Bring some magic to your next pitch with some advertising industry method

It's one thing to have a great structure for a pitch, but let's face it, any structure is only as good as its content. At Pitch Camp, we love the Outcomes Pyramid, but it's still just a bunch of boxes that need to be filled with your best insights and evidence.

One way to make sure you take your best thinking to your next pitch is to do what the advertising industry has been doing for years, and rip off someone else's idea.

In fact, why not rip off one of the advertising industry's ideas?

I’m talking about the Creative Brief: the simple set of questions that, when answered well, has people wearing Nikes over Reeboks, saving money on everything from car insurance to movie tickets and paying too much for their watches.

The Creative Brief is where every successful campaign starts. It delivers the insights creative teams seize on to imaginatively – and persuasively – tell a story.

Smart Creative Briefs have been inspiring campaigns that stand out, get results, win awards and bring in new business since the days when everyone smoked in the office.

They bring an ad agency's strategic thinking together: the understanding of target audiences, the assessment of challenges and opportunities and the insights that lead to compelling key messages.

They are where the potential for persuasion is created. And, when written well, they do it all on one beautifully succinct page.

I've written more briefs than I've worn. And I've learned that their disciplines for informing and inspiring cut-through advertising are a key ingredient for helping prepare and deliver compelling, strategic pitches.

The Creative Brief that has served us faithfully at Redsuit, originates from advertising pioneers, J Walter Thompson (now Wunderman Thompson). It asks six simple questions.

Answering these questions when planning your pitch, will sharpen your clarity and insight and build your pitch’s effectiveness.

I've listed them below, and we've included expanded tips for populating your own Creative Brief – plus an editable template for you to download – here.

Who are we talking to?

Where are we in their minds? 

What is the problem we are trying to solve? 

What is the promise?  

What is the support?

What is the personality?

Six questions. Simple to answer. Hard to answer well. 

If you contemplate taking them on, make sure you allow time to do it well. The extra clarity, insight and authority you generate will amply reward your time and effort.

Compile all the relevant data, research and experience you have. Grab your market and competitor analysis, and know the existing internal and external challenges your audience faces.

Using this intelligence, complete the brief. Commit to getting it all on one page. Edit, then re-edit if you have to. Anything more than one page and you haven't been ruthless and focused enough.

It's amazing how much this process will crystallise your thinking.

"Borrowing" this Creative Brief from the pros will add a powerful weapon to your preparation arsenal. Populating your Outcomes Pyramid will become a whole lot easier and you'll identify and build the content that inspires new thinking.

On the day, your audience will be amazed at how well you understand them and their problems, and will be more willing to trust your recommendations.

You'll also be creating a great advertisement for yourself and how you do things.

Happy Pitching!