Just like taking a photo to your hairstylist for inspiration, brands need to give Creators visual inspiration for each campaign. A mood board offers content guidance while allowing Creators to interpret your vision in their own way. Here are four pieces every marketing campaign mood board needs.
A marketing campaign mood board is the visual collage that captures your brand’s aesthetic. A mood board not only helps Creators make content but also aligns your brand and partner(s) on how the project suits the Creator’s personal brand.
A marketing campaign mood board eliminates friction between your brand and Creators, clarifying the campaign theme to prevent misunderstandings and setting the overall tone. It’s your key tool to:
If a Creator isn’t in sync with the mood board, it could be a sign to reevaluate the partnership and shift to a Creator with content that more closely matches your vision.
A marketing campaign mood board should feature high-level inspiration that your Creator(s) can use to convey certain feelings. Illustrate your themes and goals by combining four key elements.
Integrate photos, illustrations, and designs that match the idea you wish to convey. Adding imagery to your mood board establishes your campaign’s vision and ways to reach your target audience.
Let your mood board tell a story! Combine individual words, quotes, phrases, and even typography style to inform your campaign narrative and inspire its overarching mood.
Use color to support your messaging. Brainstorm everything from solid colors to full color palettes that match your branding and set the tone for the campaign.
Introduce texture to spark inspiration for your ad’s design. Highlight the physical and emotional feel of your product and campaign to appeal to the audience.
Your contract should inspire your marketing campaign mood board but not conflict with it. While a mood board provides visually supportive content, a contract includes legally binding partnership details, such as shot lists, language guidelines, and timelines.
Don’t squeeze everything into your marketing campaign mood board. Just think of your goals and jot down the basic details:
A mood board can identify what these details mean to your brand and Creators, helping both sides work toward common goals.
Use your marketing campaign mood board to turn contract goals into compelling visuals and creative concepts – but don’t stop there. This is just a slice of what goes into a successful Creator strategy.
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This post was originally published in February 2021 and updated in September 2025.