Ad campaigns. We see them constantly, everywhere: on TV, out of home, scrolling the web. It’s easy to tune them out as we go about our day. But every single ad we see leaves an impression, whether we’re consciously paying attention or not.
Behind every campaign is a team of exceptionally skilled people working to create a compelling, engaging offer that brings in the bucks. Marketing execs, copywriters, photographers, videographers, stylists, creatives and many more. So just what goes into making one?
Strap in while we break down the process, from a creative design perspective, using the campaigns Nephew has created for online fashion retailer BrandAlley.
It starts with a brief
Every campaign starts with the same thing: a brief. Without one, there’s no structure and no parameters to work with. A good brief, to us, is like a recipe sheet at a cooking class. It should contain all the ingredients needed to make a delightful dish. We believe in it so much, our own briefing pack is literally called a ‘campaign recipe’.
Sometimes an expansive story, sometimes a glorified checklist, a good brief covers things like:
- Objective. The KPIs: traffic volume, number of sales, sell-through, conversion rate, click-through rate, brand awareness.
- Target audience. Gender, age, location, demographics, habits and needs.
- Competition. Who we’re up against, what to avoid and where the opportunities are.
- Channels. Specific social platforms, email, web, TV, out of home, radio.
- Timelines. Always yesterday.
- Deliverables. Static or moving, output sizes, formats, dimensions and quality.
- Budget. Without one, there’s no creative ceiling.
- Themes. Ideas and concepts that need to be brought to mind.
- Messaging. What are we trying to communicate?
- Sentiment. What do we want people to feel? For us, this is the most important creative consideration.
- Positioning. Where should the brand, product or offer sit in the customer’s mind after seeing the ad?
Not all briefs are created equal. There’s a sweet spot between one-word answers and War & Peace, but generally, the more detail the better.
Working with BrandAlley
BrandAlley is the home of designer fashion, beauty and homeware brands at great prices. Their campaigns land at the busiest moments in the retail calendar, so they need to work hard, look premium and arrive fast.
Each campaign brings together studio model footage, product stills and graphic design into one suite of assets for organic and paid social, web and email. A single shoot becomes hero films and on-model stills, cut into short and long versions across 9:16, 1:1 and 16:9 so every channel gets a version made for it.
The tone is consistent throughout: modern and elevated, with a playful edge. The aim is always the same too: position BrandAlley as the best-kept secret for premium brands, and the first place to look when it’s time to buy.
Here’s a look at some of the campaigns we’ve delivered.
Christmas 2025
Jeans
Black Friday + Cyber Weekend
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