Saracen Marketing Group
Datalytics Saracen Kreate SMG Academy Saracen OMD PHD

Brief smarter.
Campaign better.

Answer a few strategic questions and walk away with a professional creative brief, built on the same strategic thinking behind Africa's most awarded campaigns.

4 sections · about 15 minutes · saved as you go

Saracen Marketing Group
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Section 1

About your campaign

The basics, so the brief knows who it is for.

The name people know you by.
This one is required.
Example

Coca-Cola. Safaricom. Nike.

What exactly are you putting in market?
This one is required.
Example

Coke Zero. M-Pesa. Air Max.

The category you play in.
This one is required.
Example

Beauty and personal care. Financial services. FMCG. Healthcare.

What kind of push is this?
This one is required.
Example

Brand awareness. Product launch. Influencer campaign. Seasonal promotion. Lead generation. Rebranding. Performance marketing. Always-on.

Section 2

About your brand

This is the most important section. The more honestly you fill it in, the more accurately your brief represents you. We never invent information you do not give us.

When and why did the brand start, and what does it stand for? Write it the way you would tell a friend.
This one is required.
Example

We started in 2019 because we could not find a skincare brand made for African skin. Most products on shelves were designed for European skin tones. We believe African women deserve products made for them, not adapted from someone else's standard. Zawadi means gift in Swahili, and that is how we want every customer to feel.

What does success look like for your brand in the future? Think big.
This one is required.
Example

To become the most trusted homegrown skincare brand across East Africa by 2027, known for products that actually work for African skin.

The 2 to 3 things you are focused on this year. Be specific, not impressive.
This one is required.
Example

1. Build awareness among women aged 25 to 40 in Nairobi and Mombasa. 2. Launch our online store and grow e-commerce sales. 3. Partner with Kenyan beauty influencers to build trust with new audiences.

What is happening in your market right now? What has changed in the last year or two?
This one is required.
Example

The skincare category in Kenya is growing fast. More women are investing in proper skincare routines, and there is a strong pull toward natural, locally made products. Social media, especially Instagram and TikTok, drives most discovery and purchase decisions.

Name your biggest competitors, and be honest about where you genuinely have the edge. Not just better, but specifically why.
This one is required.
Example

Main competitors are Nivea, Neutrogena, and Garnier. They have bigger budgets and stronger shelf presence. Our advantage: we are local, our formulas are designed specifically for African skin tones, and we are more affordable than imported premium brands.

How do people perceive you today, the good and the not-so-good? If you are new with low awareness, say that. Honesty here makes a sharper brief.
This one is required.
Example

Our existing customers love us and say the product works better than anything they have tried before. But we are very new, so most people in our target market have never heard of us. Strong reviews, low awareness.

Section 3

Your strategy

These questions are designed to make you think. If some are hard to answer, that is normal. Take your time. The answers you give here become the strategic core of your brief.

How will you know this campaign worked? Metric, target, and timeframe. Numbers are better than words.
This one is required.
Example

Reach 500,000 people in Nairobi within 8 weeks. Grow Instagram followers from 2,000 to 10,000. Generate 500 website visits per day. 150 new subscription sign-ups per month. Lift brand consideration by 8 points in 12 weeks. 500 qualified leads at under KES 800 each.

Choose the one outcome that matters most. It shapes the message, the channels, and the measurement, so choose carefully.
Pick one to continue.
Who exactly are you trying to reach? Demographics, mindset, and how they behave. The more specific you are, the more targeted your campaign will be.
This one is required.
Example

Women aged 25 to 40 living and working in Nairobi and Mombasa, in professional jobs, active on Instagram and TikTok. They care about quality and are open to local brands if they can trust them. They discover new products through influencers and peer recommendations, not traditional advertising, and they research before buying.

What specific problem must this campaign solve? Be honest and specific. This is a diagnosis, not a pitch.
This one is required.
Example

We have a great product with strong customer reviews, but almost no one knows we exist. We need to build awareness quickly before larger international brands notice our niche and move in with bigger budgets.

What does your audience think, feel, or do right now, and what do you want them to think, feel, or do after this campaign? Describe both sides.
This one is required.
Right now

They have never heard of our brand and assume international products are better for their skin.

After this campaign

They believe Zawadi was made specifically for them and works better for their skin than anything imported. The gap between the two is what the campaign is for.

A truth about your audience that is real whether or not your brand exists. Start with what they feel, not what your product does.
This one is required.
Example

African women have been told for generations what beauty looks like, by brands never made for them, and they are done being defined by someone else's standard. People want to be healthy but refuse to give up the things that make them happy. No one wants to feel like they cannot afford to look after themselves.

If your audience remembers one idea, what is it? Not your slogan, the single strategic idea everything else is built on.
This one is required.
Example

Zawadi is the first skincare brand made with you in mind, not adapted for you. Nike is the shoe for people who are already running. It should feel like a truth, not a sales pitch.

The single line they take away and remember. Short and direct. Different from the one thing: that is the strategic idea, this is what you actually say.
This one is required.
Example

Finally, skincare made for your skin. Kenya's finest coffee, finally for Kenyans. Your money works harder here.

Give 3 to 5 descriptors and a feel for how the brand should sound.
This one is required.
Example

Warm, empowering, and confident, like a trusted older sister. Never corporate, never preachy. Or bold and direct, like a friend who says what everyone else is thinking.

Section 4

Campaign logistics

The practical shape of the work.

01Deliverables *
What needs to be made, and how many of each? Add them one at a time. Be specific, vague deliverables produce vague briefs.
Add at least one deliverable.
Example

Instagram Reels x4. TikTok videos x3. Influencer brief x3 creators. Static social posts x8 (feed and stories). 30-second radio ad x1. Billboard creative x2 sizes. Email newsletter x4.

Why these channels for this audience? If you are not sure, leave it blank and our team will advise.
Example

Our audience discovers new brands on Instagram and TikTok. They commute by matatu, so audio ads reach them during the day. OOH billboards in the CBD and Westlands reach them during peak hours.

How long does it run, and any key dates?
This one is required.
Example

8 weeks total, going live 1 April. Q2 2025 (April to June). 6-week burst then always-on.

A ballpark is fine. Pick the currency and enter the total.
This one is required.
Example

KES 800,000. USD 6,000. ZAR 120,000.