How to write a brief fo a creative advertising agency

How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

Section One: Before you start

The purpose of this document

This document is designed as a practical guide to assist you in writing a brief to a
creative agency for an Australian Government advertising campaign.

The value of a good advertising brief

An advertising brief is the basis upon which the creative advertising agency produces
their strategy and communication ideas. It should identify your advertising needs,
objectives, target audiences, budget, and timetable and provide relevant background
information. As such, the quality of your brief is the key to the success of your
communication activity.

A good advertising brief will:

•

•

explain why you need an advertising activity;

define as closely as possible the objectives of your advertising activity; and

place your advertising into the overall framework of your communication
activities.

What is a communication strategy?

A communication strategy provides an essential framework for developing a
comprehensive and integrated campaign. It is a plan which outlines the rationale for,
and desired outcomes of, your proposed public information campaign. The strategy
defines specific objectives to provide a framework within which to formulate
strategies and against which to evaluate outcomes.

In the development of the communication strategy, key decisions need to be made
about:

• the range of integrated information activities to be implemented;

• what research the strategy is to be based on;

• how external consultants will be used;

• the roles and responsibilities of all key stakeholders in the strategy;

• the available budget;

• the timeline; and

• the evaluation plan.

The communication strategy should clearly articulate how all the various components
of the campaign will be co-ordinated and managed to achieve its objectives most
efficiently and effectively.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

Do I need to write a communication strategy?

Yes. Before you write a brief for a creative agency, you need to write a
communication strategy. Advertising is usually only one part of an integrated
communication campaign and, as such, the role of the advertising activities needs to
be clearly defined within the context of a communication strategy before a creative
agency brief can be written. The GCU also has guidelines on How to Write a
Communication Strategy.

Approval Process

When developing your timeline you will need to allow sufficient time for the following
approval processes before the brief can be sent out:

Order Action

Time

required

1. Draft

brief

Forward draft brief to GCU for comment

GCU comments on brief and provides a list of
agencies to approach with the brief

Allow one-two weeks

Your Minister (or member of his/her staff)
approves the amended brief and list of agencies

Final version of the brief to GCU to submit to the
MCGC (this might be a scheduled meeting or
out-of-session)

MCGC approves brief/agency list in session

MCGC approves brief/agency list out-of-session

Allow one to two weeks

Allow two to four weeks

A few words about style

It is very important for your brief to be written in clear, plain English. Creative
agencies may not be familiar with public sector formats, therefore it is wise to avoid
using overly bureaucratic language or acronyms.

Is there anything I should be wary of putting in the brief?

By writing a brief, you are seeking assistance from the creative advertising agency to
achieve your objectives. For this reason, you should avoid prescribing the ideas or
strategies you want the agency to adopt.

Agencies are at the ‘coalface’ every day, and usually have a better knowledge of
creative methods and ideas than clients, so give them the opportunity to demonstrate
this knowledge and creativity.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

Section Two: Step-by-step guide

1 Purpose

State why you are sending out the brief; it is important that consultants know what
they are being asked to do.

Example:

The department is seeking proposals from creative agencies to develop a
creative strategy which meets the objectives of the X campaign.

This document should be read in conjunction with the communication strategy
to ensure agencies understand the context within which the creative strategy
will occur.

2 Background

WHY do you need to undertake this advertising?

Firstly, you need to outline the circumstances that have created the need or the
opportunity to advertise the topic in question. For example, the initiative may result
from a government decision, from research or statistics, in response to client
requests or feedback, form part of a new policy proposal, or be part of a continuing
campaign.

It would be useful to identify:

•  your overall communication strategy and how this campaign fits in;
•  the research upon which the communication strategy has been based;
•  competitive activity of which you are aware in the same subject area, whether it is

from the private or public sector;

• market sector changes of which you are aware that have occurred recently; and
• any related campaigns from your department/agency which are recent or ongoing

within the same subject area.

Note: You should attach, or make available, all relevant reports, briefs, and relevant
communication strategies regarding the above.

Previous research

The most successful advertising briefs will always be informed by research specific to
the subject and to the campaign. Communications research in particular, will inform
any triggers and barriers to hearing the messages, and the required tone and style of
delivery most likely to be accepted by the target audience/s. When communications
research of this nature informs the brief, creative agencies will be more likely to
produce high quality, appropriate creative from the beginning of the process.

Include any research results you have to support the need for, and/or approach to,
the communication campaign. This could include:

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

• market research undertaken to inform the development of the policy/program;

• market research conducted to inform an earlier campaign on this issue;

• market research conducted specifically for your campaign (primary research);

• market research from another department on a related issue;

• relevant statistics or demographic data; or

• analysis of consultative processes.

Attach copies of cited research reports where possible.

Previous communication activities

If you have previously communicated on this subject, provide details of:

• the target audiences;

• when and how you communicated; and

• the effectiveness of this communication campaign.

Example:

In 1997 we undertook a communication campaign to promote our new
service. The strategy included a ministerial launch of the service, followed by
television advertising, a two-month publicity strategy and distribution of an
information booklet upon request to people who rang an 1800 number.
Evaluation of the campaign indicated that the advertising was effective in
generating calls to the number, but that this did not translate into actual use of
the service.

5 Aim

and

objectives

WHY do you want to advertise?

Firstly, identify the main aim of the advertising component of the campaign. This
should be done succinctly and to the point. For example, is the advertising to inform,
is it a call to action, is it to change or reinforce attitudes, or is it to change behaviour?

Then identify the specific objectives of the campaign. These objectives should reflect
the desired advertising outcomes, should be measurable and achievable and should
take account of other constraints which influence the strategy (such as the budget
and existing infrastructure).

Remember to keep this section realistic and tightly focused.

For example, the aim is to increase awareness of the training and qualification
opportunities within the Army amongst 16-24 year olds.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

The objectives are to increase recruitment into the Army; increase awareness
amongst the secondary audiences; and encourage audiences to search for more
information (eg using the allocated phone number or Internet site).

Note: The advertising brief should not introduce objectives not outlined in the
communication strategy. However, you might not necessarily wish to just replicate all
the objectives found in the strategy. It may be that emphasis is placed on achieving
some specific objectives in the advertising component.

6 Target

audiences

WHO do you want to advertise to?

Use any previous research or your own knowledge of the subject matter to help
segment your audience in order of priority, particularly if your budget will not allow
you to approach everyone of interest.

In priority order you should identify the following groups:

• Primary Target Audience – people and groups who will be directly affected by

your message or need to be exposed to your message. Eg 16-24 year olds in
Australia.

• Secondary Target Audience – people of less importance who you wish to

receive the campaign messages, people who will also benefit from hearing the
campaign messages, or people who influence your target audience now or in the
future, for example general practitioners.

• Stakeholders – other people and groups who might be directly or indirectly

involved in, or affected by or with a stake in your campaign. Eg peak bodies,
community organisations, state governments, other Australian Government
departments etc.

It is useful if you can describe these groups in terms of their current behaviour, levels
of awareness, and knowledge. Having described the current situation you may go on
to identify how you want it to change as a result of your campaign.

Always be specific. You should avoid defining your target audience too broadly with
statements such as ‘the general public’ as broad approaches are generally
unsuccessful.

Note: The advertising brief should not introduce target audiences not identified in the
communication strategy. However, you need to consider whether only specific target
audiences can be effectively reached by the creative strategy.

Government Communications Unit, www.gcu.gov.au

How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

7 Special

audiences

Government departments are required to consider Australians who are information-
disadvantaged through low income, poor education, and an inadequate knowledge of
English, disability, geographical isolation or other reasons.

There are minimum advertising expenditure requirements for reaching people from
non-English speaking backgrounds; a minimum of 7.5% of newspaper and radio
budgets are to be allocated to advertising in NESB newspapers and radio
respectively. You may need to contract a specialist NESB communications
consultant to assist with the preparation of the messages. Please check with the
GCU.

Call to action

WHAT do you want the target audience/s to do as an immediate result of the
advertising?

Do any of the target audiences need to respond directly to your campaign? How do
you expect them to do this? For example, you may have or intend to have an
information telephone line, an Internet site or expect audiences to visit specific
offices. (This may be your method of measurement for one or more of the above
objectives). These elements then need to be incorporated into the communications.

Example:

The advertising should stimulate the desire of eligible non-citizens to request more
information and apply to become Australian Citizens.

9 Key

messages

Effective key messages should include details of the program or policy being
promoted, the benefits of the initiative for the target audience, and a clear “call to
action” outlining what the target audience should do as a result of receiving your
messages.

The key messages should encapsulate the purpose of your communication activity in
as few words as possible. Key messages do not need to be catchy. They are not the
“slogan” or “jingle” for your campaign, or the actual words to be used as your
message. There is time later, during campaign development, to mould your message
into a form which is appropriate for your audience/s.

For advertising purposes, you should keep key messages to a minimum for effective
communication, ie you may have fewer key messages in your advertising brief than
in your communication strategy.

Example:

Women over 50 should have a mammogram each year.
You should consult your GP about locations of mammogram screening clinics.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

Tone of message

HOW do you want this message to sound?

The style you require may be informal, warm and friendly, authoritative, humorous,
conservative or aggressive. To be of real value, advice on such things as tone will be
informed by specific communications research.

Example:

The tone of the message should be friendly and informative, while avoiding any rural
stereotypes.

11 Media

strategy

You will need to consult with the Australian Government’s master media planning
and placement agency in order for them to develop a draft media strategy and plan.
These will then need to be attached to the creative brief so that creative material is
consistent with the strategy and the available budget. A standard form of brief to the
master media planning and placement agency, which informs the development of the
media strategy and plan, is available on the GCU website at
http://www.gcu.gov.au/code/infodept/media_brief.html.

It is also a good idea to invite recommendations from the agency on any innovative
media approaches.

It is important to specify that media planning itself is not required as this will be done
by the master media planning and placement agency.

12 Geographical

areas

WHERE do you envisage this campaign taking place?

You need to identify whether:

•
•
•

this is a national or a local campaign;

there are any geographical constraints; or

certain areas need more weighting than others do.

The Australian Government uses a large number of local and regional
newspapers when a campaign includes print advertising.

13 Mandatory

requirements

There may be compulsory requirements such as clear Australian Government
branding and end-tag authorisations (see Section 4) which need to be incorporated.
The GCU can advise on whether these requirements apply to your campaign.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

There may also be secondary requirements which you require – for example, if this is
a continuation of an existing campaign you may want to use the same voiceovers
(radio) or actors (TV).

The agency needs to know about these aspects and where the material can be
obtained.

The pitch task

The consultant must be provided with specific details on what is expected of them as
part of the tender process. This is distinct from the task required of the successful
agency which is defined in the final contract with the department.

Example

As part of the tender process the consultant will be expected to:

1. Attend a question and answer session after receiving the brief

A Question and Answer session will be held with the tendering agencies on…
at… with representatives from the (department) and the Government
Communications Unit to clarify any issues in the brief. Interstate agencies will be
provided with one return economy airfare to attend the session.

In Australian Government campaigns, the MCGC expects Q&A sessions to be
held with tendering agencies. It is best to meet face-to-face with agencies about
two to four days after they receive the brief so they can clarify any issues which might
be of concern to them before finalising their creative and to ensure you receive
creative which reflects what you really want.

These sessions should be held individually with each agency (not group sessions
held with all the consultants at once), and all sessions should be treated as
commercial-in-confidence. The GCU can give you more information on how these
sessions are conducted if you require.

State when, where and with whom the Q&A sessions will be held. It is usual practice
to offer a return economy airfare for interstate agencies to attend a face-to-face
meeting.

Although the MCGC will make the final agency selection, key people involved in the
evaluation and shortlisting process, including a GCU representative, should be
present at the Q&A sessions.

2. Respond to the brief with a proposed creative solution and develop a

written proposal

The proposal must include:

• an advertising strategy;

• copies of all creative material; (Concepts that include a new branding

device should be checked first by the creative agency to avoid possible
infringement of an existing registered trademark. Refer to the Trade
Marks database at

www.ipaustralia.gov.au

or seek professional advice).

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

• budget breakdown including GCU remuneration templates;

• details of who will work on the campaign; and

• contact details of two referees.

To assist the selection process, you should also detail in the brief that
agencies must:

• provide an executive summary of no more than two pages;

• provide a specific number of copies (eg five bound and one unbound);

• number all pages; and

• include a table of contents.

Note: These specifications are also a requirement of the Ministerial Committee on
Government Communications.

Nominate the format in which agencies should respond with creative, eg.
storyboards, press advertisements, animatics etc. You should check with the
contracted researcher for their preferred format so that testing of the competing
creative is consistent.

You may also wish to restrict the number of concepts and executions produced by
the competing agencies. The GCU can advise you on this.

3. Present the proposal and creative solution to the evaluation panel and the

concept testing researcher

Consultants are usually required to give a one hour presentation (including time
for questions) of their creative response to the brief to the evaluation panel and
the department’s contracted researcher. Interstate consultants will be provided
with two return economy airfares to present to the panel.

4. Concept testing of creative submissions by the researcher

It is a requirement of the MCGC that concept testing research is undertaken on
all competing creative. The evaluation panel then prepares a report, including the
researcher’s assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of each creative
concept, which recommends a shortlist of consultants to present to the MCGC.
The shortlist usually consists of the top two creative agencies. The researcher is
expected to present the research results to the MCGC at the meeting where the
creative agency selection is taking place.

5. Shortlisted consultants present to the MCGC

The MCGC requires that the following wording is also included in the brief:

Shortlisted agencies present to the Ministerial Committee on Government
Communications (MCGC) for selection of the successful agency. The MCGC
may also review the decision on the shortlisted agencies. MCGC meetings will
usually be convened in Parliament House, Canberra. Not all members of the
MCGC will necessarily be in attendance throughout the presentations. For

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

example, at least three members of the MCGC are Members of Parliament and
their attendance may be interrupted by divisions of the House of Representatives
or Senate.

Interstate consultants will be provided with two return economy airfares to
present to the MCGC.

15 Selection

criteria

Detail the criteria by which the proposals will be evaluated, eg:

• a demonstrated understanding of the issue;

• the strategic approach to the campaign;

• the strengths of the creative material in meeting the objectives, including the

results of the concept testing;

• relevant/related experience of the team of people who will work on the business;

• the ability to deliver on time and within budget; and

• value for money.

16 Pitch

fees

Where agencies are being asked to produce creative material as part of the pitching
process, pitching fees should apply.

How much should you pay? It really depends on the complexity of the campaign and
the amount of creative material you are asking the creative agencies to produce as
part of their proposals.

Currently fees range from $2,000 (small scale print based campaign) to $5,000 -
$10,000 (large scale multi media with a number with a number of executions). The
average pitch fee is between $2,500-$5,000.

An example of wording to be included in the brief is:

A pitching fee of $ (insert amount) will be paid to creative agencies
participating in the selection process for this contract. An invoice should be
submitted to the department at the conclusion of the selection process.

17 Budget

The draft media strategy and plan attached to the brief indicates the overall media
budget. However, as part of the pitching process, it is up to each agency to propose
their fees and production costs on the standard Australian Government creative
agency remuneration templates (available from the GCU). It is a good idea to
nominate the number of MCGC meetings the successful agency may be required to
attend (generally 2-4) as this will impact on one of the templates.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

The task for the successful consultant

If successful, the agency will be required to:

• refine the creative materials, and if applicable, provide branding concepts and

devices and brand names that have been checked first for possible infringement
of an existing registered trade mark (Refer to the Trade Marks database at

www.ipaustralia.gov.au

or seek professional advice);

• deliver all creative elements of the campaign;
• liaise with the public relations, Indigenous and non-English speaking background

consultants where appropriate;

• liaise with the master media planning/placement agency;
• provide copies of all creative materials at the end of the campaign including

PDFs, bromides, videos and betacoms; and

• sustain sound working relationships with the relevant department and the MCGC.

Contacts and in-house resources

Who can the agency contact for further information on this brief? Will these contacts
be available on a full-time basis?

You should include the contact name, addresses, phone and fax numbers of the
following:

• the departmental project manager who the agency will be working with on a day

to day basis;

• a GCU contact for queries about the remuneration structure; and

• people who are able to help the agency with queries on the brief.

If in-house resources will be available to the agencies, you should identify the
facilities that can be used (being aware that you can also be contractually obliged to
make these resources available during the period of the consultancy).

20 Timeline

Provide an outline of the timing and sequence of events including presentation of
creative and selection of agencies. Be realistic with the timeline as unreasonable
expectations can compromise the quality of the creative you receive or cause some
high quality agencies not to submit a proposal at all.

Allow agencies at least three weeks after the Q&A session, to produce written
proposals and creative. If applicable, you should also allow at least four weeks for
MCGC processes, and at least two weeks for concept testing.

Don’t forget to give yourself sufficient time for research. This includes testing of
creative ideas, allowing time for negative responses from the research and
subsequent revisions to the creative, and securing relevant approvals from the
MCGC.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

The following timeline is a guide only and will be affected by such factors as the
involvement of your Minister’s office and the timing of MCGC meetings.

Order Action

Time

required

Approved brief and draft media strategy and
plan sent to consultants

Day after MCGC approval

Q&A sessions held with all consultants

Two to four days later

Written proposals due and creative presented to
the evaluation panel

21 days later (minimum
recommended)

Agencies concepts tested

Allow 14 days

Your Minister approves evaluation panel’s
recommendation of short list, including
evaluation report

Allow 10 days

Short listed agencies present to next available
MCGC meeting - MCGC selects agencies

One to three weeks later

All agencies informed of outcome

One to two days after
MCGC selection

Contract signed

Before any work started

Agency starts work

After contract signed

10. Unsuccessful

agencies

debriefed

Within two weeks of
MCGC decision

11.

Advertising commences

(It can be useful to include
this when there is a tight
deadline)

21 Contract

Once your agency has been selected, you will need to sign a contract which
determines the scope of the project, remuneration, mutual delegations and terms and
conditions of the appointment.

A standard form of contract which is suitable for advertising agencies has been
developed by the GCU in association with the Australian Government Solicitor, and is
available on the GCU website.

The schedules to the contract, which include the scope, remuneration and
responsibilities, will be prepared once the successful agency is chosen. As the
standard form of contract has been specifically developed for Australian Government
advertising campaigns using the services of a creative advertising agency, it should
not be subject to further negotiation with individual agencies.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

Therefore the standard form of contract for creative advertising agencies should be
attached to your brief stating that the successful agency will be required to sign.

22 Conflict

interest

Ask agencies to declare any conflict/s of interest. Some agencies might have clients
whose interests are not compatible with your campaign. For example, an account for
a tobacco company would be considered a conflict of interest on a campaign
designed to encourage people to quit smoking. Where the conflict of interest can be
perceived as having a significant influence on the quality and objectivity of the
agency’s work, or where there is a risk that another client could have a potential for
financial advantage from the receipt of restricted information, the agency’s proposal
should not be considered.

An ethical agency will disclose details of conflicts of interest either perceived or
actual. In some cases, a perceived conflict of interest might be so trivial that it will not
affect the assessment of proposals however, it is beneficial to have the information.

In any case, the GCU recommends that departments include the following paragraph
in their brief:

The agency will be engaged using a standard Australian Government contract
that requires the agency to declare any risk of conflict of interest. Where the
department establishes, from information provided by the agency or other
information available to it, that a conflict of interest exists, such a conflict
might be grounds for exclusion of the agency from consideration for this
campaign after an opportunity is given to discuss the matter with the agency.

In the event the department establishes a conflict of interest exists after the
engagement of the agency, the contract between the department and the
agency might be terminated by letter in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the contract.

If you can be more specific about what constitutes a conflict for a particular project,
you should provide more detail.

Security, confidentiality and copyright

Copyright

Intellectual property remains vested with the originator unless otherwise agreed. To
secure ownership of copyright or intellectual property, ensure your contract with the
successful agency gives your department sole ownership of any material produced
during the course of the contract.

Note: It is unethical to take an idea from one agency and incorporate it into the
successful agency’s proposal without the permission of the originator. In this
instance, the purchase of the idea should be negotiated with the unsuccessful
agency.

Statement on Security, Confidentiality and Copyright

The GCU suggests inclusion of the following statement on security, confidentiality
and copyright:

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

The information in this brief is confidential. The agency and other persons
working on this project will be bound by Public Service regulations with
respect to confidentiality. All information gathered in relation to the project is
the property of the Australian Government. No agency involved in the tender
process is at liberty to disclose any of this information to any other party. If
confidential information is leaked during the tender process this may be
grounds for exclusion of the agency from consideration for this campaign. The
successful agency is also not at liberty to disclose any of this information to
any other party and if information is leaked after the successful agency is
appointed this may be grounds for termination of the contract.

Project termination and/or variation of project

To protect yourself in case the project does not go ahead after the brief has been
sent to consultants, you should include the following paragraph.

The Australian Government may, in its sole discretion, at any time, vary or
deviate from the processes outlined in this brief, or terminate the briefing
process or any negotiations being conducted at that time with any person.
The Australian Government reserves the right in its sole discretion to
suspend, terminate or abandon this project any time prior to the execution of
a formal contract by the Australian government. The Australian Government
reserves the right to refuse to consider and/or accept the lowest or any
proposal without reference back to any agency provided that the Australian
Government shall give written notice of such decision to each of the agencies.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

Section Three: Need more help?

For further enquires on writing a brief or on the MCGC approval process, contact:

Director, Government Advertising

Government Communications Unit

3-5 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600

Tel: (02) 6271 5813

Fax: (02) 6271 5850

Or visit the GCU website at www.gcu.gov.au.

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How to Write a Brief for a Creative Advertising Agency

Section Four: End tag authorisations

All Australian Government advertising campaigns are required to carry
authorisations consistent with the requirements of the Broadcasting Services
Act 1992 and the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

TELEVISION
For a television advertisement, there should be a spoken announcement
immediately following the advertisement which states:

Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.

This voice over should be accompanied by the following written words on a
black screen in white type:

Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.
Spoken by (insert the names of all people who speak in the
advertisement).

No other words or graphic devices can be included on this final screen.

RADIO
For radio advertisements, immediately after the advertisement there should
be a spoken announcement:

Authorised by the Australian Government, Canberra.
Spoken by (the names of the people who speak in the
advertisement).

NOTE: For both television and radio, the same voice and tone used in the
body of the advertisement should be used for the spoken announcement so
that the end tag is in a similar tone to the message in the advertisement.

PRINT
For print advertisements, the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 requires the
following wording at the end of the advertisement:

Authorised by the Australian Government, Capital Hill, Canberra.

In addition the word “advertisement” should appear at the top of the
advertisement or in the “headline” in a point size large enough to be read.

NOTE: In the event of a Federal by-election, or a State or Territory election,
authorisation requirements vary from the above. The Government
Communications Unit can advise the appropriate form of words.

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