Define the ambition
Identify what needs to change and who the campaign needs to reach.
Advertising
One ambition.
A connected campaign.
Strategy, creative and media work best as part of the same conversation. Start with the business outcome, then give every element a clear role.
Discuss your brief
The perspective
Make the connections
before the commitments.
A distinctive advert can win attention. The offer, the destination and the follow-up determine what happens next. A complete brief considers the whole journey, from first impression to a meaningful action.
Explore the disciplines below to find the questions most relevant to your business. Some briefs begin with a message; others begin with a channel or a measurement problem. The starting point should shape the scope.
Shape the expression
Connect the offer to a clear message and a deliberate visual direction.
Follow the response
Decide what a useful action looks like and how it will be understood.
Planning gives the activity a purpose and an audience. Creative turns an offer into a message and format. Channel activity considers where that message appears. Measurement asks what happened next and how confidently it can be understood.
The right mix starts with the objective. Choose channels and formats for their role in the journey, with clear responsibilities at every handover.
01 / Follow the dependencies
One decision changes the next.
Read the chain, then select a topic to see the inputs and responsibility questions behind it.
01 / ObjectiveWhat should change?
Name a useful action and the audience it matters to.
02 / MessageWhy take action?
Give the offer a clear point and evidence for its claims.
03 / ChannelWhere is it relevant?
Match intent or audience context to the right destination.
04 / OutcomeWhat would we learn?
Define the action and what the available data can show.
Planning / Start with the purpose
An objective needs an offer and a destination.
Bring: the product or service, intended audience, desired action, destination page and any timing or budget constraints.
Decide: whether the first task is clarifying the brief or discussing an activity. “More enquiries” needs a definition of the kind of enquiry that would be useful.
Ask: what needs to be resolved in the brief, and who will confirm the offer and destination?
Explore campaign planning ↗Discuss planning ↗Creative / Shape the message
A format needs a clear message and usable assets.
Bring: approved offer details, brand files, available imagery and evidence for factual claims. Mark anything still awaiting permission.
Decide: whether you need a new concept or adaptations of existing work. A square social advert and a wide banner need different arrangements, even with the same offer.
Ask: which formats serve the idea, and who will approve the message and asset rights?
Explore advertising creative ↗Discuss creative ↗Paid search / Consider intent
A search advert needs a relevant answer.
Bring: the offer, geographical scope, destination pages and an outline of any existing account activity. Keep account credentials out of the enquiry.
Decide: which searches might indicate a relevant need. A person looking for a quote needs a destination that explains the offer and makes the next step clear.
Ask: how should the account, budget and landing page work together?
Explore paid search ↗Discuss paid search ↗Paid social / Consider context
An audience needs a reason to pause.
Bring: audience context, the offer, existing creative and the destination. Note which imagery, copy and permissions are ready.
Decide: what a person unfamiliar with the offer would need to understand first. A short message may introduce the idea; the destination must explain it more fully.
Ask: what will make this audience stop, and who will approve creative and handle responses?
Explore paid social ↗Discuss paid social ↗Measurement / Define the signal
A useful result needs a meaningful definition.
Bring: the desired action, current reporting and an outline of what happens after an enquiry or purchase. Describe gaps in the available information.
Decide: which signals help answer your question. A click shows interest in a link; it does not establish a sale or the quality of an enquiry.
Ask: which outcomes matter, and how will tracking connect activity to those outcomes?
Explore campaign measurement ↗Discuss measurement ↗02 / Define the handovers
Who would do what?
Clear responsibilities keep ideas moving. Establish who supplies the inputs, who makes decisions and who owns the final approval.
DecisionWhat could you bring?What should you ask?
Offer & claims
Accurate product details, exclusions, prices where relevant and evidence for claims.
Who would check the message against these details and obtain final approval?
Accounts & spend
An account owner, a proposed budget range and the person authorised to approve spend.
Who would own each account, hold billing responsibility and control access?
Creative & destination
Available brand assets, permission information and a contact for website changes.
Would new creative or page changes be included, separately scoped or handled elsewhere?
Review & decisions
A definition of useful outcomes and someone who can explain lead or sales quality.
What would be reported, what are its limits and who would approve changes?
03 / Turn the map into a question
Turn the ambition
into a clear brief.
Share your objective, what is already in place and the decisions ahead. Scope, timing and responsibilities can then be discussed around a real starting point.
Example enquiry / Adapt to your situation
“We want more relevant enquiries for an existing offer. We have a landing page and approved brand assets. We would like to discuss a focused paid search brief, including the inputs, account responsibilities and reporting.”
Choose a topic above for a focused contact link, or prepare an enquiry covering several connected questions.
Prepare your enquiry