I’ve been poring over lots of filled-out client briefs lately. Even though I designed the questions, they don’t always provide everything I need to create commercials that work.
Here are some things I’ve done that may give you ideas to help clients.
I often have to read between the lines and figure out what the client is really saying about their business or their customers. I go deep into their web site and scan every page. I’m like a detective, probing for clues. In this case the clues would be the big idea, the unique, the special, the interesting stuff the
client does but may have forgotten about in the crush of years of being in business.
The small mention of how a dad started the business caused me to write an inspiring story about a son learning by tagging along with his master craftsman father.
Clues may be on the home page, in the FAQ, on the About Us page, in the testimonials, or even on the contact page.
I built a successful campaign for a client from a guarantee I found buried on their site.
I may have to talk with the clients and ask those Audience Needs Analysis questions I’m always blabbing about.
Sometimes it’s not facts that I pick up from these interviews, but a client’s attitude or their passion.
When the client suddenly warms up and changes her tone of voice as she talks about her kid, when the boss blushes as his staff enthusiastically praises him, when the advertiser goes on a rant about the old-fashioned values of service that his competitors seem to have forgotten, it inspires me to translate those feelings into their campaigns.
The client brief and even the interview may yield a list of things the advertiser wants in the commercial, but I try not to be boxed in by those parameters. What is not being said? What can I find that will help this campaign stand out?
Now, the other side of this coin is that the client may reject an out-of-the-box concept, saying, “This isn’t what I asked for.” In that case, you can take the elements he’s asked for and phrase them, couch them, surround them in the stuff you’ve discerned from your detective work.
“Here’s the process you asked me to describe that you take your customers through. I did it by describing a series of snapshots of a typical customer, describing each with the words of happy customers I found on your testimonials page.”
Good luck with this. Dive deep. Read between the lines. Extrapolate. Surprise your clients. Look like a genius. Make money for your clients. Repeat.
