Campaign strategy

Good campaigns
start with direction.

Before the channel, the budget or the first creative route comes a more valuable decision: what should this campaign achieve?

Discuss your brief

Illustrative campaign concept showing a consistent direction across three posters — Illustrative concept · The brief is the foundation

The perspective

Turn a broad ambition
into a focused brief.

More visibility, more enquiries and a successful launch are different ambitions. A useful plan makes the desired outcome specific, identifies the audience and brings the offer into focus.

Budget, timing and the destination then become design decisions rather than last-minute constraints. Map what is known, identify what needs resolving and give the next conversation a clear starting point.

The commercial question

Name the change you want to see, and why it matters to the business.

The audience context

Understand the need, the moment and the reason to choose your offer.

The practical frame

Bring budget, timing, assets and approvals into the same plan.

Working brief / Six inputs

01Objective: Name the change you want. Choose a business action, not simply “more visibility”. For example, a repair business might want enquiries for a particular service in a defined area.
02Audience: Describe the relevant person. Note location, need and buying context. “Local homeowners arranging a repair” is a more useful starting point than “everyone online”.
03Offer: Say what is being promoted. Explain the product or service, its relevance and any conditions. Supply evidence for factual claims and identify wording that is already approved.
04Budget: Give a range, if known. Distinguish money for advertising placements from creative, planning or other work. A range and its time period are more useful than an unexplained total.
05Timing: Name the date and its dependencies. Separate a desired launch from a fixed event. Note who needs to approve the message, how assets will be supplied and any time needed to prepare the destination.
06Destination: Check what happens after the click. Identify the page, form or other next step. A booking campaign, for example, needs a clear booking route, accurate availability and a usable phone experience.

02 / Take stock

Find the gaps.
Sharpen the brief.

Mark an input as known when you have useful context to share. This is a preparation list, not a score. Your choices stay on this page and are cleared when you leave or reload.

Your next notes

Prepare what you can.

Objective: Write one desired action and why it matters to the business.
Audience: Describe who needs the offer, where they are and what may trigger their interest.
Offer: Write the offer in one sentence, including any important conditions.
Budget: Decide whether you can share a range and period; ask what costs would be separate.
Timing: Identify any fixed date and the people or materials needed before launch.
Destination: Choose the next action and check whether the destination can support it.

Reference notes for inputs you already know

Objective: Check that the objective names an action you can recognise.
Audience: Separate what you know about customers from assumptions to test.
Offer: Collect approved wording and support for the claims in the offer.
Budget: Clarify which costs the range covers and who can approve changes.
Timing: Confirm approval dates and allow time to resolve missing material.
Destination: Try the destination on a phone and check what happens after the action.

03 / Connected decisions

Change one input.
Revisit the others.

Budget ↔ Scope

Focus the question.

A wider audience, more formats or several destinations can add preparation and production work. A limited budget may call for a narrower question and fewer moving parts.

Ask which costs cover media, creative and other work, and what would need to change if the scope grows. There is no universal budget threshold for a useful conversation.

Deadline ↔ Approvals

Plan backwards.

A fixed launch date depends on approved claims, ready assets and a working destination. Adding reviewers late can affect what is practical within that time.

Name a decision-maker, gather their availability and identify any immovable dates. Ask what could realistically be considered before making a launch commitment.

Destination ↔ Next action

Give interest a route.

An advert can attract attention while the next step remains unclear. A slow page, unavailable product or confusing form can break the journey.

Try the intended action yourself. If the destination needs work, ask who would handle it and whether that work is within the proposed scope.

04 / Define the conversation

Give your next campaign
a clear starting point.

Send a short description of your business, offer and objective. Share a budget range and timing if known; explain the gaps if they are still open.

Discuss campaign planning

Decisions to shape together

What does success look like for this objective?
What would be included, what would be excluded and how would costs be agreed?
Who supplies customer context, assets and access, and who gives final approval?
What would the next decision be before any advertising begins?

Next: define the outcome you want to understand →