Fix Strategic Confusion at Brief Level Using 4 Points Strategy Framework
Do you know what is a 'Franken-brief'? It's a mess of contradictory objectives that leaves the creative team staring into the abyss. If your brief feels like a 40-page riddle, you don't have a strategy; you have a 'Franken-brief'. The 4 Points Strategy Framework is the industrial-strength filter designed to stop the bleeding. It forces you to stop hiding behind 'synergy' and 'omnichannel' and actually decide what you're doing before you waste everyone's Tuesday.
The TL;DR
Stop the strategic word-salad. Use four boxes to identify the human mess (Problem), the secret behavior (Insight), your actual weapon (Advantage), and the singular battle plan (Strategy) that stops your brief from being a total waste of paper.
Why This Stops Your Brief From Being a Total Disaster
Confusion in a brief is usually just cowardice in disguise. This framework makes it impossible to hide. It forces you to choose a path or admit you're lost.
PROBLEM
Stop talking about 'market share' or 'KPIs.' That's your problem, not the customer's. What is the annoying, scary, or boring thing happening in their life that your brand can actually fix? If you can't describe the problem without using the word 'leverage,' you haven't found it yet.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the 'what.' It’s the secret reason they do something dumb or irrational. If the insight doesn't make you feel like you're eavesdropping on a therapy session, it's just a data point. Data points are for reports; insights are for strategies.
ADVANTAGE
Be honest. Is it your price? Your speed? The fact that you're the only one who doesn't require a 24-month contract? This is your Advantage. It has to be a real tool, not a vague promise about 'quality' or 'innovation.'
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the 'how.' It’s a single, aggressive sentence that tells the team exactly what hill we're taking. If it sounds like a tagline, you failed. If it sounds like a marching order, you're getting somewhere.
PROBLEM
Stop talking about 'market share' or 'KPIs.' That's your problem, not the customer's. What is the annoying, scary, or boring thing happening in their life that your brand can actually fix? If you can't describe the problem without using the word 'leverage,' you haven't found it yet.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s the 'why' behind the 'what.' It’s the secret reason they do something dumb or irrational. If the insight doesn't make you feel like you're eavesdropping on a therapy session, it's just a data point. Data points are for reports; insights are for strategies.
ADVANTAGE
Be honest. Is it your price? Your speed? The fact that you're the only one who doesn't require a 24-month contract? This is your Advantage. It has to be a real tool, not a vague promise about 'quality' or 'innovation.'
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the 'how.' It’s a single, aggressive sentence that tells the team exactly what hill we're taking. If it sounds like a tagline, you failed. If it sounds like a marching order, you're getting somewhere.
How You'll Probably Fumble the Brief
(And waste the creative team's life)
- ×Defining the Problem as 'People don't know we exist' (they don't care, find a real problem)
- ×Treating the Insight as a demographic like 'Moms aged 25-40' (that's a target, not an insight)
- ×Claiming your Advantage is 'Customer Centricity' (everyone says that; it's a baseline, not a weapon)
- ×Writing a Strategy that is just a list of three different ideas because you're afraid to pick one
- ×Using 'Marketing-ese' to fill the boxes because you're too lazy to think of a human truth
- ×Ignoring the connection between the Problem and the Advantage (they must fit like a lock and key)
- ×Making the Strategy so broad it could apply to a brand in a completely different industry
- ×Confusing the Strategy with a Creative Execution (e.g., 'Do a viral TikTok challenge')
A brief is a choice. If you haven't made any hard choices, you haven't written a brief; you've written a grocery list.
Real Examples
Over-Featured Productivity App
A project management tool that is currently confusing users with too many features.
PROBLEM
Knowledge workers feel like they are working for their software rather than the software working for them.
INSIGHT
People secretly use paper notebooks for their most important tasks because they're afraid of the 'digital noise' of their own workspace.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Focus Mode' that hides every single non-essential notification and feature with one click.
STRATEGY
Position the app as the 'Digital Sanctuary' that protects your time from the very tool you're using to manage it.
PROBLEM
Knowledge workers feel like they are working for their software rather than the software working for them.
INSIGHT
People secretly use paper notebooks for their most important tasks because they're afraid of the 'digital noise' of their own workspace.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Focus Mode' that hides every single non-essential notification and feature with one click.
STRATEGY
Position the app as the 'Digital Sanctuary' that protects your time from the very tool you're using to manage it.
Stale CPG Snack Brand
A legacy chip brand losing out to 'healthy' alternative snacks.
PROBLEM
Health-conscious snackers feel a sense of 'joyless duty' when eating kale chips that taste like cardboard.
INSIGHT
People who eat healthy all day have a 'witching hour' at 9 PM where they desperately crave a 'trashy' flavor reward.
ADVANTAGE
The same high-sodium, intense flavor coating but on a baked, low-calorie base.
STRATEGY
Market the snack as the '9 PM Compromise' that satisfies the lizard brain without the morning-after guilt.
PROBLEM
Health-conscious snackers feel a sense of 'joyless duty' when eating kale chips that taste like cardboard.
INSIGHT
People who eat healthy all day have a 'witching hour' at 9 PM where they desperately crave a 'trashy' flavor reward.
ADVANTAGE
The same high-sodium, intense flavor coating but on a baked, low-calorie base.
STRATEGY
Market the snack as the '9 PM Compromise' that satisfies the lizard brain without the morning-after guilt.
B2B Cybersecurity Firm
A firm trying to stand out in a sea of 'scare tactic' marketing.
PROBLEM
IT Directors are exhausted by 'doom-and-gloom' sales pitches that make them feel like failure is inevitable.
INSIGHT
They don't want to be 'heroes'; they just want to be able to go on vacation without checking their email every twenty minutes.
ADVANTAGE
An automated 'Zero-Trust' protocol that handles 99% of threats without requiring a human decision.
STRATEGY
Shift the brand promise from 'Stopping Hackers' to 'Enabling Vacations' by automating the anxiety away.
PROBLEM
IT Directors are exhausted by 'doom-and-gloom' sales pitches that make them feel like failure is inevitable.
INSIGHT
They don't want to be 'heroes'; they just want to be able to go on vacation without checking their email every twenty minutes.
ADVANTAGE
An automated 'Zero-Trust' protocol that handles 99% of threats without requiring a human decision.
STRATEGY
Shift the brand promise from 'Stopping Hackers' to 'Enabling Vacations' by automating the anxiety away.
Frequently Asked Questions
My client has four different target audiences for this one brief. What do I do?
Tell them to pick one or give you four budgets. A strategy that tries to talk to everyone ends up talking to a brick wall. Use the 4 Points to show them how a single focus creates a sharper direction.
What if the 'Advantage' isn't actually unique to our brand?
Then you'd better be the first one to claim it or the loudest one to say it. If you can't be unique, be the most honest about it. But if a competitor does it better, your strategy is already dead.
How do I know if my 'By' (Strategy) is specific enough?
If you can swap your brand name for a competitor's and the sentence still makes sense, it’s garbage. Start over and make it so specific it would look ridiculous on anyone else.
The creative team says the brief is still too 'dry.' How does this help?
The 'Who' (Insight) is the fuel for creatives. If your insight is a boring fact, the work will be boring. Give them a human truth that hurts a little, and they'll give you work that actually works.
Can I use this for a quick social media brief, or is it just for 'big' campaigns?
If it involves spending money and time, it needs a strategy. Using this for a small brief takes 10 minutes and saves you 10 hours of arguing over why a post didn't 'perform.'
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