All guides · AI ad basics · October 13, 2026

An AI ad brief with facts and unknowns

A usable AI ad brief tells the production workflow what to show and tells the reviewer what counts as correct. Keep confirmed facts and creative direction in different fields. Otherwise, an appealing instruction can quietly become an invented product claim.

A copyable brief structure

• Product identity: exact item and variant, with the source-photo filenames you will use.
• Confirmed facts: facts the merchant has checked, and where they came from.
• Unknowns: dimensions, unseen surfaces, included contents or performance details not supplied.
• Buying situation: one plausible moment when the viewer might consider the item.
• Visible action: the starting state, one main movement and the final state.
• Character and scene: who is needed, where the object sits and what must stay visible.
• Exact spoken lines: approved words only, or a deliberate blank for no dialogue.
• Destination: the actual next step and any offer evidence.
• Settings and review: frame, duration, resolution and details to inspect.

This structure is a worksheet you can keep alongside the project. It does not replace the studio's reference templates or ask you to invent every technical camera parameter.

A filled hypothetical example

Product: photographed yellow ceramic mug, front and handle-detail images. Confirmed: ceramic; yellow glaze; photographed loop handle. Unknown: volume, height and dishwasher suitability. Situation: arranging a quiet breakfast table. Action: mug begins empty on the table, one hand lifts it by the handle and returns it to the same spot. Character: optional; simple sleeves if present. Scene: uncluttered table with soft side light. Spoken words: “A closer look at the handle and glaze.” Destination: mug product page. Review: handle shape, glaze color, empty interior and plausible grip.

The unknown volume changes the creative. The script cannot call the mug “extra large,” and the scene should avoid a measured pour that appears to establish capacity. Use the scale guide when size is part of the message.

Resolve contradictions before Generate

Read the action and speech together. If the brief says the mug stays empty but the line mentions a hot drink, decide whether the drink is essential and obtain the required references. If the final instruction says “Shop the new color” but the product page shows several unrelated items, fix the destination or the words.

The audience-message exercise can help replace vague audience labels with a concrete situation. The result should guide the scene and opening without pretending to be research.

Carry the brief into fairytale

Choose the references in the Guided ad, place the creative direction in Describe your ad and approve Exact spoken lines. Uploaded photos go into the ad without immediate paid drawing; missing sheets are prepared when Generate starts the video. Check the displayed quote and the handoff checklist before that paid step. Keep the brief as the comparison record for the finished output.