1. THE BRIEFING STAR
* The best briefs are clinically simple. If you are running an ideas session, or simply setting yourself a task, you should restrict yourself to one sentence. This is worth spending a lot of time on, because if it is not clear, no decent response will be forthcoming.
* Start with what? What are we trying to achieve?
* Then confirm the sense of that by asking why? Why are we trying to do this?
* If the answers are too vague or unsatisfactory, then change the what, or scrap the project altogether.
* Then describe the who? Who is this aimed at?
* The brief can now be expressed as a statement (Our objective is to revolutionize the X category), or a question (How do we double the size of Brand X?)
* If the thinking is sufficiently clear and robust, it may be acceptable to have both an objective and a question: Our objective is to revolutionize the X category. What single product feature would achieve this?
EXERCISE: Choose a business issue that needs serious attention. Spend time articulating it in as short and clear a way as possible. First ask, what are we trying to achieve? Do not proceed until this is absolutely clear. If needed, ask the why question to cross check whether the what is sufficiently robust. Add the why. Experiment with using a statement as the brief, or a question, or both in tandem. Leave the result and come back to it later, make changes if necessary, then check with a respected colleague to see if they think it is a decent brief.