Creative Brief
11 MAY 2025
PHONE:
PREPARED BY Farah Abdulkhadar
PROJECT NAME: Youtube Campaign
WEB:
Project Assignment
The purpose of this project is to launch Meraki Entertainments’ Youtube channel and build a strategic campaign to promote content as well as serve as a platform for releasing additional entertainment content.
Project Background
Meraki Entertainments LLC is a newly-founded Santa Barbara based production company. The team intends to work towards eventually producing feature-length films and original content. However, as it is in its start-up stage, the company and its team does not have the financial resources to function as a traditional video production company. Entertainment companies, like most businesses, thrive on consistent workflows and project based success. However, the detriments of downtime between project can be condemning for this field of business as its success depends on stable viewership and income (1). Feature film production takes multiple stages in a long timeline from development to distribution (2) With distribution and ad placement being the only significant forms of income, production companies will often have lull periods with little cash flow and high expenses in the form of production execution costs Unlike large studios, indie companies often function on a project-to-project timeline and these pauses in production can be fatal for the life of the company. In these scenarios, executives will need to look for alternate forms of income, whether that may be advertising or projects.
Project Objectives
The Youtube project for Meraki Entertainments aims to achieve two goals for success: 1) serve as an advertisement outlet for the company’s major feature film projects and 2) serve as a platform for releasing short form and web specific content. Youtube was specifically chosen as an expandable project due to its proven success as a social media marketing tool (3). With the rising popularity of short form content platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram, Youtube provides an intersection of short and long form content and the flexibility to cater to a variable audience
Project Deliverables
The deliverables for this project will be divided into two sub-projects to align with the two goals achieved above One portion of this project will focus on a brand identity-focused marketing campaign while the other will be dedicated to the creation of original web-specific cinematic content.
Marketing Campaign
As an entertainment company, marketing for Meraki will primarily focus on the promotion of the works in progress To maximize anticipation for upcoming projects, Youtube Shorts and Stories can be utilized to release short trailers, teasers, and behind-the-scenes content Additionally, Youtube Ads can provide an additional outlet for brand outreach and ads for company projects (4). Success for this project can be measured by business analytics tools through Google Ad Services (4). The goal is to grow Youtube following and channel traffic by 20% in 3 months and to maintain a stable growth of 10% in subsequent months. This is achievable with a consistent social media calendar and fresh content.
Web Content
During non-production periods for feature projects, the company can utilize lower budget, lower stakes web focused original content to keep audiences entertained and build a brand reputation. Providing high quality entertainment content in the form of sketch videos, limited webseries, and short films can keep the momentum of the company and build healthy audience expectations for longer and higher budget content. These smaller projects can show viewers what the team is capable of achieving with high quality content, thus also serving as advertisement in and of itself for the company and its team. Success will be measured on viewership, with a goal of 100K views per week and a growth in following.
Target Audience
This project intends to target a digitally native audience, primarily aged 18 to 34 who actively engage with narrative-driven content on social platforms such as YouTube. The goal is to reach individuals who are cinephiles, creatives, and emotionally attuned viewers who seek authentic, diverse, and emotionally resonant storytelling With an increasing number of viewers turning to YouTube not just for entertainment but also as a space to discover independent creators and serialized stories, Meraki aims to tap into this emerging global viewership
This audience typically includes:
Younger Millennials and Gen Z viewers with high mobile content consumption habits (5)
Creatives, aspiring filmmakers, and emotionally intelligent consumers who value purposeful narratives.
Global users from urban and semi-urban areas who are open to experimental storytelling and alternative viewing formats.
A key behavioral trait of this audience is their low tolerance for inauthenticity and preference for storytelling that reflects the emotional nuances of real life, while still offering escapism and visual innovation (6) This aligns perfectly with Meraki’s mission to create authentic content
Consumer Insight
The modern digital consumer doesn’t just watch they interact, comment, remix, and share YouTube’s rise as both a distribution hub and discovery engine offers Meraki Entertainments a dual opportunity: to cultivate a loyal fanbase organically and to market productions through integrated storytelling formats like trailers, behind-the-scenes, creator, and episodic shorts.
According to a 2023 report by Think with Google, 70% of YouTube viewers say the platform makes them feel more connected to creators they follow than traditional celebrities (7). This insight underlines the value of personality-driven production brands a niche Meraki is well positioned to occupy by blending intimate storytelling with accessible, creator-forward branding Such habits of the younger generation of viewers can be utilized to market shorter and more general content (5)
Moreover, YouTube is increasingly favored for long-form narrative content A Nielsen study found that over 50% of Gen Z and Millennials say they discover new shows through platforms like YouTube, ahead of streaming services (8). This shift creates space for Meraki’s original content to thrive outside the constraints of traditional broadcast models.
Furthermore, YouTube’s cost-efficient ad platform, including tools like skippable ads, Shorts, and community posts, allows Meraki to reach targeted micro-communities without requiring large marketing budgets (9) Using search-optimized metadata and algorithmic trend alignment, Meraki can ensure that its content is not just seen but shared, discussed, and emotionally invested in
Communication Strategy
Meraki Entertainments delivers emotionally resonant, creator-led storytelling that offers purpose-driven content for viewers who crave authenticity and connection By expanding into the digital space, Meraki hopes to provide wider access to their content and build a community audience of creatives and cinephiles alike In return, the company hopes to increase following, viewership, and content interaction. This is to assist in gaining a larger revenue, which will be invested back into creating quality content for loyal viewers
Executional Guidelines
Brand Elements
The content created for the advertisement and marketing of projects will follow a theme aligning with the style sheet of the company A consistent look and familiar visual style will be memorable among viewers when advertised correctly and consistently. New original content will also follow themes and regulations to be consistent with the company mission for quality entertainment.
Legal and Regulatory Requirements
All legal permits, forms, and required materials from government and private entities will be obtained at the onset of projects to ensure compliance This includes but is not limited to insurance, location permits, contracts for company employees and freelancers, etc
Details and Approvals
The project in its entirety will need to be approved by the administrative team of Meraki Entertainments Additional projects for content release will need to be approved and executed by the production team Marketing and advertisement campaigns will need to be approved and designed by our marketing manager and social media coordinator.
References
(1) Muster, S (2024, December 17) 10 common problems in production ivii https://www.ivii.eu/en/blog/10-common-problems-in-production/
(2) Nyfa (2023, December 27) Mastering the 7 stages of Film production NYFA. https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/7-stages-film-production/
(3) Rathee, Rupa & Rajain, Pallavi & Tejaswini, (2021) Impact of YouTube as a Social Media Marketing Tool. La Pensée. 51. 879-893.
(4) Nikolic, M H (2024, April 17) How brands can get the most out of YouTube shorts ads. Google. https://blog.google/products/adscommerce/youtube-shorts-ads-select-lineups-abcds/
(5) Pew Research Center. (2023). Teens, Social Media and Technology. Retrieved from https://wwwpewresearchorg/internet/
(6) Google. (2022). The YouTube Culture & Trends Report. Retrieved from https://wwwthinkwithgooglecom
(7) Statista. (2024). YouTube Usage in the United States - Statistics & Facts. Retrieved from https://wwwstatistacom/topics/2019/youtube/
(8) Nielsen. (2023). State of Play Report: The Changing TV and Streaming Landscape Retrieved from https://wwwnielsencom
(9) Tubefilter. (2023). YouTube Long-Form Content Sees Significant Growth Amidst Shorts Surge Retrieved from https://wwwtubefiltercom