Key Takeaways:
- Most creative problems start as strategy problems: an unclear message, an unfinished name or a campaign with too many goals.
- Getting your core message down first gives every headline, post and pitch something to point back to.
- A name is a long-term decision and deserves a process, not a brainstorm and a gut call.
- A short pre-launch check catches the gaps that cause a campaign to lose attention.
- Franco Creative is sharing three of the tools we use with clients, free to download.
When a brand project goes sideways, it usually isn’t the design. It’s the decisions that were supposed to happen before the design: what’s being said, what things are called and what we want people to do. Skip those steps and the creative ends up carrying weight it was never built to carry.
Our creative team works through the same three questions with nearly every client project, whether we’re building a brand from scratch or launching a single campaign. We’ve turned each step into a worksheet or checklist – keep reading to learn more and access these tools to support a strategic start to your next creative project.
1. What Are We Actually Saying?
If three people on your team would describe your organization three different ways, your audience is hearing all three. Consistent messaging doesn’t mean repeating the same sentence everywhere. It means every headline, social post and sales conversation comes from the same core idea.
Before we write a word of copy, we ask:
- Who are we talking to, specifically? “Everyone” isn’t an audience.
- What do we want them to understand about us? One idea they’ll remember beats five they won’t.
- Why should they believe it? Every claim needs proof behind it.
The Messaging Framework Starter walks you through getting those answers on paper so your team is working from the same understanding.
2. What Are We Calling It?
A name has to work in a media pitch, in a search result, over the phone and on a sign. Then it has to keep working as you grow and evolve. Most naming goes sideways because someone commits to a word before doing the work that makes it a strategic choice.
The Naming Worksheet is two pages. You start with the job your name has to accomplish, ground every candidate in your positioning and open up five naming territories. Then your shortlist goes through a scorecard and six reality checks, including our favorite: say it out loud in a noisy room.
It works for a company, a product, a program or a rebrand.
3. Is This Clear Enough to Launch?
Campaigns rarely fail because nobody saw them. They fail because people saw them and weren’t sure what to do next. Too many messages, too many calls to action or a landing page that doesn’t match the ad will all limit the attention (and intended action) you paid for.
Clarity beats volume. The Campaign Clarity Checklist is eight checkpoints to run through before anything goes live. If a box stays empty, that’s the area that needs more attention and consideration.
Put the Tools to Work
Used together, the three tools follow the order most projects should: settle the message, name the thing, then check the launch. Download whichever one you need now, or grab all three:
- Messaging Framework Starter: Get your core message on paper before the creative starts.
- Naming Worksheet: Go from a blank page to a name you can commit to.
- Campaign Clarity Checklist: Eight checks to run before your campaign goes live.
If you’re working through a brand, naming project or campaign and want another set of eyes, reach out to Franco Creative.
Lily Stotz is Art Director at Franco. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
