Despite the fact that a creative brief can make or break a creative project, it is often a frequently overlooked element in the end-to-end creative process. Why? Usually, the fault lies with the deadline. Due dates shift forward, and taking the time to complete a brief can feel inconvenient and bureaucratic.
But defining the information in a creative brief is the best way to get the right results the first time. Why? Most creative projects involve multiple functional teams. For example, a web design project might involve a marketing team as well as an IT team. Without a brief to unite stakeholders from different disciplines, you can easily fall prey to:
- Time wasted in meetings
- “Email overload”
- Information silos
- Mixed strategies
The creative brief unifies all creative team members from the onset of a project and ensures everyone is using the same guide for defining the audience and articulating the “why buy” and proof points for copy and artwork.
Four key benefits include:
- A creative brief decreases the time it takes to complete a project. By clearly and thoroughly communicating expectations at the beginning of the creative process, the creative brief effectively avoids the revisions and course corrections that result from poor planning.
- A creative brief creates accountability. Marketing teams today exist in an age of accountability. Success is no longer measured in innovative campaigns and industry awards. Instead, creative content is measured via analytics such as open rates, views, and downloads. Marketing projects must demonstrate their contributions to achieving business objectives. The creative brief that clearly articulates these objectives serves as a touchstone for the creative team and reminds them to stay on task.
- A creative brief decreases approval time. Without a creative brief, project goals and creative direction can be ambiguous. How many times have designers and copywriters heard statements such as, “I want something modern,” or “This needs to sound professional?” Let’s face it: these kinds of instructions open the door to various interpretations. A creative brief forces key project stakeholders to be clear from the get-go, which in turn can minimize conflicting feedback during the review and approval cycle.
- A creative brief produces great creative. When you set clear creative objectives that align with business objectives upfront, the chances of delivering on-point creative that meets expectations increases.
Time spent on a creative brief is an investment that pays handsome dividends: a greatly improved process and a higher quality of output, for starters. And with a Marketing Project Management tool such as BLUE Software, you can unite all project stakeholders, designers, copywriters, and digital marketers on a single platform to create and approve the creative brief, as well as proof and approve the creative itself.
BLUE Software centralizes end-to-end marketing project management, from the creative brief… to project assignment… to online proofing… to review and approval from all necessary departments. In addition, all creative assets are stored in a Digital Asset Manager, where they can be easily retrieved and distributed for widespread, repeated use.
To learn more about how you can align all of your creative professionals to achieve better results, download our e-book: Eliminate Reactivity and Enable Creativity in Marketing.
