Name

Title

Company

Telephone (North America)

  –     –     Ext:  

Telephone (The Rest Of The World)

Email

How do you prefer to be contacted?

Telephone    Email  

Let’s Hear All About Your Project

Project Name

Deadline

Since we both know projects can be moving targets at times, don’t worry if the details change. We’ll have your best guesses to start with.

Your Project Background and Overview

Tell me what’s been happening in your market and competitive space. Why are you doing this? Competitive pressure? Market trending down? Reacting to competition? Anticipating competitive behaviour with a pro–active campaign?

What is the Objective, the Purpose of the project?

Brand–building? Awareness? Interest? Desire? Action? Re–inforcement? Promotion?
Where does this project fit in? You have a strategic direction. How does this fit in tactically? What previous communication material has been produced, and how does this project tie in with the larger plan? If you have an offer, what is it? If you have information, why is it important/new/exciting? What effect should the communication have on your prospects. Do you have something specific you want them to do or think or feel.

What Do You Want To Say?

Is there one idea or concept we can say that’ll keep us on–target and on–strategy?
Aim for a short description expressing specifics. Sticking to one idea is the way to keep focused on the strategy.

Summarize the “Take–Away”

Keep it to one sentence. What should the viewer/reader remember?
If I was your prospect, exposed to your great work, I would be thinking; “Darn, I have to remember to pick up a tin of Boffo because Boffo is... Boffo does... Boffo smells like... ”.

BrandVoice(TM) Traits

Your product or service Tone and Manner: confidential, chatty, breathy/sexy, conversational??

Your product or service Personality: flirtatious, retiring, authoritarian, meticulous??

Your product or service Positioning: what is your line, or where do you want to be??

What are the supportive RATIONAL “needs”?

FEATURES:
What’s in it for the prospect? What are the rational features the target will respond to, that may inspire them to action.

What are the supportive EMOTIONAL “wants”?

BENEFITS:
Remember, prospects may not “need” another widget, but they sure might “want” one if we do our job properly. So, spark it up here: list any emotional triggers for the target market to be convinced to take action.

Who’s the Target?

Try to describe them. Tell me more than just age and sex. Who is the perfect prospect? (Are they current customers, for example.)

What else do I need to know, that you already know?

You’ve worked on the business and are familiar with it. In fact you’re the expert.
The things you take for granted are outside my understanding until you explain it to me.

Project “Must–Haves”

The specific details: the offer, logo, address, phone number, and call to action information.

Project “Like–To–Haves”

If you have notes and cheat sheets for this one, bring them out in the open. Any brainstorming you’ve already done will help, provided you tell me about it.

Project “Don’t Bothers”

Tell me what doesn’t work. Show me your competitive intelligence, and you’ll be saving yourself time.

What Are We Producing?

Write specific information about your planned media selections, their sizes and number of colours. Those are production constraints that can sometimes anchor concepts within practical limits. Think of the difference between a 20 page web site and a small space ad in a local newspaper.

First Draft Is Due...

Final Copy Deadline

Tell Me About Your Budget (or don’t)

It’s your choice. We can do the quote submission dance, or you can speed up the process.

  Send It