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These annotated examples demonstrate how natural language briefs work in AdCP, describing target customers and campaign objectives to help publishers recommend appropriate media products.

1. Minimal Brief: Essential Elements

Local Service Business

Why This Works:
  • Clear business - Mike’s Plumbing Services
  • Customer description - Homeowners needing plumbing
  • Geographic market - Denver, Colorado (USA implied)
  • Format preferences - Display and native
  • Budget and timing - $8,000 USD over 2 weeks
  • Business outcome - Phone calls
Publisher Interpretation: Publishers can suggest targeting approaches like:
  • Homeownership signals
  • Home improvement interest
  • Local service searchers
  • Emergency service needs

2. Standard Brief: Customer Story

E-commerce Product Launch

Why This Works:
  • Customer profile - Young professionals with active lifestyles
  • Customer values - Quality, durability, performance
  • Geographic market - United States
  • Format needs - Video and display
  • Clear economics - $45-55 customer acquisition cost
  • Natural description - Lets publishers suggest targeting
Publisher Suggestions Might Include:
  • Commuter targeting
  • Fitness enthusiast segments
  • Premium brand affinity
  • Audio equipment researchers
  • Professional demographic overlays

3. Comprehensive Brief: B2B Customer Description

Enterprise Software Campaign

Why This Works:
  • Customer context - Growing businesses with cloud challenges
  • Customer pain points - Data sync, security, compliance
  • Decision maker profile - Technical leaders near C-suite
  • Multiple countries - US, CA, UK, DE specified
  • Format preferences - Native content and display
  • Flexible targeting - Publishers can interpret signals
Publisher Interpretation Opportunities:
  • Cloud adoption signals
  • Company growth indicators
  • Technology stack analysis
  • Title and seniority matching
  • Industry compliance needs

4. Advanced Brief: Multi-Audience Campaign

Automotive Launch

Why This Works:
  • Three distinct customer stories - Each with different motivations
  • Regional focus - Specific US regions identified
  • Format strategy - Video, CTV, and display
  • Competitive context - Without being prescriptive
  • Customer journey insights - Research behavior, values
  • Clear success metrics - Dealership engagement
Publisher Value-Add:
  • Suggest family-oriented contexts
  • Identify early adopter signals
  • Find competitive conquesting opportunities
  • Layer in environmental interest data
  • Apply automotive shopping behaviors

Industry-Specific Examples

Financial Services - United States

Healthcare - Regional US

Streaming Service - North America

Broadcast TV - Regional Automotive

This brief includes broadcast-specific concepts: DMAs (designated market areas), spot lengths (:30 and :15), dayparts (primetime, late fringe), and a measurement window preference (C7). The seller interprets these against their station schedule and available avails.

Mobile Gaming - Global English Markets


Brief Writing Best Practices

Describe Your Customer Naturally

Instead of prescribing targeting tactics, describe your customer’s:
  • Situation: What’s happening in their life/business?
  • Challenges: What problems do they face?
  • Values: What matters to them?
  • Behaviors: How do they research and buy?
  • Context: When and why do they need you?

Always Include Geographic Scope

  • Specify countries explicitly
  • Include currency (USD, EUR, GBP, etc.)
  • Note regional focuses within countries
  • Consider time zones for global campaigns

Specify Format Preferences

Include format types to indicate channel strategy:
  • Display: Standard web advertising
  • Video: In-stream and out-stream video
  • Connected TV: Television streaming ads
  • Audio: Podcast and music streaming
  • Native: Content-style advertising

Let Publishers Add Value

Good briefs leave room for publisher expertise:
  • Describe customers, not targeting parameters
  • Share context, not just demographics
  • Explain the “why” behind your campaign
  • Allow for creative targeting suggestions

What’s Different About AdCP Briefs

✅ DO Include:

  • Customer descriptions and stories
  • Geographic markets and currencies
  • Format preferences (indicates channels)
  • Business objectives and KPIs
  • Budget and timing
  • Competitive context

❌ DON’T Prescribe:

  • Specific targeting parameters
  • Exact audience segments
  • Technical implementations
  • Frequency caps or bid strategies
  • Attribution methodologies

🤝 Let Publishers:

  • Suggest targeting approaches
  • Recommend audience strategies
  • Optimize based on their data
  • Apply their platform expertise
  • Test and learn what works

Brief Evaluation Checklist

Essential Elements

  • Clear advertiser/brand identification
  • Geographic markets specified
  • Currency indicated
  • Format preferences stated
  • Budget and timing included
  • Business objective defined

Customer Description

  • Customer situation/context
  • Problems they’re solving
  • How they make decisions
  • What they value
  • Natural, conversational tone

Campaign Context

  • Why this campaign now?
  • Success metrics defined
  • Competitive landscape mentioned
  • Flexibility for publisher input