In search of that holy grail, the elusive, perfectly distilled creative brief I've come up with this one-line format.

What and what and why, to whom and when and where, for how much?


What we're saying/doing and what is the proof for it: the message and the substantiation
why: the insight and/or objectives
Whom: the target
When: release or air dates, deadlines,
Where: media/context
How much: budget.

The brief itself doesn't have to be forced into one sentence. Here's an example of how I imagine the original iPhone brief might have looked like if it had been in this format.

The iPhone is the sexiest, most powerful, most natural phone you've ever seen, with touch-screen tech, gesture driven navigation and 1000s of apps that actually make your life better (what).
We need to launch it (why), to anyone who has fingers (whom), by March 2008 (when), in print, outdoor, TV and web (where). The total media and production budget is $150 million. (how much)

I suppose if you insisted, you could tag on a "What else?" to accommodate things like "Follow brand guidelines. Use new logo. Avoid Windows-like imagery." But really these are quibbles and details and the essence of the brief is the one line.

It's about loving the box - like a child does.

Try your hand it - use an established campaign like I did and write what you believe the one-line brief for it would have been.
Nike's Just do it. Energizer's Bunny campaign. Budweiser's True. Molson Canadian's "I am Canadian", are some that spring to mind. Post your pathetic attempts on our FB page.
There may be some cheap wine in it for you.


Photo via flickr user Yosigo. Copyright Yosigo.