The research worth doing before a campaign becomes a creative brief
Before commissioning a campaign, research the decisions that will shape it: which customer problem matters, what buyers already understand, how they compare options and what evidence they need. Use existing enquiries, customer conversations, competing offers and relevant public information. Separate observed findings from assumptions and market-size estimates so the creative brief rests on evidence it can actually support.
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Discuss an ongoing marketing partnershipGive the research a decision to inform
Research is easier to scope when the campaign decision is clear. A team choosing between two service audiences needs different evidence from a team refining an established offer. Write the decision first, then identify what the team needs to know before committing to a message, audience or channel.
Useful questions include what prompts a buyer to look for help, how they describe the problem, which alternatives they consider and what prevents them from progressing. Ask what would make the offer unsuitable as well as attractive. Those boundaries can improve qualification and prevent a campaign from promising an engagement the organisation does not intend to deliver.
The Australian Government’s market research guidance covers customer, competitor and offer research using several methods. A campaign brief benefits from combining appropriate sources, while recognising that each source answers a different kind of question.
Use a small evidence plan with clear limits
| Source | Useful question | Limit to record |
|---|---|---|
| Recent enquiries and sales questions | What language, concerns and scope questions recur? | Current enquirers may differ from the wider intended audience |
| Customer interviews | How did a recent buying decision unfold? | A few accounts reveal mechanisms, not a representative market share |
| Competing public offers | What choices and claims will the buyer encounter? | Public presentation does not reveal a competitor’s results or internal strategy |
| Search and website observations | Which questions attract attention and where do journeys stop? | Interest and observed behaviour do not establish purchase intent by themselves |
| Relevant industry or public data | What context affects the audience or need? | Check the period, population and definitions before applying the figures |
Record who collected each finding, when it was observed and how it affects the campaign decision. A concise evidence ledger is often more useful to the creative team than a large collection of screenshots with no interpretation.
Ask for recent examples and compare the accounts
In a customer conversation, ask about a specific recent decision rather than only what someone thinks a supplier should say. What happened first? Who became involved? Which information was missing? What changed the shortlist? Follow the sequence while allowing the person to explain surprises or uncertainty.
Keep questions open enough to learn something the team has not assumed. “What made the proposal difficult to evaluate?” can reveal a useful issue. A question that embeds the desired answer may produce agreement without explaining the decision. Separate the participant’s words from the researcher’s interpretation in the working notes.
Use information the organisation is permitted to collect and handle, and avoid placing confidential detail into a public brief. The campaign team usually needs the pattern and implication, not an identifiable account of a customer’s internal discussion. Keep raw research within the approved process and use anonymised summaries where appropriate.
Compare interviews with enquiry records and other evidence. If they disagree, investigate the difference rather than choose the finding that best supports the preferred campaign idea.
Translate findings into choices the creative team can use
A useful research summary connects each important finding to a decision. If buyers repeatedly misunderstand the initial engagement, the campaign may need a clearer scope explanation. If internal approval is the main obstacle, a concise decision resource may be useful. If the audience is too broad, refine the campaign’s fit criteria before expanding distribution.
Use a hypothetical example: a specialist service team assumes its campaign should lead with the breadth of its offer. Reviewed conversations instead show that suitable buyers need to understand one defined starting engagement. The resulting brief focuses on that entry point and provides a route to the wider service information. This is an invented illustration of how research can change a brief.
Note unresolved questions and the test that could answer them. Research rarely removes all uncertainty; it should make the remaining assumptions visible and give the campaign a more deliberate starting point. Keep the original evidence available so later results can be compared with the reasoning behind the work.
The delivery sequence belongs in the plan that follows. Our quarterly marketing planning guide helps connect the chosen direction with resources, approvals and customer demand.
Before approving creative, ask for a short summary of the audience evidence, the campaign decision it supports and the assumptions still being tested. That is a useful basis for a campaign strategy brief.
