A useful brief defines the problem and boundaries
You do not need to arrive with a complete script or knowledge of generation tools. You do need accurate information about the brand and a clear reason for making the advertisement. If creative strategy is part of the assignment, say which questions the studio should help resolve.
A good brief distinguishes an objective from a visual request. “We need a cinematic video” leaves the team guessing about the message. “We need to introduce a new fragrance as part of a quiet daily ritual” gives the creative process a starting point.
Define the audience and desired response
Describe a real audience situation: what the viewer already knows, what they might misunderstand and what would make them care. Choose a primary response such as learning about the product, exploring the range or contacting the business.
A brand campaign, product launch and service explanation have different communication needs. Avoid asking one short film to introduce the company, explain every feature and close every sale. Select the priority and identify which supporting assets can address the rest.
For Bahrain, Saudi Arabia/KSA, the UAE or a wider Gulf audience, list the actual markets and language needs. Share the offer and audience context rather than relying on a country name to describe the viewer.
Provide factual references and creative boundaries
Send current logo files, brand guidelines, product images, packaging artwork and approved product information. For a service, include the accurate process, offer and evidence you can publish. Mark confidential materials clearly.
Separate must-haves from preferences. Exact bottle proportions may be non-negotiable; a particular lighting reference may be inspiration. Explain what you like about a reference—its rhythm, composition, sound or storytelling—rather than requesting an imitation.
State claims and visual details that require approval. The product advertising guide provides a checklist for accuracy, and the production-method guide helps identify elements that may need filming.
Specify the deliverables and languages
| Item | What to specify |
|---|---|
| Master asset | Film purpose, approximate duration and primary placement. |
| Adaptations | Shorter versions, opening variations, stills and end frames. |
| Formats | Vertical, square, landscape or other actual placement requirements. |
| Languages | Arabic, English, subtitles, voice-over and writing responsibilities. |
| Markets | Offer or message differences for the target audiences. |
| Handover | Final file requirements and any separately agreed source materials. |
Do not specify every possible format unless you need it. A realistic deliverable list protects the budget and gives the studio a clear production target. It also prevents the final approval stage from becoming a request for an entirely new set of assets.
Make the approval and timing practical
Share the launch date and the date final assets are needed, including any time the publishing team needs. Identify one person who gathers feedback and distinguish creative approval from factual or product approval.
Ask the studio to propose milestones for the concept, art direction, production review and final versions. Leave room for client feedback and supplied assets. A deadline cannot be assessed properly without understanding those dependencies.
Provide a budget range where possible. It helps the team select an approach and scope that are realistic, rather than designing an ambitious concept that must later be dismantled. See what changes the production budget.
A copyable starting brief
Brand and product: What are we advertising, and which references are current?
Objective: What should this work help the business achieve?
Audience: Who is watching, in which market and language?
Main message: What is the one thing they should understand or remember?
Desired response: What should they do next?
Deliverables: Which films, stills, formats and language versions are needed?
Creative context: Which references are helpful, and what do we like about them?
Fixed details: Which product facts, brand rules and claims must be protected?
Timing and budget: What are the launch date, final deadline and working range?
Approval: Who supplies assets, checks facts and consolidates feedback?
If an answer is unknown, mark it as a question for the studio. The brief is a shared starting document, not a test you have to pass. Our campaign process turns it into approval points, and The Frame Brief records the direction before full production.
Check the destination’s delivery specifications
Agree on the destination before exporting final files. For a YouTube placement, use YouTube’s official upload settings to check encoding and aspect-ratio guidance. Other channels have their own requirements; confirm the current specification with the team responsible for publishing.
Continue exploring
See how this thinking is applied across Food & Beverage, Fashion & Beauty, and Service Brands, or learn more about how the studio works.
Planning an AI advertising project?
Tell us what you are launching, where the work needs to run, and what the audience needs to understand.
Start a project