less important than the journey of the process

What type of project is this?

How did this idea come about?

What is the story?

What makes it unique?

What reasons support this?

What have you done in the past?

What must we accomplish?

How old are they?

Gender?

Income?

Education?

Where do they live?

Local? Regional? National? Global?

Who is the “perfect” customer?

How would you describe a day in the life of the customer?

Why would they talk about this to their friends?

What are the strengths?

What value are we bringing to their life?

What is the desired style?

What is the personality?

What kind of watch would it be? What kind of car?

Elegant? Humorous? Technical? Inspirational? Provocative?

What are the weaknesses?

What threats could be anticipated?

What opportunities might be available?

Who is the market leader?

What unique insights can you provide about the market?

Who will be generating content?

Any key copy points that must be included?

Are there any legal or regulatory requirements?

Any specific time-line dates?

Are there any existing media contracts we need to be aware of?

This piece of paper is less important than the journey of the process


MAKE SURE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY MATTERS



RESEARCH WILL DEFINE YOUR STRATEGY



CASE STUDY: TOYOTA SIENNA,A MINI-VAN

Source: Edward Boches - EdwardBoches.com: The Creative Brief



The Toyota Sienna mini-van is competing in a tough category and losing market share. Sienna share has gone from 29 percent to 19 percent in one year. With more category competition, Sienna needs a significant idea to regain share.

!



CHALLENGE/GOAL:



Overcome lost marketshare.

Make the TS a purchase that is not embarrassing for younger parents. !

Significantly increase consideration among target audience.



AGENCY: SAATCHI & SAATCHI LA



TARGET AUDIENCE / COMMUNITY:



Moms and Dads with attitude. Proud and happy to be parents, subscribe to family values, but they were professionals before they became parents. They are hip, smart and in sync with the new technology, and connected with pop culture.

!



PERCEPTIONS:Source: Edward Boches - EdwardBoches.com: The Creative Brief


Current: They currently think product is functional and reliable, but not in line with their personality. !

Desired: Believe that the Sienna is actually cool enough and stylish enough for them - the parents - not just designed with the kids in mind.

!

!



INSIGHTS:Source: Edward Boches - EdwardBoches.com: The Creative Brief


Today’s young parents are no longer isolated at home with babies and toddlers. They can and do reach out to the broader world – almost constantly. Social media is their lifeline and sharing information is a consistent activity throughout their day. We knew from this that we could enlist them to become our collaborators – not only in distributing our message but in developing it as well.



CONCEPT:Source: Edward Boches - EdwardBoches.com: The Creative Brief


We knew that they joked about and would also get the joke about stereotypical minivan parents



AWESOME PARENTS DRIVE THE TOYOTA SIENNA



HOW:Source: Edward Boches - EdwardBoches.com: The Creative Brief


TV, print and outdoor to the tone and provided the high level of awareness we needed. !

Online and YouTube to up the fun quotient and because InSync Traditionalists live there and share content.



TOYOTA DEFINED THE TARGET AND BROUGHT THEM TO LIFE






RESULTS:


OVER 8,000,000 YOUTUBE VIEWS

Source: autofspace.com



145% JUMP IN SALES

Source: brandchannel.com


AWESOME PARENTS DRIVE THE TOYOTA SIENNA
