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Ozometer by Play
The campaign was created to celebrate Foster's famous ‘No Worries’ attitude. In creating the campaign, Play searched for some of Britain’s most, and least, ‘No worries’ people, celebrities and places. More on Play's award winning campaign.Briefing a mobile campaign
Written by Michael Smith, deputy director of interactive services, COI
When I began to write this section, I asked myself ‘what makes for a great brief?’ Quite an easy question to pose but not necessarily an easy one to answer. Ultimately a great brief frames the communication need, and in a nutshell sets out very clearly what issue, challenge or questions need to be addressed. Should a mobile brief be any different from a ‘traditional digital brief’? It’s interesting that we’re beginning to use ‘traditional digital’ when referring to online disciplines which have only been around for some ten years, perhaps a reflection of the dynamism and innovative thinking this industry boasts.
Who decides when mobile has a role to play? Is it the advertiser, the digital/ mobile agency or the comms planning agency? Currently it’s all or any of the above but we need to consider who is best placed to make the recommendation. To help us decide that, let’s just for a moment put to one side the notion that ‘digital is at the heart’ of communications and instead consider that in fact ‘people’ are at the heart of how we communicate. Seems to make good sense. If we understand people, understand who they are, what they do, how we can engage with them and importantly how they want to be engaged, then we begin to understand whether mobile has a role to play. This thought puts the comms planning agencies in the driving seat to recommend whether mobile has a role and what that role is. The response to the comms planning agency brief will produce the mobile brief. Briefing mobile, in ten easy steps
1. Take time to craft the brief. It is the foundation that all activity is built upon so invest significant time up front to save yourself time down the line.
2. Think early – planning and implementation take time. You’ll get a better, more considered, planned response if you allow enough time between the brief being provided and the solution/response being presented.
3. Be clear on the communication requirement and articulate it. Be transparent about what needs to be achieved – avoid ambiguity and assumption.
4. Objectives and KPIs need to be defined, as does the evaluation metrics required to measure the performance against these. Ensure that all parties involved in taking the brief forward have signed up to and agree that the objectives are SMART and that the evaluation will be able to track effectively against the KPIs. Ask yourself what will success look like and how you’ll know when it’s been achieved.
5. As mobile is likely to play one part of the communications mix, you should encourage collaboration. Don’t treat mobile as a special case but consider what parts of the overall mix it will touch and bring those parts into the discussion. This could include media buying, CRM and PR, among others.
6. Invest both time and budget. Yes, the barriers to enter are lower but be realistic about what needs to be invested. Great mobile work doesn’t have to be expensive, but be flexible and invest accordingly.
7. Use a mobile specialist or those with specialist mobile experience – get the most of what can be achieved by using those who know how to maximise the potential.
8. Recognise the unique attributes of mobile. What other medium or channel plays such a large part of everyday life? As such, make sure that what is developed is both useful and timely. Both these elements are by-products of the mobile brief, but it’s worth reiterating that priority upfront. There are numerous examples of where simple pieces of useful mobile communications, delivered at the right time, produced outstanding results.
9. Be clear on the subject of data handling – this supports the importance of collaborative working as those handling the data are perhaps unlikely to be those building the mobile comms.
10. Consider whether the mobile activity is looking to build a relationship over time and therefore an on-going dialogue between brand and consumer, or if the activity is a one-off.
Ways of working – Champion collaboration and insist that it happens. Use talent wherever it resides but be clear on roles and responsibilities. Avoid duplication or worse still inactivity. Share research. This is a relatively new area and as such the rules are still being written, so share what knowledge exists amongst all those involved.
Think creatively – Be open to where the mobile idea will originate as it may not be from the obvious sources. Don’t be precious, as a great idea will need to be honed.
And finally consider – Don’t jump on the bandwagon, a very easy thing to do in digital marketing, but look to create one. By doing this, of course there is a risk that you may make mistakes, but it’s essential to learn from each campaign to ensure that the next one is even better. To invest a serious amount of time and energy into the briefing process, stimulate your agencies, and evaluate the return.
When I began to write this section, I asked myself ‘what makes for a great brief?’ Quite an easy question to pose but not necessarily an easy one to answer. Ultimately a great brief frames the communication need, and in a nutshell sets out very clearly what issue, challenge or questions need to be addressed. Should a mobile brief be any different from a ‘traditional digital brief’? It’s interesting that we’re beginning to use ‘traditional digital’ when referring to online disciplines which have only been around for some ten years, perhaps a reflection of the dynamism and innovative thinking this industry boasts.
The brief before the brief…
Who decides when mobile has a role to play? Is it the advertiser, the digital/ mobile agency or the comms planning agency? Currently it’s all or any of the above but we need to consider who is best placed to make the recommendation. To help us decide that, let’s just for a moment put to one side the notion that ‘digital is at the heart’ of communications and instead consider that in fact ‘people’ are at the heart of how we communicate. Seems to make good sense. If we understand people, understand who they are, what they do, how we can engage with them and importantly how they want to be engaged, then we begin to understand whether mobile has a role to play. This thought puts the comms planning agencies in the driving seat to recommend whether mobile has a role and what that role is. The response to the comms planning agency brief will produce the mobile brief. Briefing mobile, in ten easy steps
1. Take time to craft the brief. It is the foundation that all activity is built upon so invest significant time up front to save yourself time down the line.
2. Think early – planning and implementation take time. You’ll get a better, more considered, planned response if you allow enough time between the brief being provided and the solution/response being presented.
3. Be clear on the communication requirement and articulate it. Be transparent about what needs to be achieved – avoid ambiguity and assumption.
4. Objectives and KPIs need to be defined, as does the evaluation metrics required to measure the performance against these. Ensure that all parties involved in taking the brief forward have signed up to and agree that the objectives are SMART and that the evaluation will be able to track effectively against the KPIs. Ask yourself what will success look like and how you’ll know when it’s been achieved.
5. As mobile is likely to play one part of the communications mix, you should encourage collaboration. Don’t treat mobile as a special case but consider what parts of the overall mix it will touch and bring those parts into the discussion. This could include media buying, CRM and PR, among others.
6. Invest both time and budget. Yes, the barriers to enter are lower but be realistic about what needs to be invested. Great mobile work doesn’t have to be expensive, but be flexible and invest accordingly.
7. Use a mobile specialist or those with specialist mobile experience – get the most of what can be achieved by using those who know how to maximise the potential.
8. Recognise the unique attributes of mobile. What other medium or channel plays such a large part of everyday life? As such, make sure that what is developed is both useful and timely. Both these elements are by-products of the mobile brief, but it’s worth reiterating that priority upfront. There are numerous examples of where simple pieces of useful mobile communications, delivered at the right time, produced outstanding results.
9. Be clear on the subject of data handling – this supports the importance of collaborative working as those handling the data are perhaps unlikely to be those building the mobile comms.
10. Consider whether the mobile activity is looking to build a relationship over time and therefore an on-going dialogue between brand and consumer, or if the activity is a one-off.
Ways of working – Champion collaboration and insist that it happens. Use talent wherever it resides but be clear on roles and responsibilities. Avoid duplication or worse still inactivity. Share research. This is a relatively new area and as such the rules are still being written, so share what knowledge exists amongst all those involved.
Think creatively – Be open to where the mobile idea will originate as it may not be from the obvious sources. Don’t be precious, as a great idea will need to be honed.
And finally consider – Don’t jump on the bandwagon, a very easy thing to do in digital marketing, but look to create one. By doing this, of course there is a risk that you may make mistakes, but it’s essential to learn from each campaign to ensure that the next one is even better. To invest a serious amount of time and energy into the briefing process, stimulate your agencies, and evaluate the return.
