Briefing template for music in an ad
Daan Koekelkoren — producer and founder of Studio ZK. Has been making music and sound for campaigns, brands and cultural institutions in Amsterdam since 2016.
Most briefs for ad music say what the music should feel like and leave out what decides the price and the timeline: the lengths, the media, the rights and the deadline. This template puts those on one page. Fill in what you know, leave open what you do not, and send it with the edit.
What should a brief for ad music contain?
A good brief for ad music contains the edit or animatic, every length you need, the media and countries it runs in, how long it runs, two or three reference tracks with what you like about each, what the music must not do, and the deadline. With those seven, a studio can quote and start the same week.
The template, field by field
| Field | What to fill in | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brand and campaign | Name, product, one sentence on the idea | Context for every musical choice |
| 2. Material | Link to the edit, rough cut, animatic or script | Music is written to picture; a rough cut is enough |
| 3. Lengths | For example 30, 20, 10 and 6 seconds | Every length is written in the same session |
| 4. Media and countries | TV, radio, online, social, cinema; NL, Benelux, Europe | Sets the rights and the delivery specs |
| 5. Duration of use | One flight, a year, longer | The largest price driver after the media |
| 6. References | 2–3 tracks, and per track what you like: the tempo, the instruments, the energy | "Like this, because of that" saves a demo round |
| 7. What it must not be | Genres, sounds or clichés to avoid | Often clearer than what it should be |
| 8. Voice-over | Yes or no, script status, who records it | Decides how much room the music leaves |
| 9. Existing sound | Sonic logo, earlier campaign music, guidelines | New music should not fight what the brand already owns |
| 10. Deadline and approvals | Air date, delivery date, who signs off | Revision rounds need time and one decision maker |
What you can leave open
The genre, the instrumentation and the exact tempo. Those come out of the edit and the references. A brief that already prescribes them leaves no room for a better idea, and a brief that leaves out lengths and media leaves no room for a reliable quote.
How to describe a reference track
Not "something like this", but "this, because of the dry drums and the way it stops before the chorus". One sentence per reference. The clearer the reference, the faster we land on a direction; that is the first step in how a project comes together.
What happens after you send it
- We reply with questions or a quote, usually within a few days.
- We compose one or more demo directions to your edit, so you react to real music against your picture.
- One direction goes into production, with structured revision rounds.
- Delivery of every length and mix; the file list is on what an ad music project delivers.
For a sonic identity rather than one campaign
Briefing a sound that lasts across campaigns asks for different fields: touchpoints, brand values, who uses the sound after delivery. That template is in briefing a sonic identity.