What should a campaign brief with an artist contain?

A good brief lets the agency and the artist understand the project without guessing its constraints. It does not necessarily have to lock the creative idea. Above all, it should clarify the problem, the expectations and the conditions in which the campaign will have to exist.

Context and goal

Start by explaining the product, the service or the message, then the reason for the campaign. What change do you expect from the audience? Awareness, consideration, launch, traffic, sales, sign-ups, image, branded content or cultural presence do not lead to the same setup.

Priority audience

Describe the target without reducing it to an age. What are its habits, its interests, its relationship to the brand and the platforms where the campaign can genuinely reach it?

Expected role of the artist

Specify whether the artist should embody the message, test a product, take part in a story, produce content in their usual format, appear at an event or co-create the concept. If this role is still open, say so explicitly.

Deliverables and channels

List the formats considered: video, reel, story, live, photography, interview, event appearance, long-form content, variations or brand assets. Indicate the accounts and distribution channels planned.

Realistic timeline

The timeline must include the launch date, but also the steps that make it possible: recommendation, agreement, contract, concept, pre-production, shoot, editing, feedback, approval and publication.

Budget

A budget or a range makes it possible to propose a realistic setup. Specify whether it includes the artist's fee, the production, the rights, the paid media, travel and technical costs.

Usage rights

The brief should indicate:

• the media;
• the territories;
• the duration;
• reposting;
• whitelisting or dark posting;
• the paid media budget;
• planned adaptations;
• uses beyond social media.

These rights directly influence the price and the artist's decision.

Exclusivity

If the brand requests exclusivity, it must specify the sector, the competitors involved, the territory and the duration. Wording that is too broad can block collaborations with no direct link to the project.

Approvals and obligations

Indicate the legal mentions, mandatory elements, products to show, forbidden messages, number of rounds and decision-makers. The longer the approval chain, the more the timeline must account for it.

What can stay open

The concept, the tone, the location, the punchline or certain formats can be left to build. A useful brief separates the non-negotiable constraints from the spaces where the artist and the creative team can propose.

NOWAVE can step in before the brief is finalized to structure this information and build a coherent project with the artists under consideration.