Creative Briefs and Working with Advertising Agencies

17th February 2012

ACE Seminar

Jen Orkis

So you want to develop a campaign…

A method to the madness

Analyze Data

Develop Creative

Brief

Select Agency

Program Staff Program Staff, Partners

Program Staff, Partners

Develop Creative Concepts

Test Creative Concepts

Develop Executions

AgencyResearch TeamAgency

Pre-test Materials

Stakeholder Review

Produce Final

MaterialsResearch Team Program Staff,

Partners, AgencyAgency

What is a creative brief?

Research

Creative

What is a creative brief?• The beginning of the creative process

• A road map to inform and inspire the creative team

• Informed by research, the communication strategy

• A “creative contract” agreed upon by all partners

Same same…but differentCommunication Strategy

• National or project level

• Comprehensive• Longer-term• Long!

Creative Brief

• Campaign, activity or material level

• Specific deliverables • Short-medium term• One page!

Who should be involved in writing the creative brief?

• Everyone who will have a say in approving the creative – Program staff – MoH, HEU, NACP, TACAIDS, RCHS– USAID– Service delivery partners

What’s in a creative brief?• Purpose

• Target Audience

• Communication Objectives

• Barriers

• Benefits

• Tone

• Channels

Creative Brief: Safe Motherhood Campaign

Purpose Develop a campaign to empower pregnant women and their partners to take the steps necessary for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery

Target Audience Primary: Pregnant women

Secondary: Partners/spouses of pregnant womenBirth supporters (aunties, mothers, in-laws, friends)

Communication Objectives

Increase the % of pregnant women who: • Attend ANC within the first 16 weeks of

pregnancy• Attend ANC at least four times during

pregnancy• Test for HIV together with their partner• Enroll in PMTCT services if HIV positive• Receive 2 doses of SP for the prevention of

malaria in pregnancy• Sleep under a treated net every night • Make a birth plan• Deliver at a health facility with a skilled

provider

Barriers • Culture of secrecy around pregnancy• Fear of the evil eye• Belief that you should not interfere with God’s plan• Unaware of need for birth plan, its benefits or components• Believe they’ll be viewed as a coward if they deliver in a health

facility, especially after the first child• Do not see need to go to the clinic or take medication if not sick• Fear the side effects of SP • Low male involvement • Distance to health facilities and associated costs of leaving

home/work and/or using money for transport

Benefits • To have a healthy baby• So the mother and baby survive• For peace of mind, no worry• To feel supported by others during pregnancy• To be able to communicate with your partner about pregnancy

Tone Empowering, emotional

Channels TV spots, radio spots, press ads, outdoorTV and radio programs, song and jingleSMS Community outreach

Selecting an Agency• Establish a proposal review committee• Identify agencies• Issue an RFP• Hold a bidders conference• Score submissions • Invite short-listed agencies to pitch• Adjust scores• Final selection, notification and documentation

*Optional

Components of a RFP• Terms of the contract• Technical proposal requirements

– Capability statement– Proposed staff– Samples of previous work– Strategic thinking and technical approach– Initial creative ideas– Sample media plan and schedule– Proposed timeline

Components of a RFP• Cost proposal requirements

– Estimates for typical communication products

– Budget justification

• Creative brief

• Deadline and instructions for submitting proposals

Things to Consider• Staff size

• Current clients

• Number of years in existence

• Agency ownership and affiliation

• Agency billings

• Experience with health/social issues

• Agency resources– Creative, media, PR, research

Agency 1

Agency 2 Agency 3 Agency 5 Agency 5 Agency 6

Reviewer 1

7 4 8 5 7 6

Reviewer 2

8 3 7 3 8 7

Reviewer 3

8 5 7 4 7 6

Reviewer 4

9 6 8 5 8 7

Reviewer 5

6 2 5 1 7 5

Average 7.6 4 7 3.6 7.4 6.2

Scoring Matrix

Meet with the Finalists• Meet proposed account staff• Agencies give oral presentation of their

proposed approach and creative ideas• Clarify and discuss ideas• Consider going to their offices• Do them all in one day • Adjust scores • Selection, notification and documentation

What’s a concept?• A big idea• Based on a strategy/creative brief• Embodied in headline, a tagline and a key

visual• Works for all messages, calls to action• Will work on TV, radio, print• Can continue to roll it out in different ways

What is a concept?• May demonstrate different benefits

– Beauty vs. good health

• May use different approaches– Celebrity endorsement vs. audience

testimonials

• Could use different tone– Romantic vs. humor

Why do concepts?• There is no one solution

• Not sure of the most appealing benefit

• Need to see how the campaign will work in multiple media

• Need to see how the creative ties the whole campaign together

• Testing concepts gives you a better chance of effectively reaching your audience

A concept is NOT…

• Different colors or fonts

• Different models

• Different informational messages

• Different calls to action

• Illustrations vs. photographs

Couples HIV Counseling and Testing Concepts

Couples HIV Counseling and Testing Executions

Malaria in Pregnancy Concepts

Safe Motherhood Executions

We’re not what they’re used to…Commercial Accounts

Public Health Accounts

Hire an agency to promote…

A product or service

An idea or behavior

Have a budget that’s…

Huge Small

Are approved by… Few people Everyone

Are handled… In days/weeks In months/years

Measure results in the…

Short-term (sales)

Long-term (burden of disease)

Tips for working with ad agencies• Identify a single contact person

• Hold regular meetings

• Document key decisions

• Come to a shared understanding about the review and approval process

• Go back to the creative brief

• Health ≠ boring!