We’ve all heard of “The 5 W’s.” Journalists use “The 5 W’s” (Who? What? When? Where? Why?) to guide their fact-finding. In order for a story to be complete, it should answer each of these questions. Similarly, in Advertising 101 you learn about the “Big Idea.” Sort through all the facts and figures, the audience, the objectives, etc for a campaign and distill it into a concept that can be conveyed in 10 or so words. This “Big Idea” becomes the basis for your creative.

Most design firms and creative shops use some variation of the classic creative brief to work through the “Big Idea” process. With a proper creative brief, you properly assess the situation before diving head first into creative. The recipe sounds pretty straightforward, right?

In my experience, there are two common obstacles along the way. The first I refer to as the “foil ball effect.” Look! Shiny! Because of all the amazing advancements in design software and technology, you start making decisions about cool effects and production techniques before you’ve done your creative due diligence. Get hung up on this obstacle and the creative could look amazing but totally miss the mark.

The second obstacle is time. Ideas may get bigger, budgets may get bigger, but for some reason the amount of time you have to complete the work just keeps getting shorter. It’s very tempting to jump right into production.

In my opinion, there is no replacement for a solid creative brief. But if time is short or you are just too anxious to start pushing pixels, the likelihood of skimping on the creative process is high. When you find yourself in this situation, remember “The 5 W’s.” Ideally, answering these questions will remind you why the pesky creative brief is so important. If not, it’s at least reality check to see if your work is on the right track:

The 5 W’s (for good creative):

1. Who? Who is your audience? Have a good grasp on this one or all the other decisions will be ill informed.
2. What? What is it all about? Is it about a new product? What about the product? Its features? Its value? What’s the real message?
3. When? This isn’t so much about the due date as it is about timing. Is the work for a product launch, an event, or part of a larger campaign?
4. Where? Define the medium and/or venue. Consider both the technological and creative implications.
5. Why? This is probably the most important question. Asking why can help you understand the factors at-hand, the opportunities and the obstacles. Consider the competition, the marketplace and the current status of your client.

Our industry is built on great ideas - content really is king. Great ideas are built on understanding. Take the time to answer these five questions properly and you should have a solid foundation.