A business-to-business (B2B) advertising brief sets out the framework for creating advertisements that will help organizations to market B2B products or services. An organization can use the brief to give instructions to an advertising agency or to clarify its own thinking if it is planning to produce advertisements internally. The brief should contain all the information necessary to plan, create and select media for the advertisement.
Instructions
1. Set out the advertising objectives. Relate advertising objectives to marketing objectives to establish the role for advertising. Advertising objectives must be measurable. They include raising awareness of a product or organization; generating a certain number of leads for the sales force; achieving a specific number of registrations for an event such as a seminar; or selling a set number of products directly from the advertisement.
2. List the target audience. Advertising must communicate with all the people involved in a purchasing decision. Identify the important members of the decision-making team. For an advertisement about manufacturing equipment, the decision makers would include a purchasing manager, technical manager, chief executive, finance director and manufacturing manager. Audience information helps planners to select the media that will reach the target audience cost-effectively.
3. Describe the issues and challenges that each decision maker faces. B2B advertisers should first demonstrate that they understand the challenges the audience faces, then perhaps the audience will be willing to listen. Explain why the product or service will help the decision makers solve their problems. This information helps the advertising creative team develop communication that is relevant and compelling.
4. Provide information on the product or service. Describe the benefits to each of the decision makers. Include details of the product features that deliver benefits. Compare the product's price and performance with key competitors. Highlight any unique features or benefits. Product information helps the team develop creative themes and approaches that will highlight the key benefits. Business-to-business sales messages are complex propositions that must offer value, differentiate an organization and support rational buying decisions.
5. List other activities that form part of the marketing program. Explain how activities such as direct marketing, social media or telemarketing will integrate with the advertising. Integrating campaign elements improves results and can reduce overall costs.
6. Establish a schedule for the campaign. Work back from key dates such as new product launch or opening of a new distributor branch to establish intermediate dates in the schedule. Include media publication dates and lead times for production of artwork or other content. Provide an overall budget for the figure to enable the planning team to select media that provide the best coverage from the available funds.
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