How to Write a Marketing Research Brief: A Step by Step Guide

While studying in FIU/MAS’s Global Strategic Communication Creative Track graduate program you will be weighing your career options upon graduation, from working as a freelancer to working in a digital marketing agency. You will find out that your options will open up as you become exposed to many professionals doing distinct and unique work in the field. This guide is a sample of the kind of skills you will acquire in this program. As a creative or strategist, you have to step back and get organized to conduct research on your brand, consumer brand usage and attitudes as well as understand the market conditions which can influence the way creative work is executed. The research brief is the document that presents the areas that need to be understood thoroughly and that you will learn in this program.

Also, the beauty of this MS in Mass Communication – Creative Track is that by the time you graduate you will have completed a portfolio from the critically acclaimed Miami Ad School and FIU that is composed of real work proving you are ready to handle anything that the advertising industry may throw at you.

Components Of A Marketing Research Brief (An Example)

1. Introduction or Background

In a marketing research brief, understanding where the brand or the product you are working with is at is extremely important. This introductory section provides a brief historical background that will establish the context for the research study. Descriptions of previous campaigns, how long have the product been in the market, what led to this study and other important elements that will set the stage to formulate a sound study.

2. Research Objectives

This section clearly outlines what needs to be studied using words such as “understand”, “evaluate”, “assess”, etc. An example of a clear research objective is “Understand the experience of female car owners when they take their cars to the auto mechanic”, or something along those lines. To be able to clearly articulate what we are trying to understand is key in research. The resulting insights or revelations from well-done research will allow for a more focused creative brief, which in turn, will guide the creative team to produce ads that will truly resonate with the target audience.

3. Target Audience

It’s important to know your audience. You are probably familiar with this concept, as strategists must always keep their audience in mind especially for a brand or social media. This section describes the research participant who mirrors the target audience you will be advertising to. In other words, you need to recruit the exact consumer your team will be advertising to. Outlining the exact criteria of this consumer is key to recruiting research study participants. If you recruit the wrong target, the resulting data will not be usable. Wrong participants = bad data, or better yet, right participants = insights that will result in great creative work.

4. Methodology

Include the method in which you will approach the market research. One approach is qualitative methodologies such as focus groups meaning talking to people in small groups, ethnographies meaning observation of consumer behaviors, or individual interviews. The other approach is quantitative or surveys, which could be done online, via phone or intercepts, which means talking to people on the street but in significant numbers beyond qualitative individual interviews. Choose which angle best suits the product you are researching and explain why. Include a reasonable budget plan that best suits your project.

5. Scope

If you are currently enrolled in our Global Strategic Communications Masters with FIU and Miami Ad School, you know how important deadlines are for the consummation of a project. Every project requires an execution timeframe, and that what goes into this section. Detail the timetable and approximate number of days or weeks that each phase will take, from beginning to end. This may include dates of certain appointments, meetings and an approximate date for the final presentation to presents the results of the study.

6. Deliverables

What is outlined here is exactly what you will present the client and in what format. For example:

• A written summary of key results
• Video of focus groups key insights
• Audio of participant discussions
• Infographic and/or word cloud of key insights
• Mock-up of ads tested

It is important to stress how research is so critical to the creative strategy development process to ultimately produce creative executions that will truly resonate with the target audience. Producing effective creative work will maximize your clients’ business objectives and that’s why they hired the agency, or you, to begin with. Never underestimate the power of good sound research.

Become A Professional In The Advertising Field With MAS/FIU

Join our community of creative thinkers where we have carefully designed a graduate program to train you in one of four sub-tracks: to become a skilled art director, copywriter, social media manager, brand planner or strategist.

In the business of advertising, becoming an all-around creative professional who understands good copy, has an eye for masterful art direction, and can craft and contribute to social media and brand strategy are skills that will take you far and guarantee a long, successful career.

When you come to study with us, we will give you the skills to complete briefs, projects, and campaigns. Please contact Grizelle de Los Reyes for more information on our Masters of Science in Mass Communication Creative Track, a Masters program focusing on advertising creative offered in partnership between FIU and Miami Ad School.