I had a chat with Dave Knox the other day – Dave is a digital brand manager at P&G who was partially responsible for the fascinating “Tide Loads of Hope” training event turned marketing flash mob last month – and he told me something that floored me. He said there are different briefs for different marketing tactics. A TV brief is different than a promotional brief, for instance. I was initially taken aback. Then realized he was right. I do it all the time.
There is the brand brief and there are tactical briefs. In my world the brand brief contains the brand strategy (the idea) and 3 support planks. That brief drives the product, service, messaging and ideally is the dashboard for measuring success. The tactical briefs, on the other hand, are documents operating under the brand brief, each with unique, measureable missions. Tactical briefs must support the brand brief and stay on message but they are allowed to have a lives of their own. So long as the branding brief is understood throughout the marketing company and agencies, and someone available to make sure it’s followed, tactical briefs are good to go.
Campaigns, you see, come and go, but a powerful branding idea is indelible. Peace!
Check out Dave’s blog on Tide Loads of Love.
