Creative Brief Worksheet

A creative brief is a way to get project staff, stakeholders, and creative staff (in-house or
external) on the same page. It is a helpful tool to avoid expensive revisions and
redesigns

The creative brief should clearly and concisely outline your audience, objectives, and
intended messaging and channels. It should serve as a reference for all who are involved
in the various stages of your campaign design and delivery, helping to bring people back
to your original intent and rationale if they get off track.

1. Target Audience(s)
Who do you want to reach with your communication? Try be specific about your
audience (avoid ‘general population’ if at all possible) – the more similar group
members are to each other, the better your chances of reaching them effectively. If you
have multiple audiences, you should identify different objectives, obstacles, etc. for each
one.

What is a typical member of your audience like? Describe a typical day in an audience
member’s life.

What do you know about what they value? What are their hopes and dreams? Who do
they want to be like?

Whose advice do they listen to; what sources of information do they trust?

What kinds of stresses do they face?

What else do you know about them?

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2. Objective(s)
What do you want your target audiences to do, think or feel? Try to frame this in a
simple sentence:

“After seeing the campaign, the target audience will:

1. ____________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

You may also want to explain how accomplishing these objectives will contribute to your
overall program goals, so those involved in developing and implementing the campaign
can see the bigger picture and their contribution to it.

3. Obstacles
What beliefs, cultural practices, pressure, misinformation, etc. stand between your
audience and the desired objective(s)? Remember: you are thinking from the audience’s
perspective here.

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4. Key Promise
What’s in it for the audience? If at all possible, this should be something immediate or
medium-term, rather than long-term. It should also be a benefit that is important to the
target audience; something that they will value.

5. Support Statements/Reasons Why

These are the reasons the Key Promise is true. It’s important that your audience buys
into the key promise, or your efforts are not likely to be effective (e.g. if you claim that
seeking help will make teens happy, they may not buy it without some support
statements).

6. Tone
What feeling or personality should your communication have? Should it be fun? warm?
empowering? active? etc. Based on your audience research, what kind of tone will they
will be most likely to respond to?

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7. Media
What channels or forms will the communications take? (e.g. brochures, posters, flyers,
radio/TV PSAs, events, contests, press releases, social media etc.)

8. Openings
When or where are the ‘teachable’ moments? When is your audience in a mindset that
would make them more open to your message?

9. Creative Considerations
Is there anything else the creative people should know? This is your chance to educate
your creative people about specific considerations related to the audience or message
(such as things that are generally seen as negative/offensive in the culture, etc.).

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