If you work in marketing and need to find a resource to work on a project, what’s the best way to quickly get quotes from several vendors or freelancers? Say hello to the creative brief.
What’s a creative marketing brief?
Let’s use an example to make this clear. Think of this like a mini RFP (Request for Proposal)
Say you want to hire a professional photographer to do work for you on a project. Start with some context and background about your brand.
Background Section
Fanny’s Trail Mix Magic brand needs to get some product photography for its six trail mix products. The company brand is all about empowering your hike through life. It is sold through specialty food stores like Whole Foods, Sprouts and traditional grocers with higher income consumers like Wegmans and Harris Teeter. We also sell DTC (direct to consumers) through Thrive and Amazon.
Whether you are hiking on a trail in Escalante or The Grand Canyon or taking the family for a walk to grandmas, the Fanny’s Trail Mix Magic brand is the best product to meet the occasion. We love to feature the clean and wholesome non-GMO ingredients in our photography. We sell unusual flavor combinations like pomegranate mango and pistachio with toasted coconut.
Specific Shots Needed
We have six flavors of trail mix. Each one has a unique combination of nuts, spices, and dried fruit—a total of 18 photographs are needed. All photographs will be studio photography, not outdoors. No models are needed.
For each of our six trail mix flavors we need:
- A product shot of the trail mixes out of the package. This beauty shot should include some of the core ingredients. So, in our cinnamon savory mix, include cinnamon bark and fresh peaches to represent the dried peaches. We prefer a white backdrop for each photo to communicate wholesome, clean, and organic.
- A product shot of the mix’s package. It should show the package by itself also against a white backdrop. Show only one package.
- A product box shot. This shows our display six-pack.
Family Product Shots
We want to get three different family shots. You can explore some with the product out of the bag, some with boxes and some without boxes. In total, we need three different ways to show the full line—a total of 3 family shots.
Resolution
We want to get these photographs in high resolution. Most of the usage will be digital, but should we need a picture for a trade show booth, we will be prepared.
Final Photograph Delivery
We will provide you with access to our Dropbox so you can upload the images in to our files via FTP.
Rights and Use
We need full and unlimited usage of all photography.
Payment Terms
We are willing to make a 50% deposit upon signing of your agreement and 50% upon receipt of finished photographs.
Timing
We need all these photographs no later than six weeks after signing this agreement.
Two References
Please send me the email and cell phone of three former clients as reference.
Product
We will ship to you product six cases of product per flavor. All fruit or spices used in product shots will be supplied by you or your food stylist at your cost.
Benefits of a creative marketing brief
What makes this so efficient is that you can share your brief with three potential photographers. They all have the same information and can respond with pricing. You don’t need to repeat yourself and, for a project like this – you may get a few questions you haven’t anticipated and can add that to a revision to the brief.
You can use this approach for packaging design, photography, video, animation, copy writing, event planning and so on.
Marketers need to be clear when requesting pricing from vendors and frelancers. It helps to write a brief too so you get several quotes on the same requirements.
Now, go take a hike after you write your creative brief.
Need help buying creative marketing services?
I can help. You can set up a time chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com. Let’s explore working together today.
Photo by Mgg Vitchakorn on Unsplash
