Introducing the 360︒ Core Brief.Some time back, it became apparent that many people would appreciate a simple briefing format thatcould be used for a variety of different tasks.On the following pages are a format and some notes about how to use it. It won’t be ideal for every situation, but it should work for quite a number of different ones. These could include developing abig idea for a brand, solving a particular problem, or briefing a specific piece of communication.No one format can answer every task perfectly, so please treat it as a starting point rather than a straitjacket. If you need to amend it to make it work for a particular project, please do, and it is not intended to replace individual disciplinebriefs where they are working well.This should be particularly useful in situations where you are looking for a ‘360︒Idea’, and so it replaces the previous ‘360︒Strategy Brief’ on the Dashboard.However there is a attachment below to that format and presentation, if you would like to refer to it.Ogilvy 360 Core Brief.What is the key challenge we are facing?Who are we talking to?What do they think, feel, and do currently?How do we want to change or reinforce this?If we could convince them of one thing, what would it be?Why should they believe us?How will we know if we’re succeeding?What else could be helpful?What do we need and when?The 360︒Core Brief: a user’s guide.1. General points.Remember: real people don’t see briefs, (unless you happen to leave one on the bus.) The importantthing for a brief is the effect it has on its own target audience: the people who have to come upwith the ideas. A good brief will leave themfeeling they have two things:•Direction•InspirationDo whatever you need to achieve that goal. Thebrief itself is not the end point: it’s part of a wider discussion that starts earlier and continues after the briefing itself. Don’t be afraid to have further conversations after the brief has gone in, based on new learning and/or thinking. After all, as someone once said: ‘there are no great briefs, only great work.’An effective brief usually seems to have four qualities – focus, air, texture, and spark. (FATS, if you like acronyms.)Focus: in reality, those people who are going to have to solve the problem usually reduce the brief to one or two lines. So it’s important that thebrief has a consistent and easily grasped train of thought. If it’s confusing, it is more likely to be ignored.Air: the brief should be tight, but not so tight that the reader is suffocated. It should be very clear about the problem but allow for a variety of creative solutions.Texture: a brief should paint a rich picture, particularly of the person or culture we are trying to influence, whether they are end consumers or another important group. It should feel like it comes from real life, not the meeting room.Spark: your brief is competing with many other things for the attention and enthusiasm of the people who have to work on it. So it should be crying out:“Work on me! Work on me! Working on this brief’s going to be fun!”Finally, the brief should be as concise as you can reasonably make it.2. The components of the brief.‘What is the key challenge we are facing?’Any basic information necessary to set the context - market share, recent brand history, basic product details etc. All boiled down into one mainchallenge for the brand. This section should be quite short.‘Who are we talking to?’The people that this particular piece of work will address. Whether we are talking to actual‘consumers’ or other groups of people who may influence their decision, the people we describe should feel like they are alive and real, not just statistics. Consider: pen-portraits, photographs, video, quotations, favorite TV shows, music, websites, activities. Sometimes you may need to bring to life more than one group of people, particularly if the brief is for a 360 idea.‘What do they think, feel, and do currently?’Their views and behaviour concerning this category and our brand. Include feelings as well as rational stuff.How do we want to change or reinforce this?The specific effects we want our work to have onthe people we’re talking to.Sometimes, it’s just reinforcing what they already feel, in a fresh way. More often, though, we’ll be looking to achieve some specific change(s).‘If we could convince them of one thing, what would it be?’The absolute essence of what we want people to take out of the communication or idea.‘Why should they believe us?’Any interesting information that supports the main thought, emotionally or rationally.‘How will we know if we’re succeeding?’Real, measurable effects – the things we will be looking at, with the client, to judge whether the work is successful. For example:“a 20% increase in purchase intent”“a 5% response rate”“Coke seen not just as a music sponsor, but an integral and credible contributor to the energy of the Australian mus ic scene.”‘What else could be helpful?’For example: media ideas, tonal guidelines, budgets, any (not many, please) ‘compulsory’ elements. Plus any stimulus or ideas that you think could beuseful. Movie clips, drawings from research,articles from the paper, your own ideas, etc.‘What do we need and when?’Very important, obviously! Make sure you’re being realistic.。
