A User's Guide to the DO Brief

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Contents

Foreword

5

Introduction

7

l.

How to fi ll in the DO Brief, section by sectioD

I3

2.

Examples of good DO Briefs, and rcasons why they're good

'2

3·

Tnspi ration, 24-hour Briefs, a RedWorks Brief and the ac tual briefing

35

Appendi x: Exa mplcs of gooel DO Briefs from O gilvy P ublic Relations Worldwid e, O gilvyAction and O gilvyOne

45

Ogih'Y & MaLher COfe Creative Bricr: New Idea Generation -Direction Brand

Product

Job No.

Task

DO BAIEF Date

Success Critena

E.g., new product launch, reposition !he brand, generate inquiries

How will this activity be measured and are these measunements in place?

Why 15 this briaf hare? What's keeping the cl ient awake at night? What's happening in the client's business that has prompted the need for communication? What is the big brilliant problem we can help to salve? Who are we trylng to influence? Who is it we need to influence and how (if at all) do they currently think, feel and behave towards the brand/category/ product area? Ask yourself what they are currently doing that we need to change. Think about any barriers that exist. Please bring these people to life in a way that will help the creative team get inside their heads, not just as general consumers but within the context of the specific challenge the brand faces . NB: The relevant points will set the scene; more in-depth info can be attached in the Inspiration section or saved lor the briefing. What do wa want them to DO as a result o, tilis communication? When it says "do" it means DO. This is the actual change in behavior that will ultimately altecl the client's businessand help them sleep well at nigh!. A simplistic answer like "buy mare X" is not enough-everyone in the business is doing tha!. Be specific rather than general. You'lI need to have explored who you need to influence, what they are currently doing, and how we need to change it befare you can express this fully. How do we expect communications to work towards achieving this? How are the communications actually going to DO that? Will they shock, engage, make things more relevant , entice people to trial , create a unified voice far the brand, change the way people feel abQut when and where they should consume the product and so get them to consume it mare olten? How will our communications reward people for the time they spend with them? What are we trying to convey? What is the care thought that will drive the creative solution? Think about whether this should be a big a killer fact, a promise, a straight message, or just a plain and simple big idea- it depends on the task at hand . What wlll help people to KNOW thls? What makes this competitive, relevant to the target and true? NB: Additional product detail can be attached as an addendum to the core brief.

Mandatorias What are the immutable "must haves" ar "must nots" for this task? E.g., avoid attacking competition or using slapstick humor, ensure culturally sensitive references, leature the product, etc. Account Dinector

Creative Development Time

4

What will help people to FEEL th 51 What are the care values ar personality 01 the brand we need to stay true to? Are we questioning ar directing? Are we being inclusive ar exclusive? Are we talking conspiratarially with people ar are we distant and autharitative? What do we imagine the tone 01 the communication lo be?

Channels Where and whet1 will we reach people in the most receptive state of mind? (Please expand as needed.)

Planning Director

Final Review Date

Clien! Presentallon Date

Supporting Materials List any additional technical specs, copy briels, or product details supporting this brief.

Cneative Director

Final Deadline

Production Budget

P10Mdl03:

Perva jve Creativity. Jt's what Ogilvy aims ro r. We want LO be the network that doc Lhe bes t, the freshe t and Lhe hotte t creativc work in the world. That's why I'm deligh ted by lhi renewed focus on th ve ry start f rhe creative process- the crealive b rief. Everyone who wriles a crea tive brief ha the pp rt unity to mak a d ifferenc . You remembcr the old computer acronym GlGO? "Garbage lo, Garb gc O ut." It's like thal with b riers. Every creallve team ha' horror stor ies of receivi ng lousy briefs. D ul! , vague confu ing, though tle What chance do they have of producing sparkli ng, fresh reative work if th e accou nl t a m d esn't hrief th m properly? Bu t every crealive lea m al o re member. those bri f lhal made a di ff'eí oce. Briefs that igniled their imaginations. Briefs that open d up new possibilities. Erief tha t inspi red and enthused. 111at's what Perva ive Crea ivity mcans here. Writing a briefhas to be a creati fe act

in it elr. 1bat will O'i ve crcative teams lheir best chance of producing g reat work. The better the brief, th hetter thc work. Our Tw in Peak traleg y- tbe trategy of producing the most creative work in lhe world a wd! as the mo t effective- sLarts he re. With great briefs. The DO Erier n l form is here to help y u. It asks the lo ugh queslions you need to answer in order to write greal brief . PI as ' tud y and apply lhe lcssons in this short book. Thank you, and good luck.

WHY JS TIllS CUIDE HERE?

PresidentJohn F. Kenn dy wanted to ell the idea oflanding aman on the Moon. He said , "We choose to go t the Moon in this de acle and do the other things, not becau e they are easy, bu l beca use they are hard." The DO Brief is ha rd. Most cr alive briefs ask familiar questions. lhe DO Brief a ks ough new questions. This guide explai ns why. It will he!p you answer those questions b tter.

WHAT'S 1.

EW

BO T THE DO BRIEF?

It begins with a q uestion about the client's business issue. N t aD awareness issu ,or an image issue, or a positioning issue, but a business issue. Unless our creative work help clrive the d ient's business, it will pass like a ship in the night. All clients want profitable growth. H w can we help?

To help solv the client's business issue, we need a commercial idea -an idea that uses Ogilvy's creativity to address th .r busin ss issue. 2.

It asks what communications must goet consumers to do. H w must consumer behavior change-not just awareness or perceptions, but behavior? For in tance, a chari ty ad might raise your awareness. It might even move you to tea rs. But unless you put your hand in your pocket to donate money, it failed.

l

It asks how communications will change behavior. AH campaigns exisl to get somebody to do something, but they work in different ways. Sorne persuade, giving rational informatio n about a product benefit. Otbers make lhe brand fam ous. Sti l1 others strengthen emotional engagement. There are many other possibilities. We need to be clear ab ut which communications fiode! applie' in th is si tuation .

4. It asks what we n eed to convey. U nlike mos t creative briefing forms, il does not assume the solution is always to dr iv a logical, factual proposition into consumcrs' minds. Often the most effective campaig ns create an emotional impression of the brand. Conveying inform atíon can be effective, but conveying feelings can be more effective. 5. It is channel-neutral and global. P reviously, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, O g ilvyOne, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide and O gilvyAction each had different briefing forms. The DO Brief encourages in tegration among strategists of all disciplines because it is the shared platform for a11 activity. It is also used in all regions. Al! of us must use the same too1 in tn is global ized w rld .

8

WHY DOES IT ASK THESE QUESTIONS? l.

To improve br iefing quality. FiIling in the DO Brief ought to make your brain hurt. It demands clarity, focus and consistency as wdl as creative stimulation. lhe harder you work at the briefing form, the better the briefing will be.

2.

To help clients huy original work. It is easier for our marketing clients to seIl seen-it-before creative work within their own companies. Helping them buy fresh, truly original work is part of the planner's job, perhaps the most important parto Stanley Pollitt, one of the fathers of account planning, said something crucial about the planner's role that seems to have been forgotten: "lhe rationale of creative work after it has been developed will become much more important than the initial creative brief." What is a "rationale of creative work"? It is a narrative that explains how the work wiIl sell more. It involves four steps: i) Review the brand's sales and position in the market to identify a business opportunity. ii) Identify the key consumer segment for that opportunity. iii) Analyze consumer behavior and attitudes in terms of the defined business opportunity. iv) Articulate the role of communications in bringing about the desired behavioral change. lhese reftect the first four questions on the DO Brief. Answer them properly and you are well on the way to selling the work as strategically right.

3. To j udge creative work. Creative work should be judged against strategy. Unless you happen to be in the target market, it doesn't matter whether you personaIly like, say, the look of the lead actor or the music track. lhe question is whether the work will get the sales job done. If you and the client agree on the communications strategy-by going through the Ogilvy Fusion™ process and the DO Brief together-it will be easier to judge whether the work will be effective with its target audience.

9

Wl1ERE DO • IT FIT ¡NTO O lLVY FU, 101 ?

Ogilvy Fu ion i Ogilvy's new operati ng system. It p urpos is to provide a way or our disciplines to work more cIo d y together and produce deeply integ rated 360 Deg ree campa ign . There are two versions: Ogilvy Fu ion (d signed LO be completed in 48 hour or a similarly short ti me) and Ogilvy FusionPróf\l (designed for ]oDITer and more complex marketing programs). They share the sa me fi e-stage process:

4

SOLUTION

111ere are thrce Ogilvy Fusion tages before rhe DO Brief.

Business Arnbition is first. 111is asks the cssential qu stions to help articulare the dient's business issuc OY opportunü y. It men h lps define the marketing and com munication goals. Customer ExjJerience identifies barrier and dr ivers to purchase at ach tep of (he consumerjo urney. It a l O covers the desired consu mer r pon e to our comm unications at each step. Architecture identifies the rol s ror commun ications and basie channel choices at each step.

Thc So/ution ínspired by the DO Brief is the fou rth stage. It follows as a nat ural progression fro ro lhe previous Ogilvy Fusion stages. I n essence, gilvy Fusion is a statemcnt of our strategy, and the DO Brief is the one-p age su mmary and creative inspiration-it is \"here the rubbej" meets the road. You may need sub-briefs fOf particular corn munications tasks or channels in ve ry elabora te, complex campaigns. Use the DO Brief format fOf these loo . Th c fift h stage is Effectivenes.r, which identifies key success metrics based on with . the Business Ambition we

ENTS

C olin Mitchell and Job n Shaw wrote ke y sec tions. Paul Matheso n, Gavin Macdon ald, a nd Catherine Mous tou of Ogilvy Asia Paci fi c made many helpful cornrnents and suppJjed exa mples; they were a]so key membcrs of lhe team that devised, tested and tra i_ned the D O Brief in tbe fi rst place. The Inspiration section carne from Sarah Ncwman's tenu re as H ead of Plann ing in Ogilvy Londo n. Many tha rUblcm with ,olution based on the behavior o Cindividuals? Creariv s wi ll love you for it. • 'TIle wh i ky market i in dce ¡ne, and Hibiki i ded ining WiLh ¡lo Young pe pIe in particular aTe drinki ng le s. Based on current nends, Hibik i wi ll no t have a fu tu re a an advertised brand. l1le importan of Lhe la k help inspire creatives. They know that what úley d real61rnatters. • Dovc ha' sp nt years developing a product that solve p roblcm people don't tllink they have. H w lhen can we launch il lIccessfully? • Acqua Panna ales a re clown by 50%. L

. 111C hOlel market i in

3. 111ey bring lhe audi nce Lo life in a way that allows creative to rel

l to Lhem as peopl : .1h business traveler Sh angri-La is no t a "road warr ior" cliché bUl someone who "arrives and leaves a lone." • Th wh isky dl'inker Lor Hibi ki is not a "savor the best trung in !i f "cl iché ut someone who wants LO m ingle to rn et new people , ro hay newexp eri e nce . • Dove'" ha mpo bu yer wan t t have fu n. • 'file Acqu Panna dri uker ' rule. lhe world" bUL th in k all b tt l d still water are lh samc.

ror

"Roach, Tom ; Mawds ky, e mig ; Dors')!cl,Ja ne: "Sél in shury's- HOI' a n IdC r and the launch of th icon ie iMac. The ven tual work- part ofwbat wa descri ed y the sen ior rd o f E u rope client as "our mosr su cessfullauncb ever"- had something of the confidenr mood of lh ' iMac launch. It was nol encumb red with product messages ab ut tbe Fiesta, but gave the brand a en e oC being a d irable, fa hionabl i o n:

Inspiration John Travolta

iMac

Fanta The team tha t developed Fanta's "Stealth Souod System" was able to create a stjm ulus that brough t the sp irit of Fanta to life, and refelTed specifically to the tech nology that form ed the basis of the h ighly awarded campaign:

Fant¡o inspl ... elleryore to Opl' " n""1 lffi,lqlnatlor,s¡ lo see that pla y exists every""!nere and at any time, and that ¡t 's easy to spread and make contagious. ,. c; < "'atin pandemir ,o t play

-=

Play is nol just an aclivity, FoJ.'y IS a feelir¡g , al' 311,1I1(\e, a splnt that IIves ¡nside us,

X Box: Jump In

au:iJ

... _ . --

_

-

---

. . ----_.

Shame on lhe Grown-ups: Mosquito Teen

believes the world would be a beUer place if we Id' C''/\ _ ¡..., t,v.., and played more.

Cadbury's

Repellent

39

3- Ford Ka 1 his [o. pirati n ecLion illumi naled me r th most resonant lhemc for ilS targel aud iencc (a more Icading-edge group tha n Fie ta'} discovery, cele ticism nd playful subverion. 1he succes 'fu] multichannel campa ig n c\carly reRe Led Lhcs meme:

3

Foro Sacre!

5

24- HOUR BRlEFS

.

Sometimes Ilrsl thougbts are righ t. We might spend weeks worklng on a pitch slrategy onIy to lose sigh t of the obvious . lhere's a small window al' opportun ity during whic h we slill think like consumers. We might say it lasts for the OOt 24 hours after recciving a new brief. Use th at ti me 01' c1 arity la write a creaLive brief. Use the DO Brief format-it's on ly six questions. lhe 24-hour Brier is provisional. It glves a work ing hypothcsis of the SLralegy before we do the work neccssary to complete a full DO Brief". Management consultants, wha use tlLis p ract ice widcly, call it "solving the case befare solving the case." It is parLicularly usefuJ when crealive work bas to be produced quickly, but it also has ather advantages. 1l1e discipline of writing ane forces you to form a hypolhesis, whieh makes subsequent prímarfand sccondary research more purposeful. Jt align the tearo befare Lhey al! go off in differenl dircclÍons. It allows lhe whole Lcam, particularly creati ves , lO start mulling over the problem irnmcdiately. Otherwise creaÜves have lo wait until the resl of lhe team has compleled its work befare lhey can evc n begin lhi nki ng aboul solving Lhe prob!em. l"ht bcst way lo wrile a 24-hour Brier is to asscmble a "swa ml" meeting immccüalely arler the cLcnt briefing and b rainstorm the problem. You can also invite expcrts in the agency wha might help. 1l1e swarm arríves al a besl-guess consensus and somcone wriles it up and distributes it within 24 hours. lbe priority is to get a clear art iculation 01' thc c1 ienL's business prablem. TIlat's wha t lhe crcatives need mosl sta rling wark. SomeLi mes yo ur 6rst impressions wiU be very near the mark. However, often the stratcgy wilJ evolvc considerably as lhe piteh develops. TIle 24-hour Bricf is no substit ute for a fu ll y thoughl-out DO Brief. No maller bow percepLive first imprcssions are, they can always be impraved upon. Always reserve the righ l to go back to the crea uves lalcr witb a rcvised brief if you leam more [ram research, th inkin!! oranalvsis.

41

REDW RK

BRIEF

RedWorks d es nol use a con istem briefi ng formoBriefi ng for ms vary by task, channel, cJicnl and geograp hy. H ere' a [a irly typ ical xample:

REDWORKS TASK BRIEF - PRINT Cllent

:

Brief Owner

:

Date

I

Job No.

Newspaper Ad Task (C h eck box)

:

Magaz.ine Ad BusAd Brochure

Media I Publication(s) (Ust or attach

:

Modla Schedule)

O O O O

Leafle! Flyer Catalog POS Poster

Media I Publlcation(s)

:

Size I Number of Pages

:

Position

:

;

I

1;

Budget

O O O O

POS Wobbler POS Co unter Card

OtherPOS Othaf (Please specifv)

Publlcatlon Dale(s)

:

Message

:

(Choc k box)

:

OM Envelope Other OM

O O O

I

-

:

1Dellvery Destinatlon

1:1

Not requ ired Images

OM Letter

Color Material Deadllne

Ptlnl Quantity

O O O O

:

Existlng - Spec:lfy iocation : Supplied - Attach lo brief New Photography Required - Photo brief attached

O O O O

Notes I Inslructions 4

Mandatorles

;

Cl fent's Approva l:

---------------------

Date :

The f¡ cus is mueh m re on delivering ' xecutions l a sp cified shape and size, and less o n devel ping new crcat"Í ve idea . R edWork brief requ ire a d iffer nt kind of clarity from the DO Brief. You need to be absolulely clea r abo ut the xact materials the cIient needs.

TTlE ACTUAL BRIEFlNG

P robably the worst lhi ng to do is write a brief, slip it under th e ereatives' door and ru n away. Yo u a re missi ng an op portuni ty lo in fl uence the work. J eremy B ull more, the former creat ive dú ecto r o f JWT London, explained how bricfi ngs lead to ideas? Ask a writer of fictio n to w rite a story and he may not know how Lo begin. Ask hi rn to wri te a story abo ut, say, an in tern ational terrorist a nd a tube of toothpaste, and h e'lI soon get started. C reatives in agencies may sometimes yearn [or g reater rreedom, fo r release from the ty ra nny o f the brief. But it is prcciscly th is tyra nny tlta t prov ides sti mu lus for invention. D avid O g ilvy may have seen many black eye-patches, but it was nOl un til h is m ind was p reoccup ied wi lh lhe problem o f sell ing lI athawa)' Shirts tha t he realized black eve·patches WeTe the solu tion to rus problem. Howcver, th e acLof briefing requi res a d iffc rcn t k ind of tllink ing' from wri ti ng the brieC 111e brielcome s allhe end of the strategic process. Writing it ¡nvolv log ica l, d eductive though t bascd o n in forma tion. The briifing comes al lh e star t of the creative proccss. ILs p urpose is to spark ideas, to encourage lateral leaps and invention. Get lo kn ow the creative team before briefing thern. Wh at makes lhem tick a peopIe? What creative work do thcy admi re?What are their proudest achievements? What do lhe)' consider to be their best work? How do lhey like to be brieíed- do thcy prefer briefs to be plain and simple, or do they p refer to improve on creative starlers? Do they wa nl mounla ins of illfonn al ion or j ust one word?" Briefings must motivate and inspire the creatives. Talk about communicatÍons ¡de...., not abou t marketing stratcgy. Be more enthusiastic aboul lhe creative possibi litics tha n lhe business possib il ities. Make thc briefi ng f un, but kecp il relevant. Use the briell ng lo start a conversalion. The creative process nceds fuel. Briefi ng is a process, Dot a one-off ac tion. Slimulate a n ongoin g diaJogue and d iscuss ion. Consider ex tending the In spiration scction of the brief LO the briding's venuc and slyJe. Someti mes it can help to tu rn a ke)' element of th e brief i nlo a víscera 1 expcr icnce- whelher rid ing in th e back of a BMW al IS 0 mph, or sitting naked in a ho t spri ng, or visiting a room where Picasso painted , or being shown the real meani ng uf tea mwork b), Ma rin es in an underwatcr lunnd, 01' sampl ing the "greas)' spoon" lifestyle of van drivers, or spending an evening with p ros tilutes n an lIIV/AIDS projec t (all real cxa mp les from O gjlvy staEf).

: BlI llmn rc,Je remy: "Thinking up 'TI,ings: 'TIle Advert isíng C rcative Process," in ¡Hon BulL More: l!elánd IheSctrre, i/l AdvetÚli/lg(Nlm-k lll) , WARC , 2 003 "Two classi cs o n crcative briefing are wcll WOrlh repca led rcading: O 'M alley. D¡tmi en: "C reaLi\'(: Bric'fi ng," in How lo Plan ArllllTlirillg, ed. C nwlc:y, Don; Casscll , 1987; and Robertso n, Charlic: "C rea li"" Brid s and Bridings," in lJow lo Plan Advmúing, Seco nd Edition , ed . C oop ero Alall; SOlll h-Wes tern Cengagt:, 1997

43

CO CLU 'roN

1hc DO Brief and the creative briefing are lools thal help us reach the Twin Pcaks. Ogilv y is a creative busine ' aboye all, a crealiv bu in e. lhal helps our clienls lo grow. We mea lIrc our SlIcces by cTeal ive awards and by eíTectivenes awa rd , bUl aboye all by our clients' uccess.

44

dUo{rlJ.z:io pUV J?-lqn¿ {(}p:iO w,o.Jj Da poo:iJo SJIQUt7Jx'3

:X!pUdddV

1.

Pon d's (Og'ilvy Public Relation Worldwidc)

Ogilvy & lalht.:r Cor ' ;r aliv ' Brid New Idea Gcneralion - Di rection Brand

Prod ucl

008RIEf' Date

Job No.

ty

Ponds Task

Success entena Switching dala ¡ consUlJll!fS trading up

360 Degree campalgn to promote mkish·V/hit skin

Why is this briaf here? Th ree-quarters of skin -lightening products sold are "discount" - i.e. , the cheapest. There are significant millions to be made by trading consum ers up a step to Pond's Wh ite Beauty. This is one level below Pond's Flawless White. The chal/enge is to convince these pri ce-con scious consumers that Pond 's is superior to their existing product because only vye deliver a naturally pinkish-white result.

Who are we ing to Influence? l llve In a big eity. It's not the cap ital , but it's groWlng. You can see me on my seooter, skirting through traffic on my way to work . I have a good job, office based, and the people are nice. I spend quite a lot of time on MSN and the mobile. I li ke shopping, danci ng. gossiping, flirting. Money is tight, but 1'11 spend it if I thin k something is worth it. Right now I use a skin-lightening brand called Dabao. It does not meet my needs, but I buy it out of habit. Good skin is important, though , because it is the first thing boys see-and I want boys lo see me.

What do we want them to DO as a result of this communication? Put asida their spare change tor the next trip to the ski n-lightening aisle.

How do we expect commuOIcations to work towards achieving this? Disco unt skin-lightening products may be inexpensive, but they give cheap results: they simply mask your face w ith a blank, artificial white color. A natural complexion is pinkish-white, glowing from within and full of life. Tllis is about quality, not quantity - worn en must realize that White Beauty is several degrees superior to their current brand because it really transforms the color of their skin.

What are we trylng to convey? Pinklsh-w hite ski n is priceless.

What will help people to t(NOW thls? • Ordin ary whitening creams make you pale and w hite-as if you were wearing an anonymous mask. • Only new Pond's White Beauty gives you a pinkish-w hite glow from \/Vithin ... • ... because White Beauty adds back Iycopene and provitamin 83 to your skin .

MandatorIes Use a th ree-card face transformation

Creativa Development Time

Flnal RevlBW Date

Pinkish-white beauty is rich, alive, exciting and attention grabbing.

Channels 360 Degree channels for Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, China, Taiwan , India

DIrector

A·"::count Director

What wlll help people to FEEL this? Pale beauty is chemical , anemic, empty, lifeless and ignorable.

Client Presentation Date

Supportlng Materials R&D clini cal su pport claims

Creative Director

Final Deadline

Produc tion Budget

2.

1he North Face (O g il vyAcLion)

Ogih,

1athcr .ore 'realive Brit'f: New Idea G ene ratia n - Dircctia n

Brand

Job No.

Product

The No,ih Face

DO BRIEF Date

The North Fa.ce

JanLJ8C}' 19 2009 Success Criferla

Task Grow ,narkel share in the outdoor gaar market

• • • •

Move up I rom 4th place In ouldDor genr calogory lo 2ncl place Repleca ColLlmllia In 2nd place In lile Brtlnd Ec¡uity Ranl