We learned about the anatomy of a brief and were introduced to how to write our own by Uri. 

For me, the key takeaways were that “the best creative briefs direct and inspire”, they capture the dots and the creative strategy.

I felt that in its basic form, the framework was quite easy to digest. There was a sense of familiarity as the framework was essentially comprised of the 5W’s (who, what, why, where, how), which are standard in information gathering, so this was a nice place to start.A part of me did feel that the process was somewhat overcomplicated. I felt that, as a creative, I might get too bogged down in the details and feel deflated before even getting to the fun of coming up with the creative idea/ solution. It made me appreciate the fact that strategists and creatives have different roles for a reason. Even though there may be overlap, and as creative you should always try to source your own insights, it helps to not have to go as deep as strategists. One thing I have realised about myself is that I definitely prefer to stay in “playful child mode” and come up with creative ideas.Surprisingly, a challenge I encountered was encapsulating the Single Minded Proposition (SMP) into one succinct sentence. However, eventually I did learn how to keep that single thread running through and connect the insight to the proposition and the idea. Once you are able to achieve this, you realise that the process is both rewarding and necessary.
Another thing that surprised me was how many nuances there were to finding an insight. This is not just a one-dimensional exercise of looking into the product or audience, there can be insights relating to: culture; social; brand and community – It really is so multi-layered.

Since we learned the G(W)TB (Get/(Who)/ To/ By) framework for writing briefs, I have been using it in pretty much every brief. I had come across this framework prior to the lecture, however, more in a design context, so it was reassuring to see how this could be translated within the context of creative briefs. I think this is the simplest way to dissect/ come up with your own brief in order to really understand what your objective is a creative. First I will begin with finding my own unique insight that I believe creates a more valid opportunity for the customer and client, and then build my brief from there.

Furthermore, making the target audience central to the brief has helped me to avoid the “Get To Buy Trap”, as this keeps me in mindset of how to create the most impact/value for the customer, understanding that if we can make our product relevant to them, if we can get people to feel something, we can people to do something.

@LevonIjeh