Campaign Concepts

When to Activate

Use this skill when brainstorming a new marketing campaign, developing a "big idea" that unifies messaging across channels, writing a creative brief, naming a campaign, planning a seasonal or cultural moment campaign, developing a product launch campaign, creating a brand campaign, or when someone asks to "come up with a campaign idea" or "create a campaign concept." Also activate when existing campaigns feel tactical and disconnected — lacking a unifying creative thread.

First Questions

Before developing a campaign concept, clarify:

1. What is the business objective? (launch, awareness, lead gen, sales, repositioning, recruitment)
2. Who is the target audience? (persona, awareness level, relationship to brand)
3. What is the single most important message? (the one thing the audience should think, feel, or do)
4. What channels will this campaign run on? (determines creative format constraints)
5. What is the budget? (dictates production ambition)
6. What is the timeline? (concept to launch window)
7. Are there brand guidelines or mandatories? (tone, visual identity, legal requirements, compliance)

Core Rules

1. A campaign is not a collection of tactics. A campaign is a unified creative idea expressed across multiple touchpoints. If you can't describe the concept in one sentence, it's not a concept — it's a task list.
2. Start with the insight, not the execution. The best campaigns are built on a human truth — something the audience feels deeply but hasn't articulated. Find the insight first, then build the creative around it.
3. One campaign, one message. Trying to communicate three things means communicating nothing. Pick the single most important message and make everything serve it.
4. The audience is the hero. The campaign should be about the audience's world, not the brand's achievements. The brand is the enabler, not the protagonist.
5. Good concepts are channel-agnostic. A great idea works as a billboard, a social post, an email, and a conversation. If it only works in one format, it's an execution, not a concept.
6. Simple ideas win. If you need a paragraph to explain the concept, it's too complex. The best campaign ideas can be understood in 5 seconds.

Big Idea Development

The Insight-Tension-Resolution Framework

Every great campaign starts with three elements:

1. Insight — A truth about the audience that is universally recognized but not commonly articulated.

How to find insights:

• Customer interviews: "What keeps you up at night about [topic]?"
• Social listening: What emotional conversations happen in your category?
• Review mining: What do customers praise/complain about in ways that reveal deeper feelings?
• Cultural observation: What broader cultural tensions connect to your category?

Example insights:

• "Marketers feel like they're always behind — the industry moves faster than they can learn."
• "Small business owners feel guilty when they take time off because they ARE the business."
• "Developers hate marketing speak, but they also hate products that don't explain what they do."

2. Tension — The conflict between what the audience wants and what currently exists. Tension creates attention.

Example tensions:

• "You want to be data-driven, but you drown in dashboards and still make gut decisions."
• "You want work-life balance, but checking email at 11pm feels like dedication."
• "You want to grow your business, but every growth tactic feels like spam."

3. Resolution — How your brand resolves the tension. This becomes the campaign's creative territory.

Example resolutions:

• "One dashboard that answers the questions that actually matter. Not more data — better decisions."
• "A tool that does the work while you're living your life. Growth should be automatic, not exhausting."
• "Marketing that people actually want to receive. Growth through value, not volume."

From Resolution to Big Idea

The big idea is the creative expression of the resolution. It should be:

• Memorable: Can be reduced to a phrase or image that sticks.
• Elastic: Works across formats, channels, and time periods.
• Ownable: Couldn't easily be claimed by a competitor.
• Emotional: Makes people feel something, not just think something.
• Actionable: Naturally leads to a clear CTA.

Big idea formula: "What if we [creative approach] to show that [resolution/brand truth]?"

Examples:

• "What if we showed all the things that happen while our tool runs automatically — moments of real life, not more work?"
• "What if we let our customers write the ads using the exact words they use to describe us?"
• "What if we created a fake competitor that represents everything wrong with the category — then showed how we're the opposite?"

Creative Brief Template

A creative brief is the single document that aligns everyone on what the campaign is, why it exists, and what it must achieve. It should be one page.

Background

[2-3 sentences on the business context. Why are we doing this campaign now?]

Objective

[One sentence. What must this campaign achieve? Be specific and measurable.]

Example: "Generate 2,000 qualified leads for the Q2 product launch within 6 weeks."

Target Audience

[Who are we talking to? Use persona name if available. Include their current relationship with the brand (awareness level).]

Insight

[The human truth that the campaign is built on. One sentence.]

Single Most Important Message

[If the audience remembers only one thing from this campaign, what is it? One sentence.]

Supporting Messages

[2-3 proof points or secondary messages that support the main message.]

1. [Supporting message 1 — usually a proof point]
2. [Supporting message 2 — usually a benefit]
3. [Supporting message 3 — usually social proof]

Tone and Personality

[How should the campaign feel? Confident, not arrogant. Witty, not silly. Technical, not jargony. Include 2-3 tone descriptors with clarifying "not" statements.]

Mandatories

[Non-negotiable requirements: logo placement, legal disclaimers, hashtags, FTC disclosure, brand guidelines, competitive restrictions.]

Deliverables

[List every asset needed with specifications.]

Deliverable	Specs	Channel	Due Date
Hero video	60 sec, 16:9 + 9:16	YouTube, social	[date]
Social posts	5 posts per platform	Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter	[date]
Email sequence	3 emails	Email	[date]
Landing page	Desktop + mobile	Web	[date]
Display ads	300x250, 728x90, 160x600	Display network	[date]

Budget

[Total creative budget. Does NOT include media spend.]

Success Metrics

[How will we know this campaign worked?]

Metric	Target
[Primary metric]	[Target]
[Secondary metric]	[Target]
[Tertiary metric]	[Target]

Campaign Theme Development

A campaign theme is the unifying creative territory. It goes beyond a tagline — it defines the visual, verbal, and experiential world of the campaign.

Theme Components

Campaign name: A memorable, ownable phrase that captures the concept.

• Good: "The Great Unsubscribe" (campaign about email fatigue)
• Good: "Built Different" (campaign about product differentiation)
• Bad: "Q2 Spring Campaign" (operational, not creative)
• Bad: "Innovation Excellence Initiative" (corporate speak)

Tagline/Headline: The primary verbal expression of the theme.

• Should work standalone — out of context, on a billboard, in a subject line.
• Should be 3-8 words.
• Should provoke a reaction: curiosity, recognition, emotion.

Visual world: The aesthetic territory.

• Color palette, photography style, illustration style, typography.
• Must be consistent across all campaign touchpoints.
• Should be distinct from brand's everyday visual identity (campaigns should feel special).

Sonic identity (if applicable): Music, sound design, voice.

• A consistent audio signature across video and audio content.

Naming Campaigns

Good campaign names:

• Evoke the insight or tension: "The Midnight Hustler" (targeting overworked founders)
• Use unexpected contrast: "Beautiful Chaos" (embracing imperfection)
• Create intrigue: "The 37% Problem" (stat that demands explanation)
• Are action-oriented: "Start Before You're Ready" (motivational push)
• Use audience language: "Not Another Webinar" (self-aware, relatable)

Bad campaign names:

• Internal project codes: "Project Phoenix"
• Generic descriptors: "Summer Sale 2026"
• Jargon: "Synergy Summit"
• Too clever: Puns or references only insiders understand

Creative Concept Presentation Structure

When presenting campaign concepts to stakeholders:

1. The Setup (2 minutes)

• Business context: Why are we doing this?
• Audience insight: What truth did we uncover?
• The tension: What conflict does this create?

2. The Big Idea (1 minute)

• State the concept in one sentence.
• Show the campaign name and tagline.
• Let it land. Pause.

3. The Executions (5-7 minutes)

• Show how the concept comes to life across channels.
• Start with the hero execution (the most impactful piece).
• Show 3-5 channel-specific examples.
• For each: explain the format, the message, and why it works for that channel.

4. The System (2 minutes)

• Show how it scales over time (phases, seasonal adaptations, always-on elements).
• Show visual consistency across touchpoints.
• Explain how it flexes for different audience segments.

5. Measurement (1 minute)

• How we'll know it worked.
• Key metrics and targets.
• Testing plan.

Presenting Multiple Concepts

• Present 2-3 concepts max. More than that creates decision paralysis.
• Don't present a "safe" option alongside bold ones. All options should be strong.
• Present them in order of recommendation (your best first or last, never in the middle).
• Give each concept a working name so stakeholders can refer to them.

Concept Testing Methods

Before Launch

• Internal review: Share with 5-10 people outside the marketing team. Can they explain the concept back to you? If not, it's not clear enough.
• Audience panel: Show the concept to 5-10 target audience members. Ask: "What does this make you feel? What would you do after seeing this? What's confusing?"
• Social media test: Run the core message as an organic social post. Does it resonate without the full campaign production behind it?
• A/B testing headlines: Run 2-3 headline variations as paid ads with small budget. Let data guide the final direction.

During Campaign

• Real-time social listening: Monitor sentiment, share rate, and organic conversation.
• Mid-flight optimization: After Week 1, double down on best-performing creative and pause underperformers.
• Engagement quality: Look at comment quality, not just quantity. Are people engaging with the concept or just reacting to the creative?

Campaign Examples with Analysis

What Makes Great Campaigns Work

Example 1: Spotify Wrapped

• Insight: People love sharing their identity, and music is deeply personal.
• Tension: Social media is performative, but people crave authentic self-expression.
• Resolution: Give people a personalized, shareable snapshot of their real listening behavior.
• Why it works: User-generated distribution. Personalization at scale. Annual anticipation. Identity expression. Zero media spend needed for viral reach.

Example 2: Slack's "So Yeah, We Tried Slack"

• Insight: Teams adopt tools bottom-up, not top-down. The real sell is peer experience.
• Tension: Enterprise software marketing feels corporate and disconnected from how teams actually work.
• Resolution: Let real teams tell their real stories, awkwardness and all.
• Why it works: Social proof from relatable companies. Authentic voice. Shows the product in context, not in isolation. Addresses skepticism with honesty.

Example 3: Apple's "Shot on iPhone"

• Insight: Everyone believes their phone camera is "good enough" — but rarely sees what "good enough" can really do.
• Tension: Camera quality claims are marketing noise. No one believes spec comparisons.
• Resolution: Show, don't tell. Use customer-created content as the ad itself.
• Why it works: UGC as proof. Aspirational but achievable. Infinite creative variety within a consistent format. Customer as co-creator.

Common Pattern in Successful Campaigns

1. They start with a genuine human insight.
2. They're built on tension (something that makes you feel "yes, exactly").
3. They make the audience the hero.
4. They work across channels without being reformatted — they're adapted.
5. They're simple enough to explain in one sentence.
6. They create a format that can be repeated over time.

Multi-Channel Creative Adaptation

A campaign concept must flex across channels without losing its essence. Adaptation is NOT resizing.

Adaptation Principles

• Maintain the core idea, adapt the expression. The insight and message stay consistent. The format, length, and style change per channel.
• Respect platform culture. A LinkedIn post should feel like a LinkedIn post, not a repurposed Instagram caption.
• Lead with the strongest format. If the concept is visual, lead with Instagram/YouTube. If it's a narrative, lead with email/long-form. If it's participatory, lead with social.
• Create channel-specific hero content. Don't just resize. Create native content for each platform's strongest format.

Adaptation by Channel

Channel	Adaptation Focus	Primary Format	Length
Video (YouTube, TV)	Full narrative, emotional storytelling	30-60 sec hero, 6-15 sec cutdowns	Long
Instagram	Visual impact, aesthetic consistency	Reels, carousels, Stories	Short-medium
TikTok	Native trends, authentic voice, entertainment	Vertical video, creator-style	Short
LinkedIn	Professional insight, thought leadership angle	Text post, document carousel, video	Medium
Twitter/X	Provocative take, conversation starter	Thread or single tweet	Very short
Email	Personal, direct, CTA-driven	Designed email or plain-text	Medium
Landing page	Full story, conversion-optimized	Long-form page	Long
Display ads	Single message, visual impact, clear CTA	Static or animated banners	Very short
OOH / Print	Bold visual, minimal text, memorable	Poster, billboard	Minimal

Seasonal and Cultural Moment Campaigns

Planning Calendar

Build a 12-month calendar of moments your brand can credibly participate in:

• Industry moments: Product launches, conferences, annual reports, funding announcements
• Cultural moments: New Year, back-to-school, end-of-year, seasonal shifts
• Awareness days/months: Relevant awareness campaigns (only those genuinely connected to your brand)
• Competitive moments: When competitors launch — counter-programming opportunities
• Arbitrary brand moments: Anniversaries, milestones, customer count landmarks

Participation Criteria

Before jumping on a moment, ask:

1. Is there a genuine connection to our brand? (If you have to stretch, skip it.)
2. Can we add value, not just noise? (What do we offer that no one else can?)
3. Is this appropriate for our brand? (Some moments are risky — political, sensitive, divisive.)
4. Do we have time to do it well? (Rushed moment marketing is worse than no moment marketing.)

Creative Brainstorming Techniques

"What If" Exercise

Start every brainstorming session with "What if..." prompts:

• "What if our product didn't exist — how would people solve this problem?"
• "What if we could only use one word to describe our brand?"
• "What if our biggest customer told our story?"
• "What if we admitted the thing everyone knows but nobody says?"

Reversal Technique

Take the expected approach and do the opposite:

• Expected: Show the product's features. Reversal: Show what happens when you DON'T have the product.
• Expected: Use polished production. Reversal: Use raw, unfiltered content.
• Expected: Target your buyer. Reversal: Target the people your buyer trusts.

Mashup Method

Combine two unrelated concepts to create a fresh perspective:

• Your product + an unexpected context (a CRM explained through a cooking analogy)
• Your industry + a different industry's format (SaaS marketing using reality TV format)
• Your message + an unexpected medium (a B2B brand using a children's book format)

Constraint-Based Ideation

Impose artificial constraints to force creative thinking:

• "The entire campaign must fit in a tweet."
• "No words allowed — visual only."
• "The campaign must work with zero budget."
• "A 5-year-old must understand the message."

Reference Collection

Before brainstorming, collect 15-20 campaign examples from inside AND outside your industry that inspire the team. Analyze what works and why. Use them as springboards, not templates.

Quality Gate

Before delivering a campaign concept:

• The concept is built on a genuine audience insight (not a product feature)
• The big idea can be explained in one sentence
• The concept works across at least 3 channels without losing its essence
• The campaign has a memorable name and tagline
• A creative brief is completed with all sections filled
• The concept is distinct from competitor campaigns and the brand's own recent work
• The single most important message is clear and not diluted by secondary messages
• The audience is the hero of the story, not the brand
• Executions are adapted per channel (not just resized)
• Success metrics and targets are defined
• The concept has been stress-tested: Can a stranger understand it? Can a skeptic poke holes in it?
• If testing is feasible, a testing plan is included