The Inspiration Brief
“Sy, just give me a phone booth I can dance in.” That was the best advice I’ve ever received as a strategist from an ECD I admired. It drove me to answer each of the questions below when inspiring creative teams to simply crush it through an interactive brief presentation. This is the leave behind.
WHAT ARE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
WHAT ISSUE IS GETTING IN THE WAY?
WHO IS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
WHAT IS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
WHAT ARE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
WHAT’S ALREADY OUT THERE FROM OUR PEERS?
CURRENT SINGLE-MINDED PROPOSITION?
HOW DOES THIS WORK LADDER UP TO A LARGER COMMS PLATFORM?
WHAT IS OUR TONE OF VOICE OR BRAND ARCHETYPE?
WHAT ABOUT THIS BRAND/PRODUCT WILL HELP US?
WHAT ARE WE MAKING IN THE END?
WHAT DOES THE QUANT/QUAL RESEARCH SAY?
EL POLLO LOCO
WHAT WERE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
Reintroduce the brand, stopping it from becoming obsolete while peers forge ahead in product offering, innovation and marketing.
WHAT ISSUE WAS GETTING IN THE WAY?
The reputation of being an old-school brand that had no relevance with today’s younger QSR-consuming generation.
WHO WAS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
Acculturated and assimulated US Hispanics and non-Hispanic Millennials that crave fast Mexican-inspired grub that’s not terrible for you.
WHAT WAS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
Fast + fresh + fun food is a consumer demand and LA has a cultural aspiration you can’t quite put your finger on.
WHAT WERE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
Franchise-based brands are spreading themselves out too thin by attacking markets that are not on brand and do not satisfy revenue targets.
WHAT WAS THE PIERCING STRATEGIC INSIGHT?
Angelos crave something authentic to represent them while the rest of the country considers the city “a mile wide and an inch deep.”
MICROSOFT
WHAT WERE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
Launch a new Windows 10 software platform to reassure users that Microsoft is still the leader in efficient productivity.
WHAT ISSUE WAS GETTING IN THE WAY?
The performance failure of past platforms Vista - 8 along wtih ridicule from our peers and users that the interface was too rigid and stagnant.
WHO WAS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
The individual home user, the everyday office worker and key IT tech decision makers for organizations with 100+ employees at desktop.
WHAT WAS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
Technology and people are growing further and further apart fanning the flames of fear that we will become obsolete.
WHAT WERE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
While other software platforms are trying and failing at developing platforms, the true leaders are emerging and it’s becoming a three-horse race.
WHAT WAS THE PIERCING STRATEGIC INSIGHT?
Technology is made to make humans efficent, not reliant.
TOYO TIRES
WHAT WERE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
Communicate that quality matters and is worth paying a premium.
WHAT ISSUE WAS GETTING IN THE WAY?
Drivers often purchase tires based on pricing and not performance value.
WHO WAS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
The daily driver and not the auto enthusiast (we already had them convinced).
WHAT WAS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
Brand badge value comes from everywhere. The logo on your shirt to the tires on your car but without upkeep your investment in appeal means squat.
WHAT WERE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
The tire market is flooded with confusion and it’s leaving drivers to go for price-preferred options without research they can trust.
WHAT WAS THE PIERCING STRATEGIC INSIGHT?
No one ever wants to ruin a good thing.
BRANDMAN UNIVERSITY
WHAT WERE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
Brandman University is the best option for returning students that have a busy life outside of the classroom.
WHAT ISSUE WAS GETTING IN THE WAY?
The perception that although going back to school is important, there’s no time to get It done as most curriculums are not flexible enough.
WHO WAS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
The busy professional that wants to advance their career, but feels they’ll have to go at it alone.
WHAT WAS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
The workplace has become more competitive and having more skill-specific knowledge in your toolbox gives you the upper hand.
WHAT WERE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
Rising tuition costs and a high dropout rate hurt the sector overall and discourage new potential students from making the leap.
WHAT WAS THE PIERCING STRATEGIC INSIGHT?
Learning without life support is futile.
adidas Golf
WHAT WERE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
Push adidas Golf to the front of the consideration set as an expert partner in all sports, past the traditional brands that focus on golf alone.
WHAT ISSUE WAS GETTING IN THE WAY?
The adidas brand is known for it’s football (soccer) prowess and nothing else although it is a basketball to badminton brand. It has a presence in the golf game more than the average player realizes and has for decades.
WHO WAS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
The casual to avid golfer that’s inspired by the best professional talent on tour.
WHAT WAS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
Golf has exploded worldwide and although still a challenge and has been embraced by “athletes” of younger and female demographics. This mainstream appeal leaves the door open for more brands to enter the sport via sponsorship and more (netjets, buick, american express and so on).
WHAT WERE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
The future of golf and the vision to become a more inclusive sport enjoyed by all, which provides more business opportunities as chances to appeal to more demographics in golfing equipment and fashion can be expected to increase year over year.
WHAT WAS THE PIERCING STRATEGIC INSIGHT?
Preparation is just as important as performance.
Synchrony Financial
WHAT WERE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
Synchrony Financial had long been tied to and buried underneath the archaic GE Capital brand. It was time to break away and establish itself as a likable consumer-facing brand.
WHAT ISSUE WAS GETTING IN THE WAY?
The company was not seen as a growth partner for small businesses but a quite an inconvenient collection agency (not true).
WHO WAS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
Small business owners and those individuals/families seeking financial stability.
WHAT WAS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
Credit is considered the devil and root to bankruptcy and the failure of most small businesses.
WHAT WERE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
High-interest rates forcing business owners to default is out of control with trust in financial institutions non-existent.
WHAT WAS THE PIERCING STRATEGIC INSIGHT?
No one grows their business alone, or really wants to.
University of California San Diego (UCSD)
WHAT WERE OUR MARKETING OBJECTIVES?
Competition to enroll students is fierce, but UCSD wanted to be sure that its unique approach to research and education is recognized and that San Diego is more than surf and sun.
WHAT ISSUE WAS GETTING IN THE WAY?
San Diego has a reputation for being a party town for students and the campuses there hold no real credibility or weight for non-locals.
WHO WAS THE PERSON WE ARE TRYING TO AFFECT?
Prospective students and the key decision makers influencing their choices (parents, counselors) that are considering alternatives within the University of California higher ed school system.
WHAT WAS THE CULTURAL ANOMALY THAT WE CAN ADDRESS?
Colleges are often decided upon based on the fun factor and not their level of educational merit, which is what really matters long-term.
WHAT WERE KEY BUSINESS TRENDS WE CAN RIDE TO OUR ADVANTAGE?
College enrollments are declining so universities have to work harder to differentiate themselves from the competition. You must be more than enough.
WHAT WAS THE PIERCING STRATEGIC INSIGHT?
Kintsugi. Sometimes you have to break stuff to have the opportunity to reshape what’s possible.
Scope Bacon - April Fools’ Day (produced just for fun but yes, a brief written by Sy)