An advertising campaign brief connects creative work to a business task. An agency needs to understand who the offer is for, why it matters and what someone can do after seeing the advertisement. A straightforward document is enough to start. Separate confirmed information from assumptions and open questions, so everyone knows which decisions are ready and which need discussion.
Choose one main goal
Describe the change you want the campaign to support: introducing an offer, receiving enquiries about a service or supporting a launch. Specify the product, area and intended period. Replace a broad request for more sales with the kinds of enquiries your team can handle and how you will recognise campaign responses. If there are several goals, put them in priority order before reviewing creative ideas.
Explain the audience through its situation
Describe who makes the decision, what they already know and what might prevent them from getting in touch. Actual customer questions, objections and buying reasons are useful inputs. Include the service area, relevant languages and differences between new and returning customers. Where information is missing, label it as an assumption. An invented, highly precise customer profile can distract the discussion from questions that genuinely need an answer.
Support the message with materials
State the main offer in plain language and collect the facts that support it. Bring current product descriptions, photographs, brand assets and agreed terms. If filming is needed, explain what should be shown and what is already available. Add comments to references: you might like the pace, composition or way the message is presented. Specific observations help develop your own approach rather than simply copying an existing advertisement.
Check the next step for the customer
Decide whether the main response should be a call, enquiry, message or visit. Test that route before launch: the contact information is current, the offer is understandable and the person responding knows the details. For example, consultation enquiries need someone to answer and clarify the request. Keep the initial enquiry separate from a later agreement with the customer when discussing how the campaign will be assessed.
Agree the scope and decision process
Discuss creative development, production, placement and ongoing work separately. If the budget is still open, provide a working range and priorities. Explain the desired timing and any dependencies. Identify the person who gathers feedback and the person who approves the final decision. Channels, deliverables, review stages and reporting should follow the task; they should not become an automatic identical package for every campaign.
What to send before the first meeting
- A short product description and the campaign's main goal.
- Audience situations, questions, languages and service area.
- The offer, confirmed terms and available materials.
- The primary next step and the person handling responses.
- Budget guidance, timing and the approval process.
- Questions requiring agency input. Send this starting information to Siteman to discuss an appropriate scope.