Open the CSV in Excel, or import it into Google Sheets and choose comma-separated values. Save your working copy in a controlled location. The CSV contains the rows below and space for your notes; it has no macros, formulas or live account connection.
How to use the template
Start with a buying question
Write the decision the viewer needs to make and the evidence that this question matters. Keep observed customer language separate from a team hypothesis. A precise situation is more useful than an invented persona with demographic details that do not affect the assignment.
Attach the promise to evidence
List the actual product behavior, offer terms or demonstration that supports the ad. The production team should be able to see the source. If the promise is not established, change the assignment before generating variations; confident phrasing cannot make an unsupported statement true.
Describe the demonstration
Explain what the viewer sees and learns. A walkthrough, comparison or close-up needs a specific subject and sequence. Keep the concept flexible where exploration is useful, while preserving factual limits and the actual next step. Use authentic assets when identity or product appearance matters.
Define acceptance and measurement separately
A reviewer can approve an accurate, legible ad without knowing whether it will outperform the control. Record those production checks here. Use the creative testing template for randomization, sample size, stopping rules and eventual performance decisions. Keep the approved brief version attached to the final asset.
Preview the worksheet
Every row shown here is included in the download. Scroll the table horizontally on a small screen.
| Brief field | What to decide | Illustrative example |
|---|---|---|
| Version | Stable brief reference and revision | brief-014 / revision 2 |
| Customer situation | The buying decision and relevant context | A shop owner needs to know how appointment confirmation works |
| Research | Evidence for the question or objection | Permitted support themes; label untested hypotheses |
| Promise | One specific supported benefit | Show the request and confirmation workflow |
| Evidence | The source that supports the promise | Current product demo and offer terms |
| Concept | How the ad explains the benefit | A visual walkthrough of the two steps |
| Opening | What should be clear in the first scene | The viewer recognizes the appointment question |
| Demonstration | What the viewer will actually see | Request submitted, then staff confirmation |
| Offer | Current terms and customer eligibility | Eligible locations and actual service terms |
| Next step | The action and what follows it | Request a consultation; staff follows up |
| Destination | Page that fulfills the ad promise | Approved landing page with the same workflow |
| Assets | Available authentic source material | Owned demo, logo and approved product images |
| Production | Placement, duration, format and accessibility needs | Confirm specs; readable captions and safe text placement |
| Boundaries | Claims or depictions to avoid | Do not imply instant confirmation if staff approval is required |
| Review | Acceptance criteria and final reviewer | Fact check, visual legibility and destination match |
| Test handoff | Hypothesis and what is held comparable | Use the separate experiment brief for assignment and sample plan |
Worked review example
Illustrative assignment: explain that a customer requests an appointment and receives confirmation from the shop. The useful demonstration is the two-step flow. A dramatic countdown to an instant booking would contradict the actual process.
The reviewer checks that both steps remain clear on a phone and that the destination offers the same action. A later test can compare a walkthrough with a customer-question format while preserving the offer. Approval of the brief does not establish a winning ad.
What this template does and does not establish
This brief supports production and review. It does not generate assets, grant usage rights, verify claims automatically or replace a controlled experiment. The example is fictional and should be replaced with your own product evidence.