Section 1: Arriving at the marketing JTBD

It's crucial to first nail the foundation of any campaign - the insight behind it. Here, you need to understand what is the business objective we're trying to achieve, the insight behind it and how that translates into the marketing job to be done.

Let's get started:

1. Define the business objective, insight and the marketing job to be done.

2. Write a compelling and inspiring creative brief

3. Evaluate concepts and articulate the creative idea

4. Develop a production plan for your campaign

First, the business objective.

Let's start by looking at the business objective of your campaign. What is the overarching goal you're aiming for? Without this clarity, everything else becomes irrelevant. The business objective is your guiding star — it defines what success looks like.

Defining the objective

Keep it specific & measurable You should be able to track your goal with numbers or clear milestones (example, increase sales by 20%, improve customer retention by 15%).
Tie it to business growthBe clear on how it impacts business growth, whether in the short term or long term. Think about how it contributes to the bottom line.
Stay focused on the outcome Be clear on what outcome you're seeking - whether it's increased user acquisition, higher engagement, more product trials, or more.

Second, the insight.

Insight is not something that's forward looking, it's not something you predict. It's deduced by looking backwards and is something that feels obvious in hindsight. It is a deep understanding of your user's unmet needs, frustrations, or what excites them.

Think of the insight as the "aha" moment — the reason your audience feels a certain way, or the shift in behaviour you're aiming for.

In this section, we'll nail the insight and marketing JTBD of the campaign that you've chosen.

Defining the insight:
Start with the user
Think back to the problems your users were facing, dig into research notes or speak to people to understand.
Focus on emotion
What emotional triggers did they experience? How big of a problem was it for them and how did it make them feel?
Look for the gap
What was missing in the solution space? What did they lack or have a desire for and how can your product fill the gap?

Third, defining the marketing JTBD.

Your marketing JTBD is nothing but what your campaign needs to achieve, essentially the "job" you're asking your marketing to perform. For your campaign to do well, it needs to have a solid business insight that translates well into the JTBD.

A good JTBD statement is focused and actionable, it directly connects with the business objective and the audience's needs.

How to Define the Marketing JTBD
Clarify the goalWhat’s the end goal you want your campaign to achieve?
Connect it to the usersHow does this goal align with the user's needs? See whether their need is social, functional, financial or personal and how your campaign can solve for it.
Tie it to business outcomesYour marketing JTBD needs to align with business metrics you're trying to achieve. For that, understand business metrics first and align how the campaign can help achieve those.

Next Steps:

Once you’ve clearly defined the insight and JTBD, you’re ready to move to the next step: re-writing the creative brief. The brief will take these insights and translate them into actionable direction for your creative team.