Turn Strategy into Usable Briefs with the 4 Points Strategy
Look, we’ve all been there. You spend six weeks on a strategy deck only to watch the creative team produce work that looks like they didn’t even read the title slide. That’s because your 'strategy' was actually just a 50-slide collection of hope and prayers. The 4 Points Strategy Framework is the industrial-strength garbage disposal for your brief-writing process. It strips away the 'integrated marketing solutions' and forces you to find the one human problem that actually matters. It’s four points. If you can’t get them right, your brief is just a very expensive way to confuse your art director and flush your budget down the toilet.
The TL;DR
Stop sending your creative team on a scavenger hunt through bloated decks. Use the 4 Points to distill your strategy into a single, sharp direction before you write a brief that everyone ignores.
Why This Saves Your Brief From the Recycling Bin
Most briefs fail because they try to do everything and end up doing nothing. This framework is a reality check for people who like to hear themselves talk in meetings.
PROBLEM
Forget your sales targets. What is the friction, the fear, or the annoyance in the customer's life? If there's no human tension, your brief is just noise.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s not a data point; it’s the 'why' behind the 'what.' It should feel a little bit like you're reading their diary. If it doesn't make you slightly uncomfortable, it’s just a fact.
ADVANTAGE
What do you have that they can't buy or copy? This is the tool that fixes the Problem. If your advantage is 'we've been around since 1980,' you're in trouble.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. One sentence. It connects the human mess, the secret truth, and your weapon into a marching order. No 'ands,' 'buts,' or commas allowed.
PROBLEM
Forget your sales targets. What is the friction, the fear, or the annoyance in the customer's life? If there's no human tension, your brief is just noise.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s not a data point; it’s the 'why' behind the 'what.' It should feel a little bit like you're reading their diary. If it doesn't make you slightly uncomfortable, it’s just a fact.
ADVANTAGE
What do you have that they can't buy or copy? This is the tool that fixes the Problem. If your advantage is 'we've been around since 1980,' you're in trouble.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. One sentence. It connects the human mess, the secret truth, and your weapon into a marching order. No 'ands,' 'buts,' or commas allowed.
How to Write a Brief That Everyone Will Hate
(A guide for the lazy and the vague)
- ×Defining the 'Problem' as 'we need more sales' (that's your problem, not theirs)
- ×Confusing an 'Insight' with a 'Demographic' (25-34 year olds aren't an insight)
- ×Listing five different 'Advantages' because you're afraid to pick one
- ×Writing a 'Strategy' that is actually a list of tactics like 'do a viral video'
- ×Using corporate jargon to hide the fact that you don't have a real point
- ×Ignoring the Insight because it feels 'too negative' for the brand guidelines
- ×Making the Strategy so broad it could apply to a brand of toothpaste or a jet engine
- ×Treating the four points as separate tasks instead of a single, connected logical chain
If your brief is boring to read, the work will be boring to watch. Do the hard work of thinking so the creative team doesn't have to guess.
Real Examples
Premium Coffee Subscription
Moving coffee drinkers from grocery store beans to a high-end delivery service.
PROBLEM
Coffee drinkers feel like they're overpaying for 'luxury' beans that taste exactly like the cheap stuff.
INSIGHT
They don't actually care about the 'notes of hibiscus'; they just want to feel like the kind of person who knows the difference.
ADVANTAGE
A blind-taste-test guarantee that proves our beans beat their current 'premium' brand or it's free.
STRATEGY
Position the subscription as the 'No-Bullshit Sommelier' that saves you from expensive, mediocre beans.
PROBLEM
Coffee drinkers feel like they're overpaying for 'luxury' beans that taste exactly like the cheap stuff.
INSIGHT
They don't actually care about the 'notes of hibiscus'; they just want to feel like the kind of person who knows the difference.
ADVANTAGE
A blind-taste-test guarantee that proves our beans beat their current 'premium' brand or it's free.
STRATEGY
Position the subscription as the 'No-Bullshit Sommelier' that saves you from expensive, mediocre beans.
Budget Airline
Fighting the reputation of being a 'cheap and nasty' way to travel.
PROBLEM
Travelers feel physically and emotionally drained before they even get to their destination.
INSIGHT
They hate the airline, but they hate themselves more for being the person who 'settles' for the cheap seat.
ADVANTAGE
An 'Efficiency-First' boarding process that gets you from the curb to the gate in under 15 minutes.
STRATEGY
Reframe the low price not as 'cheapness,' but as the 'Speed-Pass' for people who value their time over a tiny bag of pretzels.
PROBLEM
Travelers feel physically and emotionally drained before they even get to their destination.
INSIGHT
They hate the airline, but they hate themselves more for being the person who 'settles' for the cheap seat.
ADVANTAGE
An 'Efficiency-First' boarding process that gets you from the curb to the gate in under 15 minutes.
STRATEGY
Reframe the low price not as 'cheapness,' but as the 'Speed-Pass' for people who value their time over a tiny bag of pretzels.
Enterprise Cybersecurity
Selling software to IT Directors who are tired of 'threat detection' jargon.
PROBLEM
IT Directors live in a state of 'alert fatigue' where everything is a crisis and nothing is a priority.
INSIGHT
They aren't afraid of a hack; they're afraid of the 3 AM phone call that ruins their weekend and makes them look incompetent.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Silent Mode' filter that only alerts the human when a verified, high-level breach is in progress.
STRATEGY
Own the 'Weekend Protector' positioning by promising to kill the noise, not just find the threats.
PROBLEM
IT Directors live in a state of 'alert fatigue' where everything is a crisis and nothing is a priority.
INSIGHT
They aren't afraid of a hack; they're afraid of the 3 AM phone call that ruins their weekend and makes them look incompetent.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Silent Mode' filter that only alerts the human when a verified, high-level breach is in progress.
STRATEGY
Own the 'Weekend Protector' positioning by promising to kill the noise, not just find the threats.
Frequently Asked Questions
My boss wants me to include three insights in the brief. What do I do?
Tell them no. If you have three insights, you have three strategies. Pick the one that actually hurts and stick to it.
What if my 'Advantage' isn't actually unique?
Then you don't have an advantage, you have a commodity. Keep digging until you find something - even if it's just the way you talk - that your competitor is too scared to do.
Can the 'Strategy' be the same as the tagline?
Hardly ever. The Strategy is the blueprint; the tagline is the paint. One explains what we're doing, the other makes it sound cool. Don't mix them up.
Why is the 'Problem' a human one and not a business one?
Because nobody ever bought a product to help a company hit its Q3 targets. They buy products to fix their own messy lives. Solve their problem, and your business problem goes away.
How do I know if my brief is 'usable'?
Give it to a creative. If they start complaining about the budget instead of asking what the strategy means, it's usable.
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