Why Most DTC Creative Briefs Fail to Build Brand Recall

Coca-Cola wrote this design brief 111 years ago.

And it's still one of the best of all time.

In 1915, Coca-Cola gave designers 1 brief 👇

Make a bottle so distinct it could be recognized in the dark.
Even if it was broken.

That was it.
One sentence. One testable outcome.

The only objective was to be unmistakable.

Most DTC creative briefs today do the opposite:
↳ "Make it feel premium."
↳ "It has to reflect our brand values."
↳ "It needs to resonate with our audience."

You can't build something recognizable from descriptions like that.

There are 2 things the Coca-Cola brief got right that most teams miss.

1️⃣ The objective was specific enough to test.

You could hold the bottle and ask: Would someone recognize this in the dark?
Yes or no.

2️⃣ Being distinct was the most important goal.

Most DTC briefs prioritize credibility.
The result is creative which performs fine but never breaks through.

A brand that truly stands out from the crowd only has to do one job.

👉 Be the brand someone thinks of before they go looking.

The audience already knows who you are.
The ad just has to close.

That's the efficiency most operators are leaving on the table.

If you can't distill your brief to one sentence, it isn't finished.

Do you struggle with writing creative briefs?
Let me know in the comments.

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