Well, I think we can all agree that there's unfortunately no right answer, and from agency to agency and even client to client, the layout may change. But I've come across a few briefs that I've really loved, and they've all come down to persuasion. Not in some sinister, "hoodwink them" kind of way, but in the sense that in any conversation, there may be questions, and our communication should have already considered them and prepared to respond.
So what if we considered two pieces: Questions/Objections, and Answers/Rebuttals, ie:
"I've always had my taxes done by a personal accountant, but this year I'm looking to save money. H&R Block says that I've 'got people,' but I don't know exactly what that means for me. Does that mean they'll take care of it all for me, even finding deductions?"
Yup. H&R Block will prepare your taxes and check twice to make sure you're getting all of the deductions for which you're eligible.
"Ok, but it's just a one-time deal, right? It's not like the relationship I had with my personal accountant."
Actually, H&R Block will stand by you if you get audited. We're not your partner for just April 15th.
"Well then you must be as expensive as my accountant."
Definitely not. And besides being cheap, you can even take advantage of all of our free services online, like filing your federal taxes, or getting tax tips.
At this point, I'm sold. And that's honestly the conversation I've had in my head. Taxes, for me and probably for most folks, mean lots of questions and a lot of stress about getting it right. So far, the communication I've gotten from H&R Block directly addressed many of the questions I've had in choosing how to file my taxes this year, and that's why I feel completely confident that they can handle my completely messy taxes this year, having worked in four different states with freelancing income to boot. It's complicated and confusing, but their communication has given me the confidence that they can handle it. They answered my questions, calmed my fears, and showed me they've thought about it from my point of view and the things that are important to me. I think that says a lot.
Do you think this could be helpful on your brief? Or perhaps something you'd like the creatives to consider as they execute their ideas? Or is it just so darn intuitive that we shouldn't have to be considering it at all? Please share your thoughts.
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4 comments:
from my experience, client/agency briefing mtgs used to be somewhat 1-way, that is, the account lead would regurgitate the written brief (typed-up by the client/AE) to the creative team. hardly persuasive. during most of those occasions the team would barely engage in constructive conversation. most of the critical discussion/questions/objections/answers/rebuttals would take place once the client left the bldg, and usually it was a convo between the art director/copywriter, and rarely w/the AE. this is where/when the conversation should have been addressed upfront either in the brief document or in the actual briefing. going back to your recent post, before planners, creatives and/or account folks, creatives had to have these conversations to figure out the most persuasive opportunity for a communications idea. i love your idea of bring this into the briefing, either on paper in box #5 of the whatever brief template you're working, or having the productive dialog at the briefing. and IMHO, this is where a good planner who's driving the strategy bus, get everyone on-board, feeling good and ready to roll.
Glad to hear you think it could be a helpful element. I definitely think its an intuitive part of building strong communication, but sometimes we need to vocalize it and make sure we take a few minutes to consider it, and making it a part of the brief is maybe the right way to get there.
Thanks for your comments :)
Not sure if you've seen this on ad literate yet but here's a bunch of brief's from major agencies(saatchi is my fav).
http://www.adliterate.com/archives/2008/10/whats_in_a_form_1.html#more
I like your H&R block metaphor. Planners are the "glue not the guru" is what one of my AP teachers taught and that follows suit.
Gareth Kay of Brand New just posted recently he's replacing the word 'audience' with 'participant' in his briefs as "it's about creating active not passive relationships and culture". Thought that was a good snippet of brilliance.
Love Gareth's small semantic change--I think it completely shifts the way we think.
the "glue not the guru..." that's fantastic.
I actually kind of enjoy the BBH brief, although I think it starts to blur the line a bit between planning and creative, which if you've read past posts, I see as a point of contention and friction at many agencies. And though it's still a bit heavy, I also like the Modernista! brief. Oomph piece about "protect these ideas. fight these ideas" is also kinda neat. Very cool! thanks for sharing the link, I hadn't seen that before.
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