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“Create something emotional, modern and memorable.”
This may sound like a reasonable music brief, but it leaves almost every important creative decision open to interpretation.
What kind of emotion should the audience feel? What does modern mean for this particular brand? What should they remember: the campaign, the product or the brand itself?
A clear music brief does not tell the composer exactly what to create. It gives the music production agency enough strategic and practical context to explore the right creative territory.
For advertising campaigns in Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC, the brief may also need to address cultural relevance, Arabic and English content, regional adaptations and usage across several media platforms.
Here is what brands and agencies should include.
The music team needs to understand what the campaign is trying to achieve.
Is the brand launching a product, changing perceptions, celebrating a national occasion or encouraging an immediate action?
Common campaign objectives include:
The objective influences the role of the music.
A soundtrack for an emotional brand film will require a different approach from music created for a short conversion advertisement. One may need gradual development and emotional depth, while the other may need to capture attention within the first few seconds.
The brief should therefore explain not only what the campaign is about, but what it needs audiences to think, feel or do.
A music production agency should understand the brand before developing its sound.
Useful information may include:
Avoid sending a large collection of brand documents without identifying what matters to the campaign.
A concise explanation is often more useful.
For example:
The brand is optimistic, accessible and progressive. It should feel modern without becoming overly technological, and premium without appearing exclusive.
This gives the music team a clearer creative foundation than a general request for something “on-brand.”
Music is experienced differently by different audiences.
Age, location, cultural background and media habits can all influence how a musical direction is perceived.
The brief should identify:
A campaign aimed at young consumers in Saudi Arabia may require a different musical approach from a corporate film targeting regional investors.
The purpose is not to reduce an audience to one musical genre. It is to help the agency understand the people the campaign needs to connect with.
Music communicates emotion quickly, but broad emotional words can create confusion.
Terms such as “emotional,” “powerful,” “premium” and “inspiring” can mean very different things to different people.
Try to define the emotional response more precisely.
Should audiences feel:
It can also help to explain how the emotion should develop.
For example:
The film should begin with curiosity, become increasingly optimistic and finish with a strong feeling of collective pride.
This gives the composer an emotional journey to support rather than a single vague adjective.
Not every campaign needs music to perform the same function.
The music may need to:
The brief should establish whether the music is the creative centerpiece or one part of a wider audio mix.
If the campaign contains extensive dialogue, the soundtrack may need to remain restrained. If the concept depends on movement or performance, rhythm may need to lead the production.
Clarifying the music’s role helps the agency make better decisions about melody, arrangement, instrumentation and structure.
Whenever possible, the music agency should see the advertisement.
This may be:
The more the agency understands the film’s timing and story, the more precisely the music can support it.
Important moments may include:
If the edit is not ready, provide the expected duration and a description of how the story develops.
The music can begin from an early treatment, but changes to picture may require the composition to be adjusted later.
A locked edit is a version of the film whose timing is not expected to change.
This matters because original music is often composed around specific visual moments.
If scenes are later shortened, extended or rearranged, the music may no longer align correctly.
The brief should explain whether:
Some campaigns benefit from developing the edit and music together. Others require the film to be finalized before detailed composition begins.
What matters is that both teams understand the workflow.
The brand does not need to specify every instrument or technical detail.
However, the brief should clarify the general type of music required.
This may include:
If the brand is unsure, the music agency can recommend the most suitable approach based on the campaign objective, budget, timeline and intended usage.
For example, a jingle may work when a short verbal message needs to be remembered. An instrumental score may be more appropriate when the film relies on emotional storytelling.
Reference tracks can help communicate a direction that is difficult to describe in words.
However, references should be accompanied by an explanation.
Do you like the:
Without this explanation, the agency may focus on the wrong element.
It is also useful to clarify what should not be copied.
The objective of references is to establish a creative territory—not to reproduce another artist’s composition or another brand’s campaign.
Providing several unrelated tracks without context can make the direction less clear rather than more useful.
Negative references can be as helpful as positive ones.
If previous music felt too corporate, generic or predictable, explain why.
The brief may identify qualities to avoid, such as:
These boundaries help the agency explore confidently without repeatedly entering directions the brand already knows it will reject.
For campaigns in Saudi Arabia and the GCC, the brief should explain the intended role of regional culture.
The direction may be:
Cultural relevance can be expressed through more than familiar instruments.
It may appear through:
The brief should avoid asking for something broadly “Arabic” when the campaign requires a more specific Saudi, Gulf or market-level identity.
Different regions and occasions carry different musical associations.
If the music includes lyrics, vocals or a jingle, the agency needs to know which languages are required.
The campaign may need:
Arabic and English versions should not be treated as simple word-for-word translations.
Each language has its own phrasing, rhythm and syllable structure. The melody or arrangement may need to be adapted so both versions feel natural.
Language requirements should be established before composition and lyric writing begin.
If the brand already has a sonic logo, brand theme or wider audio system, these assets should be shared with the music agency.
The campaign soundtrack may need to incorporate:
This does not mean every campaign must use exactly the same music.
Recognizable elements can be reinterpreted to suit a new concept while maintaining a connection to the brand.
MusicGrid develops original campaign music that can either stand independently or build from an existing sonic identity.
The main film is rarely the only version required.
A campaign may need:
Include every known duration in the initial brief.
Shorter versions should ideally be arranged intentionally rather than created by abruptly cutting the main soundtrack.
The music agency can then design a structure whose main hook, emotional development and ending work across the complete campaign.
Usage affects both production and music rights.
The agency should know where the campaign will appear, including:
The brief should also identify the intended countries or territories.
A Saudi-only campaign may have different cultural, language and licensing requirements from a campaign running across the GCC or wider MENA region.
If the campaign may expand later, mention that possibility early.
A complete delivery package may contain more than the final soundtrack used in the advertisement.
Depending on the campaign, brands may need:
Stems are separate groups of musical elements, such as percussion, vocals, melody and bass.
They allow agencies to rebalance the soundtrack under voice-over, create future edits and adapt the music for additional formats.
If stems or alternative versions will be needed, include them in the original scope.
Music projects become difficult when feedback comes from several stakeholders independently.
The brief should identify:
Consolidated feedback allows the agency to respond to one clear creative direction.
It also reduces the risk of contradictory requests such as making the same piece more minimal, more energetic and more cinematic at the same time.
Feedback should explain what is not working and what needs to change.
Instead of saying:
We do not like the music.
Try:
The opening feels too serious for the campaign. We want the first five seconds to create more curiosity and optimism.
Instead of:
Make it more premium.
Try:
The percussion currently feels too playful. We would like a more restrained arrangement with greater space around the main melody.
Useful feedback identifies:
The client does not need to use technical musical language. Clear descriptions of emotion and function are enough.
Original music production may involve strategy, composition, recording, revisions, mixing and multiple final versions.
The schedule should allow time for:
If the project includes a recognized artist, multiple languages, live musicians or complex usage rights, additional time may be required.
The brief should include the final delivery deadline as well as important review dates.
A clear timeline helps the music agency recommend a realistic production process.
Budget affects the production approach.
It may determine whether the campaign can include:
Sharing a budget range does not prevent the agency from proposing creative options.
It allows the proposed solution to match what the campaign can realistically support.
Without budget guidance, the agency may develop an approach that is either unnecessarily limited or commercially unsuitable.
The brief should identify the expected rights where possible.
Important considerations include:
Ownership and unlimited usage are not automatically included simply because the music is original.
The commercial agreement should state exactly what the brand receives and how the work can be used.
This is especially important for campaigns that may run across multiple markets or remain active for several years.
A useful advertising music brief can follow this structure:
Who is the brand, and how should it be perceived?
What is the campaign about, and what is its central message?
What should the audience think, feel or do?
Who is the campaign trying to reach?
What should the soundtrack contribute to the advertisement?
How should the music feel, and how should that emotion develop?
Which markets or cultural influences should be considered?
Are Arabic, English, bilingual or instrumental versions required?
Which tracks, films or campaigns communicate the intended territory, and what specifically is relevant about them?
Is there a script, storyboard, rough cut or locked edit?
Which durations, languages, edits, stems and final files are needed?
Where and for how long will the music be used?
Does the brand have a sonic logo, brand theme or audio guidelines?
Who provides feedback, and who has final approval?
When are the first directions, revisions and final masters required?
What budget or budget range has been allocated?
What ownership, licensing and adaptation rights does the brand expect?
A strong music brief creates direction without restricting creativity.
It explains the campaign, audience and desired emotional outcome while giving the music agency enough freedom to translate those objectives into an original musical idea.
The clearer the brief, the easier it becomes to evaluate creative directions objectively, manage stakeholder feedback and produce music that strengthens both the campaign and the brand.
MusicGrid creates original advertising music and campaign soundtracks for brands across Saudi Arabia, the GCC and the wider MENA region.
Our team manages the process from creative briefing and musical direction through composition, production, revisions and final delivery.
Contact MusicGrid to discuss the music for your next campaign.
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