A while back I wrote about my goal to be a stronger creative brief writer. Today, I continue to strive for the ability to inspire others with the creatively-written word.
I think the hardest part of a creative brief is in the name itself: brief. How can you demonstrate your point, ensure all the moving parts are included and inspire your creative team while keeping your document “brief?” To me, the way is simple. Do it like Twitter.
Twitter’s 140-character-or-less rule forces all thoughts and ideas to be imperatively brief. Run-on sentences, multiple ideas and too much input are a thing of the past. The question is: Can creative briefs be condensed significantly while still providing enough input for the team to move forward?
I believe so and here’s why (each in 140 characters or less).
- Concise over Comprehensive – Here’s the rub: Briefs needs to be thorough yet condensed. Draft everything you need to initially, then cull it back until it’s tight.
- Strategic deliverable - A strong brief requires a strong strategy. Great strategic thinkers can boil down their thoughts. So be strategic, and you’ll be brief.
- High level input - Any input provided to the team should be topline and high level. It’s not a place to tell long stories (save that for an input meeting).
- The key takeaway is short – You want your team to remember one thing: your key takeaway. How can you accomplish that when it’s long? Cut back until it’s 140 characters.
A creative brief is the breeding ground for amazing creative. As creators of the brief, let’s be inspired by the concept of motivating our creative team. It’s about opening doors, breaking new ground and putting the energy in that you’d expect to get out.
Do you feel it’s possible to write a creative brief in 140 characters or less? How can we get there? What inspires you when you’re writing creative briefs? Share your thoughts here!
