Member Article

How to create killer propositions…

Behind every great campaign lies a great brief. And at the heart of every great brief, lies a killer proposition, writes Christian James, managing director of The if agency.

For the planner or account handler, the proposition box on the brief is our chance to create something. Something that will direct and inspire the creative minds to deliver some magic. So what makes a proposition a killer?

Well, after 20 years of developing creative briefs for brands as diverse as IBM and Paddy Power, I know I’ve written a few killer propositions. But in my early days I know I wrote some absolute shockers. So I’m well placed to pass judgement, I think. There’s a commonality to the shockers. See if you recognise the symptoms:

• Written in haste
• No research
• Lack of consumer insight
• Haven’t actually used the product/been to the ‘shop’
• Don’t have any personal empathy with the sector
• The job’s not worth much
• The client hates people with ginger hair, (is that just me?)

All of the above are reasons. But they are no excuse. Fundamentally, if you cannot put yourself in the shoes of the target and feel what they feel, think what they are thinking or convey what they want….ask someone else to do it, get your coat and get the early bus home. Because to write a killer proposition, you have to be able to capture and deliver genuine insight. If you can’t, you are in the wrong job.

Whether your proposition is written as a strapline, or an open sentence, it has to be Relevant, Distinctive and Truthful. Many years working at some great agencies on great brands has taught me this.

I remember seeing the John Smith’s creative brief that lead to the famous Peter Kay ‘no nonsense’ campaign. The killer proposition? ‘John Smith’s is the no nonsense beer for the no nonsense beer drinker’. What creative wouldn’t give their dog’s dick to work on that brief? Truthful? Of course. It reminds me that there’s nothing complicated about beer. And the name says it all. Relevant? In spades. The ‘new man’ image was hard to live up to. Can’t we be just blokes again and have a laugh? Distinctive? At the time, beer drinkers were being offered ever more complex lager options, in fancy delivery systems, with fancy names. Or Guinness, with it’s thought provoking, in-penetrable messages. This would stand out like the proverbial thing I mentioned earlier.

You know when you have written a killer. You cannot wait to share it. But be warned….what looks like a killer, is sometimes an imposter! Give yourself some time to mull it over. What kind of ideas is it generating for you? Do they come easily? Would your mate who’s a surveyor get it? Good point, no one has a mate who’s a surveyor. But you know what I mean.

Finally, a little thumb rule to see whether you have a proposition or not. Type out your proposition at the end of this sentence: ’If I spend my money with ‘BRAND X’ I will get………’. If the sentence reads correctly, there’s is a good chance you have a proposition on your hands. Whether it’s a killer or not is another matter, (see above). The reason this little trick works is simple. The proposition is the just the offer that the brand is making you. And we are all inherently selfish…we always want to know what’s in it for me? So if the proposition can clearly explain what ‘I am going to get’, it has a good chance of working.

Writing a great brief is not an option, it’s a necessity. Make time. Every time. Do your research. Have answers to the annoying ‘why’ questions. Insight is inspiring. So seek out the truth, find the relevance and make it distinct. And you too can deliver a killer proposition.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by The if agency .