One of my favorite people to follow on Twitter is Lee Clow, Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide. I always find inspiration in what he has to say, and his January 6 tweet was no different:

Certainly the epicenter of creativity within any agency is the creative department. The stories that come out of creative are what ultimately get seen by consumers, and it is those stories that help build our client’s brands.

However, where does a creative team get its inspiration? Some would say that it comes from their inner creative soul. Others would say it comes from an afternoon or two brainstorming at the local pub. I’d argue that neither is correct. I believe inspiration is born out of the creative brief.

Some would say that I am captain of the obvious. That may be true, but when is the last time you wrote a creative brief that truly inspired the creative department to do great work? When is the last time you looked at the brief you or your account planner wrote and asked yourself, “Does this strategy have legs?”

We all certainly have no problem looking at the work and asking the creative team to “show us how this big idea can work as a 360 degree integrated campaign that will surround our consumers in meaningful and relevant ways.” I do it all the time. So why not ask the same question of the person who wrote the creative brief?

Writing a creative brief should be hard. It should take time. It should be written, and then re-written. It should be reviewed by account team, the creative director, and the client before the briefing takes place. It should be a document everyone believes, and believes in.

At Luckie & Company we believe in the power of stories. Stories that help build brands. The next time you sit down to write a creative brief try to think differently about the information that goes into the brief:

Instead of:
What is the situation?

Consider:
What is the main problem your character has to solve and why is it so deeply important to your character?

Instead of:
What is the objective?

Consider:
What terrible difficulties are there between your character and the solution to his/her problems?

Instead of:
Idea support

Consider:
What are the main events that will move your character toward (or away from) solving the novel’s central problem or achieving its goal?

Instead of:
Brand personality and tonality

Consider:
Age, relationship status, current family, friends, hobbies, sense of humor, temper, how others see him/her and philosophy of life

Instead of:
Communication ideas

Consider:
A one- or two-sentence summary of your story’s main idea (aka, “The blurb for the book jacket”)

If you take extra time and effort to treat the creative brief as a story outline to inspire your creative department, not only will they genuinely appreciate it but in the end they will be able to deliver a more powerful storyline that consumers will want to hear over and over again.

Mike Knowles is VP/Group Account Director at Luckie & Company. You can contact him by email or follow him on Twitter.

Photo credit: Lucius Beebe Memorial Library via Flickr

It’s a day for the big dogs – the Budweisers, Cokes, and car companies galore – to showcase their best spots. A few of those big names started out as unknown commodities that let it all ride on one Super Bowl ad, and hit big. We’re not talking about the ads you remember for the companies you don’t (We’re looking at you EDS “Cat Hearders”), we’re talking about household names built between the gridiron commercial breaks.

Not surprisingly, all of these companies are dot-coms. There aren’t many other eras in history where start-up companies had the capital to blow on a Super Bowl commercial and the guts to go all out. Some of them may have existed for a few years before their Super Bowl debuts but it was the big-game risk that launched or saved their company from disappearing into Internet oblivion. Let’s take a look at three success stories.

Monster.com

Monster.com, the online employment website, launched in mid-January 1999 and literally weeks later exploded on to the scene with their Super Bowl ad “When I Grow Up.” The spot cost the Internet start-up $4 million, but there is no telling how much in extra servers and manpower were purchased in anticipation of the surge in traffic. The risk paid off and Monster.com had more than 2.2 million job searches in the following 24 hours and has remained the largest job search site in the world for more than a decade.

GoDaddy.com

The company formerly known as Jomax Technologies changed its name to Go Daddy in 1999, with relative success. However, the company didn’t truly break out until April 2005, a short three months after they aired their first Super Bowl Ad. Controversy is the name of their game, and no one does it better than Go Daddy. On the heels of the 2004 Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction,” Go Daddy decided to cash in on the joke in their spot.

In the last six years, the domain registrar and Web hosting company has released their annual Super Bowl ad featuring beautiful women in various degrees is undress, always cutting the commercial and requesting viewers go online to see the rest of the “banned” footage. It’s a somewhat tired trick at this point, but the 2005 spot will go down in history for originally pushing the proverbial envelope.

HomeAway.com

Launched in 2005, HomeAway.com is the world’s largest network of online vacation rental marketplaces. However, until 2010, most people didn’t know about HomeAway or the affordability of their product. Faced with the task of getting their name into every household in America, CEO Brian Fitzsimmons set his eyes on America’s big game. The company spent a large portion of its 2010 marketing budget on their 30-second advertisement. Their spot focused on the vacation-challenged Griswold family, which meant in addition to the cost of purchasing a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl, HomeAway.com would also have to pay Warner Bros. Films for the rights to the characters.

The spot paid off big for HomeAway.com, which had more than 1 million visitors to its site in 24 hours. The same can probably not be said for their ill-fated 2011 spot “Test Baby,” that was met with less enthusiastic reviews.

There are lots of start-up ads that faded away much more quickly than memories of their commercials but it’s nice to be reminded of the risk takers who survived. Can you think of any more companies that launched their brand with Super Bowl commercials?

Kammie Avant is Social Media Planner at Luckie & Company. You can contact her by email or follow her on Twitter.

Photo credit: Teny Jr via Flickr

Darien Barlow

Darien is our resident mastermind of project management. Darien’s vital role as Project Manager includes estimating time and money for projects, creating schedules and, of course, managing projects through their production life cycle. It’s a daunting task, but Darien handles it deftly and has become an invaluable team member. To unwind, Darien likes to run and is a die-hard Auburn University sports fan.

Molly Folse

Tireless work ethic? Fantastic writer? Great attitude? Yep, that’s Molly in a nutshell. Molly joined Luckie about a year ago as a substitute Proofreader. Since then, she has transitioned into a full-time role as Digital Content Coordinator, supplying mountains of copy for websites; creating social media and content calendars; and helping to perfect our clients’ websites. Molly honed her writing skills as a copy editor and writer for various Birmingham publications, including a stint as managing editor at Birmingham Weekly. Molly enjoys cooking, photography and bargain hunting.

Lois Krolikowski

As Luckie Strategic PR continues to grow, so does our need for talented team members. Enter Lois, our new Account Executive. Before coming to Luckie, Lois gained experience with firms specializing in franchises and consumer products, securing hundreds of local and national interviews for clients such as AAMCO Transmissions, Huddle House, The Pita Pit, Mythic Paint and Lawn Doctor. Lois is an Auburn graduate and is planning a summer wedding with her fiance.

Tom Miller

We’re not afraid to brag that Luckie is home to some of the brightest developers in the South, and Tom is one of those guys we’re happy to have. Prior to Luckie, Tom gained experience as a lead developer for applications to manage natural gas pipelines. Since coming into the Luckie fold, he’s done great work on less explosive things, including BackedByBayer.com and Bayer Advanced extranet.

Evan Travers

They don’t come any nicer, or smarter, than Evan. Our newest Developer is responsible for implementing the front-end code that makes our projects look great on any device or browser. He’s an expert in Web standards, HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Evan possesses a keen creative and analytical mind – in his spare time he dabbles in photography and solving mind-boggling  mathematical computer problems.

Tralana Wyatt

There’s nothing like reuniting with old friends. Tralana rejoined Luckie late last summer after a five-year vacation. Tralana is a key part of our Direct Marketing team, serving as a Production Coordinator and managing audits of our mailings for AT&T. She also makes sure artwork and proofs are approved. She’s currently completing her MBA in Human Resource Management and loves spending time with family, friends and her sorority.

Shari Wimberly

The role of agency Proofreader is one of the most vital important positions at Luckie. Thankfully, we have Shari as guardian of accuracy. Prior to joining us, Shari worked at My Recipes.com as production assistant and as a contract copy editor/proofreader for Oakstone Medical Publishing. Shari loves to sing, even along with appliances like washers and dryers. She also enjoys movies and unwinding with a newspaper.

Piper Weaver

Piper impressed us so much during her stint as a Design Intern that we just couldn’t let her go. As our Junior Designer, she has crafted outstanding images as part of our Creative team. Those images include the fantastic graphics featured in our monthly Luckie Family Panel series. Piper, a native of Northern California, is a big fan of the outdoors, especially skiing and hiking. She also loves keeping up with her sketchbook and baking.

Suzanne Smiley

A few months ago, we were looking to hire a new External Traffic Coordinator. Little did we realize that the perfect candidate was right under our noses. Suzanne, formerly a New Business Intern, seamlessly transitioned into her new role. Suzanne helps open and traffic Luckie’s new jobs while also keeping in touch with publications that run our ads. In her spare time, she volunteers with local Boys and Girls Clubs and Save First, helping low-income families prepare their taxes.

Sadie Mason-Smith

They say first impressions last longest, and that’s why Sadie is the first face you see when visiting Luckie. Her infectious personality makes her the perfect fit for her role as Receptionist. Sadie is well-versed, boasting a background in technical writing, office administration and proofing. And she also has a magnificent singing voice, which she’ll gladly demonstrate. Sadie also blogs about science fiction under the her pseudonym “liricos” at macabremansion.com.

Elizabeth Marbury

Liz is definitely a go-getter, and that’s why she excels as our Office Assistant. Liz manages the vital, yet overlooked, areas of Luckie’s daily operations including office supplies; maintaining the kitchens and conference rooms; and outgoing mail. Originally from Florence, AL and a graduate of Ole Miss, Liz previously worked in the construction and banking industries.

Edward Bowser is Community Manager at Luckie & Company. You can contact him by e-mail or follow @etbowser on Twitter.

Luckie & Company occasionally publishes a series of marketplace-specific Trend Tracker newsletters. This month, we take a quick, topical look into the restaurant industry. While we sometimes look at traditional stuff like new campaigns and promotions, we tend to focus on interesting insights that relate to emerging technologies, digital and social happenings and consumer behavior.

Read below for the headline stories and download the report for free by clicking the link.

Restaurant Trend Tracker

• Pin It & Cook It
• Gluten-Free Craze
• Surprise, Surprise
• Flexible Food
• Wine Has Never Been So Sweet
• Caffeine Addicts, Unite
• 2012 Social Media Strategies
• Bargain Hunting
• Pay What You Can?
• Whopper Delivery

For a free subscription to Trend Trackers — or our other monthly newsletter, Generational News and Views — contact Jay Waters via email.

Edward Bowser is Community Manager at Luckie & Company. You can contact him by email or follow him on Twitter.