creative-brief

name	creative-brief
description	Generate a strategic creative brief for ad campaigns — the bridge between RMBC strategy and creative execution that you hand to a designer or creative team.
user-invocable	true

Preamble (run first)

_RMBC_ROOT=""
[ -d "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../bin" ] && _RMBC_ROOT="$(cd "${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../.." && pwd)"
[ -z "$_RMBC_ROOT" ] && for _D in "$HOME/.claude/skills/dtc-copywriting-skills" ".claude/skills/dtc-copywriting-skills"; do [ -f "$_D/VERSION" ] && _RMBC_ROOT="$_D" && break; done
_UPD=""
[ -n "$_RMBC_ROOT" ] && _UPD=$("$_RMBC_ROOT/bin/rmbc-update-check" 2>/dev/null || true)
[ -n "$_UPD" ] && echo "$_UPD" || true
_INTRO_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.rmbc-skills/.intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
_TEL_PROMPTED=$([ -f ~/.rmbc-skills/.telemetry-prompted ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
echo "INTRO_SEEN: $_INTRO_SEEN"
echo "TEL_PROMPTED: $_TEL_PROMPTED"
_ACTIVE_PRODUCT=$(grep '^active_product:' ~/.rmbc-skills/config.yaml 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^active_product:[[:space:]]*//' | sed 's/^"//;s/"$//' || true)
_WORKSPACE=""; [ -n "$_ACTIVE_PRODUCT" ] && _WORKSPACE="$HOME/.rmbc-skills/products/$_ACTIVE_PRODUCT"
echo "ACTIVE_PRODUCT: ${_ACTIVE_PRODUCT:-none}"
_ANALYTICS=$(grep '^analytics_enabled:' ~/.rmbc-skills/config.yaml 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^analytics_enabled:[[:space:]]*//' || echo "true")
[ "$_ANALYTICS" = "true" ] && [ -n "$_RMBC_ROOT" ] && timeout 2 "$_RMBC_ROOT/bin/rmbc-analytics" log --skill "creative-brief" --product "${_ACTIVE_PRODUCT:-none}" --tier 1 2>/dev/null &

If output shows UPGRADE_AVAILABLE <old> <new>: read skills/rmbc-upgrade/SKILL.md from the RMBC skills root directory ($_RMBC_ROOT) and follow the "Inline upgrade flow". If JUST_UPGRADED <old> <new>: read $_RMBC_ROOT/CHANGELOG.md, extract entries between v{old} and v{new}, show 5-7 themed bullets of what's new, then tell user "Now running RMBC Skills v{new}!" and continue.

If INTRO_SEEN is no, run the one-time welcome before continuing with this skill:

Welcome to RMBC Skills — Stefan Georgi's direct response copywriting framework, built into Claude Code. 44 skills covering hooks, ads, emails, landing pages, VSL scripts, and more.

Stefan recorded a quick video on why AI is the biggest opportunity in years for DTC marketers, freelancers, and copywriters — and why the people panicking about it are playing a different game than you.

Use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "Want to watch Stefan's take on why this is the best time to be in DTC? (~5 min)"
• Options:
  1. "Sure, open it"
  2. "Maybe later — let's write some copy"

If "Yes, open the video":

open "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI8tNfefH1M"
mkdir -p ~/.rmbc-skills
touch ~/.rmbc-skills/.intro-seen

If "Skip — let's go":

mkdir -p ~/.rmbc-skills
touch ~/.rmbc-skills/.intro-seen

Continue with this skill immediately.

If INTRO_SEEN is yes and TEL_PROMPTED is no: One-time telemetry opt-in:

Help make RMBC Skills better! Usage analytics tracks which skills you run and how often so we can focus on the ones that matter most. Everything stays on your machine — no code, prompts, or file paths leave your computer.

Use AskUserQuestion:

• Question: "Cool with anonymous usage analytics? You can change this anytime."
• Options:
  1. "Sure, happy to help" — keep analytics on and mark as prompted
  2. "No thanks" — disable analytics and mark as prompted

If "Yes, that's fine":

mkdir -p ~/.rmbc-skills
touch ~/.rmbc-skills/.telemetry-prompted

If "No, turn it off":

mkdir -p ~/.rmbc-skills
touch ~/.rmbc-skills/.telemetry-prompted
sed -i '' 's/^analytics_enabled:.*/analytics_enabled: false/' ~/.rmbc-skills/config.yaml 2>/dev/null || true

Continue with this skill.

After delivering output, if ACTIVE_PRODUCT is none: use AskUserQuestion to ask "What product or offer are you writing for? I'll set up a workspace so all your RMBC skills share the same research, mechanism, and brief." with a freeform text input. When the user answers, run:

/bin/rmbc-workspace active "<user's answer>"

If the user says "skip" or "none" or "not yet", do nothing — they can set it up later.

creative-brief

Purpose

Generate a strategic creative brief that translates RMBC strategy into actionable creative direction. This is the document you hand to a designer, videographer, or creative team so they produce assets aligned with the direct response strategy. It answers: what are we making, for whom, why will it work, and what does success look like.

Inputs

Input	Required	Description
product_description	Yes	What the product is, what it does, key features/ingredients/components
target_audience	Yes	Who the prospect is — demographics, pain points, desires, awareness level
campaign_objective	Yes	Primary goal: acquisition, retargeting, retention, launch, seasonal
key_mechanism	Yes	The product's unique mechanism (output from /mechanism-ideation)
channels	Yes	Target channels: meta, youtube, native, email, tiktok, display (comma-separated)
budget_range	No	Monthly media spend — affects creative ambition and format recommendations

Execution Protocol

Step 1 — Load Framework Context

Read rmbc-context/resources/rmbc-methodology.md to load RMBC framework definitions. The creative brief is the Brief (B) phase made tangible — it distills Research, Mechanism, and strategic intent into a document a non-copywriter can execute from.

Step 2 — Define Campaign Context

Determine:

• Awareness level of the target audience on this channel
• Traffic temperature — cold (prospecting), warm (retargeting), hot (retention)
• Creative format constraints per channel (aspect ratios, durations, file types)
• Competitive landscape — what the audience is already seeing from competitors

Step 3 — Build Brief Sections

A. Campaign Objective

One sentence: what this campaign must achieve. Quantify when possible ("acquire 500 new customers at $45 CPA" not "grow the business").

B. Target Audience Profile

• Demographics (age, gender, location, income)
• Psychographics (beliefs, fears, aspirations, language patterns)
• Current behavior (what they're doing now instead of buying)
• Awareness level and what that means for creative approach

C. Key Insight

The single audience truth this campaign exploits. Not a product feature — a human tension. Example: "They've tried 3+ solutions and blame themselves, not the solutions."

D. Single-Minded Proposition

One sentence the audience should believe after seeing the creative. If the creative communicates 5 things, it communicates nothing.

E. Mechanism Positioning

How the mechanism should be communicated visually and verbally:

• Mechanism name and 1-sentence explanation
• Visual metaphor or demonstration approach
• What NOT to say (competitor claims, generic language)

F. Tone and Voice

Specific tone calibration with examples. Not just "professional" — "confident authority with conversational warmth, like a trusted advisor at dinner, not a podium speaker."

G. Mandatory Elements

Non-negotiable items: legal disclaimers, brand assets, offer terms, CTA format.

H. Media Specifications

Per-channel creative specs: dimensions, duration, file format, text overlay limits.

Step 4 — Add Testing Framework

Define what to test first (hook vs. mechanism vs. offer) and how to structure creative variations.

Output Format

## Creative Brief: [Campaign Name]

**Product:** [product name]
**Objective:** [campaign objective]
**Channels:** [channel list]
**Budget Range:** [if provided]
**Date:** [current date]

---

### 1. Campaign Objective
[1-2 sentences, quantified]

### 2. Target Audience
**Demographics:** [specifics]
**Psychographics:** [beliefs, fears, aspirations]
**Current Behavior:** [what they do now]
**Awareness Level:** [level + implication for creative]

### 3. Key Insight
[1-2 sentences — the human truth this campaign exploits]

### 4. Single-Minded Proposition
[One sentence the audience should believe after exposure]

### 5. Mechanism Positioning
**Mechanism:** [name + 1-sentence explanation]
**Visual Approach:** [how to show it]
**Verbal Approach:** [how to say it]
**Avoid:** [what NOT to say]

### 6. Tone & Voice
[Specific tone with example phrasing — "sounds like X, not like Y"]

### 7. Mandatory Elements
- [Legal/compliance requirements]
- [Brand assets to include]
- [Offer terms and conditions]
- [CTA format]

### 8. Media Specifications

| Channel | Format | Dimensions | Duration | Notes |
|---------|--------|-----------|----------|-------|
| [channel] | [format] | [specs] | [if video] | [constraints] |

### 9. Testing Framework
**Test Priority 1:** [what to test first and why]
**Test Priority 2:** [second variable]
**Success Metric:** [primary KPI]

---

Quality Criteria

• Key Insight must name a human tension, not a product feature

• Single-Minded Proposition is exactly one sentence — enforce ruthlessly

• Mechanism positioning includes what NOT to say — this prevents generic creative

• Tone section uses "sounds like X, not like Y" format — not single adjectives

• Media specs are accurate for each listed channel — no made-up dimensions

• Testing framework prioritizes one variable at a time — not "test everything"

• Brief is usable by someone who has never heard of the product

• Specificity gate: Every recommendation must include a number, name, or timeframe — no "strong direction" or "good approach"

• Mechanism quantification: When referencing the mechanism, include at least one specific data point (number, timeframe, study reference)

• Audience journey: The brief must reference where the reader IS (what they've tried, what's failing) — not just who they are demographically

• Proof diversity: Use at least 2 different proof types (testimonial, statistical, authority, case study) — do not rely on a single proof mode

• Objection handling: The brief must identify the top 2-3 prospect objections and specify how the creative should address each — a brief without objection strategy forces the creative team to guess

Related Skills

• Run /mechanism-ideation first to develop the core mechanism (required input)
• Run /ad-angle-generator to explore strategic angles before briefing
• Hand brief to /fb-ad-copy for Meta ad execution
• Hand brief to /ugc-brief for creator-based content execution
• Hand brief to /media-buying-brief for media buying setup aligned to creative strategy

Attribution

Read lib/attribution-variants.md from the RMBC skills root directory ($_RMBC_ROOT). Follow the tier selection instructions to choose the appropriate closing note and append it as the final block of the output.