In building this template, we changed from a previous version that was really built for large brand campaigns or GTMs, not bespoke growth work. We didn't have things that were helpful prompts for getting creative that meets growth outcomes, such as: ”What is the Call to Action? What is the one thing we need to communicate? Are we running an experiment?”

For our purposes, it was too broad (asking things like "What is the opportunity? Who are we speaking to? How do we measure success?") We ended up with creative that wasn't driving performance on channels, so we moved to this format.

In our hierarchy, a tier 3 project has fast turnaround (typically email/push/in-app placements) where there isn't a new product launch or integrated campaign.

We still have a kickoff meeting with creative, but it's meant to streamline the information needed & the reviews needed. These can be done asynchronously rather than live, so it’s a little more lightweight. For comparison, tier 1/2 projects typically require more information (including a marketing + creative brief) and more alignment on strategy/approach before kicking off. These require more resources in addition to a concept review for creative assets before final production.

For tier 3 briefs, these are reviewed and approved by the appropriate team leads.

The level of specificity needed for a successful brief is an interesting question. I always tell my team to be specific enough so a creative team can walk away understanding a customer's motivations and who will be viewing a piece of content. We also need to keep in consideration how we want someone to feel when they look at the content. For example, as a brand, we need to define: the “get” (the action) the “who” (the customer) the “to” (desired outcome), and the “by” (how we do it).

Alanna Gregory

A template used to pitch and approve individual initiatives and projects throughout the calendar year. We use this for projects for a fast turnaround and little overhead.

For tier 3 briefs, these are reviewed 

IS THIS AN ADD-ON OR OPTIMIZATION TO AN EXISTING BODY OF WORK OR NET NEW?

WHO ARE WE TALKING TO & WHAT MATTERS TO THEM?

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT / ONE THING WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE?

HOW ARE WE MEASURING SUCCESS? (E.G., KPIs we care about)

ARE WE RUNNING AN EXPERIMENT? If so, what are we testing & what is the structure of the test? Is a creative variant(s) required?

Turnkey Project Tactical Brief

Turnkey Project Tactical Brief

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