Anchor Strategy in Human Reality with the 4 Points Strategy
Sometimes you can encounter a collection of expensive slide decks where messy human behavior is traded for polished corporate delusions. They’re full of 'omnichannel synergy' and 'value-driven paradigms' - corporate fan-fiction that collapses the moment it touches the real world. The 4 Points Strategy Framework is the reality check you’re too tired to perform yourself. It strips away the marketing fluff and forces you to stare at the messy, irrational, and often annoying truth of why people do what they do. If your strategy doesn't feel a little bit uncomfortable, it's probably just a expensive way to stay irrelevant.
The TL;DR
Stop building strategies for robots. Use the 4 Points Framework to find the human tension (Problem), the dirty secret (Insight), your actual weapon (Advantage), and the singular battle plan (Strategy) that keeps your brand from being ignored.
Why This Stops Your Strategy From Being Total Garbage
Most strategies fail because they are too polite to admit that humans are messy. This framework forces you to be honest, which is usually painful but always more effective than 'synergy.'
PROBLEM
Forget your KPIs for a second. What is making your customer's life difficult, annoying, or boring? If you can't find a human tension - like fear, status-seeking, or laziness - you don't have a problem worth solving.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the behavior. It’s the secret motivation or the weird habit. If the insight doesn't make you feel like a bit of a creep for knowing it, it's probably too generic to be useful.
ADVANTAGE
This is the Advantage. Don't say 'quality' or 'service.' What do you have that the competition literally cannot replicate today? It must be the specific tool that resolves the human Problem you identified.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the 'By' statement. It’s a marching order that uses your Advantage to solve the Problem through the lens of the Insight. Keep it under 15 words or you're just rambling.
PROBLEM
Forget your KPIs for a second. What is making your customer's life difficult, annoying, or boring? If you can't find a human tension - like fear, status-seeking, or laziness - you don't have a problem worth solving.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the behavior. It’s the secret motivation or the weird habit. If the insight doesn't make you feel like a bit of a creep for knowing it, it's probably too generic to be useful.
ADVANTAGE
This is the Advantage. Don't say 'quality' or 'service.' What do you have that the competition literally cannot replicate today? It must be the specific tool that resolves the human Problem you identified.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the 'By' statement. It’s a marching order that uses your Advantage to solve the Problem through the lens of the Insight. Keep it under 15 words or you're just rambling.
Ways You'll Probably Screw This Up
(And look like a corporate drone)
- ×Defining the 'Problem' as your own lack of revenue (that's your problem, not theirs)
- ×Using 'Insights' that are just boring data points you found on a slide from 2019
- ×Claiming your Advantage is 'Innovation' (innovation isn't a feature, it's a buzzword)
- ×Writing a Strategy that is just a list of tactics like 'make a TikTok'
- ×Ignoring the Insight because it feels 'too negative' for the brand guidelines
- ×Confusing the 'Strategy' with a creative tagline or a catchy slogan
- ×Trying to solve three human problems at once because you're afraid to commit to one
- ×Making the Advantage something the customer doesn't actually care about
If your strategy could apply to your competitor just by swapping the logo, throw it in the trash and start over.
Real Examples
Premium Fitness Wear
Selling $120 leggings in a market full of cheap alternatives.
PROBLEM
People feel like 'imposters' at the gym when they aren't already in peak shape.
INSIGHT
They don't buy expensive gear to perform better; they buy it to signal they belong in the room before they've earned the muscles.
ADVANTAGE
Proprietary compression fabric that physically sculpts the body into a 'pro' silhouette instantly.
STRATEGY
Position the gear as 'Instant Athletic Authority' to bypass the 'imposter' anxiety of beginner gym-goers.
PROBLEM
People feel like 'imposters' at the gym when they aren't already in peak shape.
INSIGHT
They don't buy expensive gear to perform better; they buy it to signal they belong in the room before they've earned the muscles.
ADVANTAGE
Proprietary compression fabric that physically sculpts the body into a 'pro' silhouette instantly.
STRATEGY
Position the gear as 'Instant Athletic Authority' to bypass the 'imposter' anxiety of beginner gym-goers.
Cybersecurity for SMBs
Selling complex security software to small business owners.
PROBLEM
Business owners are paralyzed by the technical jargon of security and end up doing nothing.
INSIGHT
They don't actually want 'impenetrable' security; they just want to stop feeling like an idiot who is one click away from losing their life's work.
ADVANTAGE
A 'One-Click Lockdown' feature that requires zero technical knowledge to deploy.
STRATEGY
Frame the software as the 'Panic Button for Non-Techies' rather than a complex security suite.
PROBLEM
Business owners are paralyzed by the technical jargon of security and end up doing nothing.
INSIGHT
They don't actually want 'impenetrable' security; they just want to stop feeling like an idiot who is one click away from losing their life's work.
ADVANTAGE
A 'One-Click Lockdown' feature that requires zero technical knowledge to deploy.
STRATEGY
Frame the software as the 'Panic Button for Non-Techies' rather than a complex security suite.
High-End Baby Strollers
Selling $1,500 strollers to new parents.
PROBLEM
New parents feel like their personal identity is being erased by the 'drudgery' of childcare.
INSIGHT
The stroller isn't for the baby's comfort; it's the parent's last remaining status symbol in a world of diapers and spit-up.
ADVANTAGE
Design aesthetics borrowed from luxury automotive brands and limited-edition colorways.
STRATEGY
Market the stroller as 'The Ultimate Adult Accessory' that happens to carry a child.
PROBLEM
New parents feel like their personal identity is being erased by the 'drudgery' of childcare.
INSIGHT
The stroller isn't for the baby's comfort; it's the parent's last remaining status symbol in a world of diapers and spit-up.
ADVANTAGE
Design aesthetics borrowed from luxury automotive brands and limited-edition colorways.
STRATEGY
Market the stroller as 'The Ultimate Adult Accessory' that happens to carry a child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't my 'Problem' be that we're losing market share?
Because the customer doesn't care about your market share. They care about their own problems. If you don't solve theirs, you'll never solve yours.
What if my 'Advantage' is the same as my competitor's?
Then you don't have an advantage. You have a commodity. Find something else - even if it's just your tone of voice or the way you package the damn thing.
Is the 'Insight' always something negative?
Not always, but it's usually 'uncomfortable.' It's the thing people don't say out loud at dinner parties. If it's polite, it's probably not an insight.
How long should it take to fill this out?
Ten minutes to write the first draft, and three days to realize your first draft was full of corporate bullshit and rewrite it.
Can the 'Strategy' be my tagline?
No. The strategy is the internal logic. The tagline is what you tell the public. Don't get them confused or your creative team will hate you.
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