Fix Briefs with Too Many Objectives using Get Who To By
Congratulations, you've been handed a brief that's less of a strategy and more of a Christmas wish list written by a committee of people who don't understand how humans work. It wants 'brand love,' 'immediate conversion,' and 'viral sensation' all at once. It’s a mess. The Get Who To By framework is your industrial-strength vacuum for this pile of garbage. It forces you to pick one actual fight and win it, instead of losing five at the same time. We’re going to strip away the fluff until there’s nowhere left for a bad idea to hide.
The TL;DR
Briefs with too many objectives are just expensive ways to fail. Use Get Who To By to strip the fluff, identify the one group that matters, and give them one clear reason to act. It’s strategy, not a buffet. If you can't fit it into this four-line framework, your brief isn't ready for the real world.
Why Get Who To By Kills Bad Briefs
Because 'doing it all' is just corporate code for 'doing nothing well.' This framework forces the kind of focus that makes stakeholders uncomfortable - which is exactly why it works.
The Four Steps
GET
Who is the smallest, most winnable group of people?
If you say 'everyone,' I'm leaving. Define the specific group of people who are most likely to give you money or attention right now. Not 'Millennials' - that's a demographic, not a target. Find the people with a specific itch you can actually scratch.
WHO
What is the specific behavior or frustration holding them back?
What are they doing instead of buying your stuff? Are they lazy? Skeptical? Using a competitor out of habit? You need to find the friction. If there’s no friction, there’s no reason for a campaign.
TO
What is the singular, stupidly obvious message?
This is the 'what.' Not five things. One. If they only remember one sentence from your million-dollar ad, what is it? It needs to be a direct response to the 'WHO' you just identified.
BY
What is the actual mechanism that makes them act?
How does this happen in the real world? Is it a link? A limited-time bribe? A psychological trigger? If you don't have a 'BY,' you just have a very expensive piece of art.
How to Ruin a Get Who To By
(Try not to do these, please)
- ×Listing three different 'GETs' because you're afraid of missing out
- ×Writing a 'WHO' that is just a compliment to your own brand
- ×Treating 'TO' like a dumping ground for every product feature
- ×Assuming the 'BY' will just 'happen naturally' through awareness
- ×Using marketing jargon to hide the fact that you don't have an insight
- ×Trying to solve 'brand awareness' and 'sales' in the same four lines
- ×Ignoring the reality of how lazy and distracted your audience actually is
- ×Making the 'BY' require more than two clicks
If your framework looks like a paragraph, you’ve failed. Keep it lean or keep it in the trash.
Real Examples
B2B Software
A project management tool trying to win over teams stuck in 'spreadsheet hell'.
GET
Middle managers at mid-sized agencies who spend 4 hours a day updating status sheets.
WHO
They feel like highly-paid data entry clerks and are terrified of missing a deadline because of a broken formula.
TO
Stop babysitting cells and start leading your team again.
BY
A 14-day 'Spreadsheet Detox' trial that imports their current mess in one click.
DTC Subscription
A high-end coffee subscription trying to convert supermarket shoppers.
GET
Home-office workers who buy 'premium' grocery store beans but find them stale.
WHO
They think they like good coffee but have accepted mediocrity because they don't want to research 'roast dates'.
TO
The coffee you’re drinking was roasted six months ago; ours was roasted yesterday.
BY
A 'Freshness Guarantee' starter kit where the first bag is free if they subscribe.
Fintech App
An investing app targeting people who 'know they should' but 'don't know how'.
GET
Debt-free 20-somethings with extra cash sitting in a 0.01% interest savings account.
WHO
They are paralyzed by the fear of 'doing it wrong' and losing their hard-earned savings to the stock market.
TO
Inflation is eating your savings anyway; let’s put it to work on autopilot.
BY
An 'Index-Only' setup that takes 60 seconds and limits choices to avoid decision paralysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my client insists on three different objectives?
Tell them they have three different campaigns and ask which one they want to fund first. Combining them is just a recipe for a campaign that nobody remembers.
Can the 'WHO' be a positive thing?
Sure, but negative tension usually drives faster action. People move quicker to avoid pain than to gain a vague benefit.
Is 'GET' just a persona?
No. Personas are often fake stories about 'Marketing Mary' who likes yoga. 'GET' is a group of people defined by a winnable situation.
How short should the 'TO' be?
If you can't shout it across a crowded bar and have someone understand it, it's too long.
What's a good 'BY' if I don't have a discount?
Exclusivity, ease of use, or a deadline. Money isn't the only lever, but you need *some* lever.
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