Create a Brand Strategy That Actually Says Something with 4 Points Strategy
If your strategy could be swapped with your competitor’s without anyone noticing, you’ve failed. The 4 Points Strategy Framework is the smelling salts for your comatose brand. It forces you to stop the fluff and find a direction that actually has a pulse. It’s four boxes. If you can’t make your point in four boxes, you don’t have a point; you have a word-count problem. This isn't about being 'on brand'; it's about being unignorable.
The TL;DR
Ditch the 80-slide deck of lies. Identify the real human friction (Problem), the secret truth no one admits (Insight), your one actual unfair weapon (Advantage), and the singular, sharp direction (Strategy) that makes people stop scrolling and actually feel something before you go bankrupt.
Why This Stops Your Brand From Being Invisible
Most strategies fail because they try to please everyone and end up saying nothing. This framework is a filter for mediocrity.
PROBLEM
If you say 'low brand awareness,' I'm leaving. What is the customer actually struggling with? Are they confused, feeling like a fraud, or just tired of being lied to? Find the human tension or don't bother.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the behavior. It's the secret thought they have at 2 AM. If your insight is 'people like quality,' go back to bed. It needs to be a realization that makes you say 'Oof.'
ADVANTAGE
Stop the fluff. What do you have that they can't just copy with a bigger budget? Is it a specific design choice, a legacy, or a way of working that makes the Problem go away? It has to be a weapon, not a wish.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the battle plan. It’s a single, aggressive sentence that connects the friction to the weapon. It’s not a tagline; it’s the logic that makes the tagline possible.
PROBLEM
If you say 'low brand awareness,' I'm leaving. What is the customer actually struggling with? Are they confused, feeling like a fraud, or just tired of being lied to? Find the human tension or don't bother.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the behavior. It's the secret thought they have at 2 AM. If your insight is 'people like quality,' go back to bed. It needs to be a realization that makes you say 'Oof.'
ADVANTAGE
Stop the fluff. What do you have that they can't just copy with a bigger budget? Is it a specific design choice, a legacy, or a way of working that makes the Problem go away? It has to be a weapon, not a wish.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the battle plan. It’s a single, aggressive sentence that connects the friction to the weapon. It’s not a tagline; it’s the logic that makes the tagline possible.
How to Write a Strategy That Says Absolutely Nothing
(The Amateur's Guide to Wasting Budget)
- ×Defining the 'Problem' as 'people aren't buying our crap yet.'
- ×Using an 'Insight' that is just a boring demographic fact like 'moms are busy.'
- ×Listing 'Our People' as a unique Advantage (everyone has people, Dave).
- ×Writing a Strategy that is just a list of three unrelated goals.
- ×Being too scared to take a stance because you might offend a non-customer.
- ×Confusing a 'Strategy' with a 'Mission Statement' (one wins wars, the other is for the lobby).
- ×Failing to connect the Insight to the Advantage, leaving the Strategy floating in mid-air.
- ×Using the word 'empower' or 'leverage' in the Strategy sentence.
If your strategy doesn't make someone in the room feel slightly uncomfortable, it's probably too safe to be effective.
Real Examples
Premium Electric Vehicles
Fighting the 'soulless appliance' reputation of EVs.
PROBLEM
Car enthusiasts feel like switching to electric is a forced lobotomy of their personality.
INSIGHT
They don't actually care about the planet as much as they care about being the fastest, loudest, or most interesting person at the stoplight.
ADVANTAGE
A proprietary 'Performance Mode' that prioritizes raw, violent torque and haptic feedback over battery efficiency.
STRATEGY
Position the EV as the 'Last Great Disruption' for people who hate boring, sensible cars.
PROBLEM
Car enthusiasts feel like switching to electric is a forced lobotomy of their personality.
INSIGHT
They don't actually care about the planet as much as they care about being the fastest, loudest, or most interesting person at the stoplight.
ADVANTAGE
A proprietary 'Performance Mode' that prioritizes raw, violent torque and haptic feedback over battery efficiency.
STRATEGY
Position the EV as the 'Last Great Disruption' for people who hate boring, sensible cars.
Budget Skincare
Standing out in a market of $150 'miracle' creams.
PROBLEM
Consumers are exhausted by the 12-step routines and pseudo-science that costs a car payment.
INSIGHT
They suspect the expensive stuff is just fancy water, but they're afraid that 'cheap' means 'damaging.'
ADVANTAGE
Clinical-grade active ingredients sold at cost, with a 'Ingredient Decoder' on every bottle.
STRATEGY
Weaponize radical transparency to make luxury competitors look like high-priced scam artists.
PROBLEM
Consumers are exhausted by the 12-step routines and pseudo-science that costs a car payment.
INSIGHT
They suspect the expensive stuff is just fancy water, but they're afraid that 'cheap' means 'damaging.'
ADVANTAGE
Clinical-grade active ingredients sold at cost, with a 'Ingredient Decoder' on every bottle.
STRATEGY
Weaponize radical transparency to make luxury competitors look like high-priced scam artists.
Recruitment Software
Selling to HR tech buyers who hate their current tools.
PROBLEM
Hiring managers feel like they are drowning in a sea of 'qualified' resumes that are actually garbage.
INSIGHT
They don't want 'better talent'; they want to stop getting yelled at by department heads for making bad hires.
ADVANTAGE
An AI filter that prioritizes 'Proof of Work' over 'Keywords on a Resume.'
STRATEGY
Shift the brand from a 'Job Board' to an 'HR Insurance Policy' against bad hires.
PROBLEM
Hiring managers feel like they are drowning in a sea of 'qualified' resumes that are actually garbage.
INSIGHT
They don't want 'better talent'; they want to stop getting yelled at by department heads for making bad hires.
ADVANTAGE
An AI filter that prioritizes 'Proof of Work' over 'Keywords on a Resume.'
STRATEGY
Shift the brand from a 'Job Board' to an 'HR Insurance Policy' against bad hires.
Frequently Asked Questions
My boss wants to include three different strategies. What do I do?
Tell them a ship with three rudders just goes in circles. Pick the one that actually solves the biggest human problem and bury the rest in the 'tactics' slide.
Can the 'Advantage' be our brand's 'heritage'?
Only if that heritage actually solves the Problem. If you're selling tech and your heritage is 'we've been around since 1920,' that's not an advantage; that's a liability. Use it only if it proves reliability in a market of flakes.
What if my Insight feels too mean to say to a client?
Then it's probably a great insight. Strategy isn't about being nice; it's about being right. If the truth is that your customers are lazy or vain, use that. It's more profitable than pretending they're all philosophers.
Is the 'Strategy' (by) the same as the slogan?
No. The strategy is the blueprint; the slogan is the paint. The strategy is 'Position the car as a mid-life crisis cure.' The slogan is 'Feel young again.' Don't confuse the two.
How do I know if my 'Problem' is deep enough?
If you can solve the problem by just lowering your price, it's a business problem. If you need to change how people feel or think to solve it, it's a brand problem. Aim for the latter.
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