A launch brief often arrives as a list of things to make: a film, a website, a deck and a run of social posts. That list can price production. It does not yet explain what the launch needs to achieve or what those pieces should say.
Write the brief around the customer decision first. Then give each asset a role in that decision. The structure below is a working proposal for an early launch, not a claim that every business needs the same campaign.
Name the person and the immediate problem
Describe a specific situation in which the product is useful. "People who like design" gives a team little to work with. "A small workspace needs a lamp that leaves the main desk area clear" gives the team something it can question and show.
GOV.UK's user-needs guidance distinguishes a user's problem from a proposed solution and asks teams to test assumptions through research. Apply that distinction here: record what you know about the customer and what you still need to find out. The desk example is hypothetical.
State what is actually available
Write down the product version, offer and next action. Can the visitor buy now, request a quote, join a waiting list or book a demonstration? Who answers that action, and what will the person receive next?
A launch page for an available product and a page for an early concept need different wording. Keep expected features separate from confirmed features in the source material. The person writing the page should not have to guess which list is current.
Attach evidence to the important statements
Create a short list of the claims the launch needs to make. Beside each, name the supporting item and its owner. Dimensions can point to an approved drawing. A use sequence can point to the actual sample. A performance statement needs the relevant test record and conditions.
If support is missing, mark the statement unresolved. Do not ask the film or the copy to fill the gap. This makes it possible to approve the visual direction while holding an unsupported statement out of the final material.
Give each asset one main job
The opening film might introduce the use situation. Product photographs can explain the object. A page can bring the offer, detail and response together. A short sales document may help a buyer discuss the purchase with colleagues.
Choose these roles for the project in front of you. Do not commission a format merely because another launch used it. For each item, state the placement, audience, required information and next step. Some items will share material; others will need their own production.
Put decisions and dependencies in the brief
Customer situation: [who, where and what they need to do].
Available offer: [product version and commercial details].
Main customer action: [one next step].
Evidence: [approved files, samples and records].
Open questions: [unknowns and who will resolve them].
Assets: [each item's role and delivery format].
Approvals: [who approves the product facts and the creative work].
Dependencies: [sample, packaging, translation or other input].
Release condition: [what must be ready before publication].
A useful first conversation can start with gaps in this sheet. BDWY can discuss which design, model or content work is needed to turn that brief into a defined scope.
BDWY Studios
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