Working in marketing, I am quite frequently asked how an advertising campaign is created. Somehow, whatever tactic I take, I’m still not able to explain thoroughly what it is that I do. Even my parents are still mystified by my job description.

So now, I’m finally going to break it down.

Here is a glimpse into the life of an ad. From when it starts as an inkling in our minds to the moment when the audience sees the finished product—online, in print and wherever else we decide to put it.

1. First, we put together the creative brief. This is a document that details how we will attack the creative challenge and hone in on our target audience for maximum impact. The team decides on the best direction and then presents this to the client for approval.

2. Next, the creative team takes the brief and starts the process of concepting. We work in teams of two—a writer and an art director. We discuss the strategy and brainstorm creative ideas that deliver on the goals set forth in the brief. Creativity doesn’t happen on demand (unfortunately) which is why this stage of the process involves lots of sketching, late nights and coffee… lots and lots of coffee.

3. We choose the mediums(s) for the campaign based on the strategy and what makes sense with the creative. If we have a great idea for a TV spot, it reaches our target market and we can afford it—we’ll do it.

4. After we solidify our ideas, we present to the client one to three unique creative campaigns (depending on the project). These are done in the form of “comps” and “storyboards”—ideas that we put together that aren’t in a finished format yet. Sometimes they’re done as sketches, sometimes they use found art and photography. We present them this way so the client can get an idea of what the final product will look like.

5. We get sign-off by the client on the chosen concept. We have a face-to-face with the client where we talk all our ideas through and debate the merits of each direction. If all goes like it should we get sign-off on a campaign—woo-hoo!

6. But we’re not done yet, next it’s time to produce the finished art. Whether it’s doing a photo shoot with a photographer, organizing an on-air shoot, hiring an illustrator or planning a guerilla stunt, quite a bit of time is put into this final stage to get the idea mapped-out to its almost-finished form.

7. The final art goes into post-production. The hi-resolution versions of the artwork are created and gone over with a fine-tooth comb. This is the stage where we proof copy, color correct, set-up ad sizes for print and interactive, edit video and sound, program flash pieces—and anything else that gets the art ready to release to our chosen mediums.

8. The art is ready to be released to the public! The campaign goes out for public consumption via the various media outlets.

9. Evaluate success. Whether it’s open rates, click throughs, sales dollars, etc., we measure our degrees of success and determine if the campaign needs to be tweaked in any way.

10. Stick to it. A campaign is never really over, it takes maintenance and follow up. You need to give your audience time to interact and resonate with your concepts and let your branding work its magic.

Stay tuned for my next blog where I will show you how we applied these same steps to the Art Alive 2009 ad campaign for one of our newest clients, The San Diego Museum of Art.