How to Write a Creative Brief That Produces Better Ads

This ad doesn't have a single word of promotional copy.

And yet it tells an entire story...

It's a Vaseline Blue Seal campaign by bryanium_studios, shared by advrsestories.

It doesn't have a headline or benefit call-out.

But the transformation story is crystal clear.

All it includes is 1 image with a problem and a solution.
Nothing else.

Most DTC briefs look nothing like this.

They try to do everything at once.

By the time creative reaches a designer, teams have loaded it with 5 things:

↳ A hero benefit.
↳ A seasonal angle.
↳ A proof point.
↳ An offer.
↳ A tone.

The designer executes the brief.
The creative suffers because it was never set up right.

Because it never answered the 1 question that matters:
What's the single thing this needs to communicate?

If you can't say it in 1 sentence before the design file opens...
The brief isn't done yet.

Before your next creative review, ask your team what the ad communicates.

If everyone's answers are different, you already know where the problem is.
Vaseline's ad avoids this problem by resonating with its audience.

Vaseline's brief worked because it was simple.
The whole brief was captured in 1 image.

Signal strength starts in the brief.

So make yours count.

How do you know when a brief is actually finished?

♻️ Repost for someone managing paid social creative right now.
And follow me, Jacob Rokeach, for more breakdowns like this.