Posts Tagged ‘brief’

One of the great things about starting Dangerous Kitchen is the opportunity to reinvent our methods and approaches to marketing. Today I’m rethinking the creative brief.

The template I use is a compilation of ideas from some truly great strategists and creative directors. I like it because it’s tight: just 5 questions.

1. Who are we talking to?
2. What do they currently think?
3. What do we want them to think?
4. Why should they believe it?
5. How is the message being delivered?

But it has a major flaw, specifically question 3, What do we want them to think? This could imply that the creative should change the consumer’s mind. That’s not only impossible, it’s . . . well, dangerous. It is the marketing equivalent of arguing with your customer.

For example, I suspect people will continue to think Toyotas are more reliable than Fords — despite the recalls. And the 30 years of “Quality is job one” advertising won’t help Ford usurp that spot. Ford stands for found on road dead and fix or repair daily because Ford argued with consumers — telling them their perception of poor quality was wrong.

Here’s my fix, and I welcome your feedback. Our job is not to change what people think; it’s to ask them to think something new. In other words . . .

3. What would we like them to think — that they haven’t already thought of?

If the message is remotely plausible, they might just believe it.

Like this: Tell me the company that makes powerful Mustangs and F-150 trucks also makes the most powerful hybrids? I’ll buy that.