# Creative Brief > A numbered creative brief with the objective, audience, key insight, mandatories, deliverables, budget, and sign-off. Built for agencies and brand teams to align before a campaign starts. Source: https://buildpdfs.com/templates/creative-brief Category: Marketing A numbered creative brief with the objective, audience, key insight, mandatories, deliverables, budget, and sign-off. Built for agencies and brand teams to align before a campaign starts. ## What's included - Numbered sections from objective through approvals - One-line summary box: the single thing to remember - Audience section with a named buyer profile - Key insight pulled from real research or interviews - Mandatories list and a deliverables table with formats - Channel matrix and a sign-off line for approvals ## Sample content **Northfold Studio** · Creative Brief JOB NF-KES-0412 · V2 · 12 OCT 2026 Kestrel Outdoor Co. · Spring Launch 2027 ### Built for the _Long Way_ Round PRODUCT Traverse 38 / 45 LAUNCH 10 Mar 2027 MARKETS US + Canada LEAD Jonah Weiss, CD ##### 01 · Objective Make Traverse the first pack people name for long trips. Sell **11,000 units** in the first 8 weeks at a **4.0× paid ROAS**, and grow aided awareness among US backpackers from 14% to 20% by 30 Apr. ##### 02 · Audience The "second-pack" buyer, 28–45. They own a cheap first pack and now plan 3–6 night trips. They read gear reviews, trust long-term tests over launch hype, and will pay **$240–$320** for a pack that lasts ten seasons. 03 · Single-minded proposition ONE THING TO REMEMBER #### The further you take it, the _better it gets._ ##### 04 · Insight "I don't want a pack that looks new. I want one that looks like it has been somewhere." From 22 interviews with Kestrel customers, Aug 2026\. 17 of 22 said the scuffs were the point. ##### 05 · Mandatories * Lifetime repair promise in every asset over 6 s * Show real wear: no new-out-of-box hero shots * Kestrel wordmark bottom-left, clear space 1× the K * Recycled-nylon claim only as "82% recycled nylon" * Field testers are real people, credited by name ##### 06 · Deliverables | | Hero film, 60 s + 30 s cut | 16:9 · 3840×2160 | 2 | | | ------------------------------ | ---------------- | -- | | | Vertical cutdowns, 15 s / 6 s | 9:16 · 1080×1920 | 12 | | | Social statics | 4:5 · 1080×1350 | 18 | | | Search ad copy sets (RSA) | 15 H × 4 D | 6 | | | Launch email series | 600 px HTML | 3 | | | Landing page, desktop + mobile | Shopify section | 1 | | | Trailhead posters | 24×36 in · print | 4 | | | Retail shelf talkers | 4×6 in · print | 2 | ##### 07 · Budget $214,000ALL-IN Paid media, 10 Mar – 30 Apr **$118,000** Production: film, photo, post **$82,000** Agency fee, fixed **$14,000** ##### 08 · Approvals **Dana Whitcomb** · CMO, final _Due 16 Oct_ **Ruth Kim** · Brand Manager _✓ 11 Oct_ **Jonah Weiss** · Northfold CD _✓ 12 Oct_ 02 Nov **Kick-off** Brief signed, team briefed in Portland 23 Nov **Three routes** Concepts presented to Kestrel 12 Jan **Shoot, 4 days** Olympic Peninsula, WA 20 Feb **Final assets** All formats delivered 10 Mar **Launch** Paid, email and site go live Northfold Studio · Portland, OR · jonah@northfold.studio Brief · 1 / 2 **Northfold Studio** · Creative Brief JOB NF-KES-0412 · TONE & REFERENCES ### Tone & _references_ Write like the friend who has done the route twice: _calm, specific, a little dry._ Numbers beat adjectives. Miles beat moments. **Say this** Do miles weathered repairable carried patient earned 10 seasons the long way **Like:** "Tested for 1,400 trail miles. Still zipping." **Not this** Don't epic conquer extreme ultimate beast mode adventure awaits game-changer **Not:** "Conquer any summit with the ultimate pack." #### Three moods Colour references for film, photo & grade **First** **light** #C9A27A #6E7B5B #2F3A2E ###### 5:40 am, Hoh River Cold, low sun through cedar. Breath visible. The pack is already on, straps tight, nobody is posing. **Worn** **in** #8B4A2B #B97A4C #D9C3A5 ###### Worn in, not worn out Macro shots of scuffed fabric, field repairs and faded webbing. Texture first. Warm, slightly lifted blacks. **Ridge at** **dusk** #2C3442 #5B6A7D #C77B54 ###### Night four, still walking Blue hour on an open ridge, one headlamp. Wide, quiet frames that make the walk feel long and worth it. #### Channel matrix Role, lead asset and weight by channel | Channel | Role | Lead asset | Message focus | Flight | Weight | | ------------------- | -------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------- | --------------- | ------ | | YouTube + CTV | Aware | Hero film 60 s / 30 s | The proposition, full story | 10 Mar – 14 Apr | ●●●_●_ | | Meta + Instagram | Aware | Tester cutdowns, statics | Real wear, named testers | 10 Mar – 30 Apr | ●●●● | | TikTok | Consider | 6 s + 15 s verticals | Field repairs, pack-outs | 17 Mar – 30 Apr | ●●_●●_ | | Google Search | Convert | RSA sets by pack size | Litres, weight, repair promise | 10 Mar – 30 Apr | ●●●_●_ | | Email | Convert | 3-part launch series | Early access, 48 h for the list | 05 – 12 Mar | ●●_●●_ | | Trailheads + retail | Consider | Posters, shelf talkers | "Take the long way round." | 10 Mar – 31 May | ●_●●●_ | Northfold Studio × Kestrel Outdoor Co. · Spring 2027 Brief · 2 / 2 ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a creative brief? A creative brief is a short document that aligns a team before creative work starts. It states the objective, the audience, the one insight to build on, what must be included, what to deliver, and the budget. Everyone works from the same brief instead of guessing. ### What should a creative brief include? Include the objective, the target audience, one memorable insight, any mandatories like logo rules or legal claims, a list of deliverables with formats, the budget, and a line for sign-off. This template has a numbered section for each one. ### Who writes a creative brief? A brand manager, marketing lead, or account manager at an agency usually writes the brief, then the creative or production team works from it. A clear brief saves rounds of revision because the team knows the target before it starts. ### Is this creative brief template free? Yes. You can customize the creative brief template for free and download it as a print-ready PDF. Describe your campaign and the AI fills in each numbered section for you. ## Related reading - [Lead magnets for consultants and agencies](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/lead-magnet-for-consultants) - [How to design a professional PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-design-a-professional-pdf) - [What "client-ready" means for a client deliverable PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/client-deliverable-pdf-client-ready) [Use this template](https://buildpdfs.com/signup?templateId=creative-brief) — free, no credit card required.