/cmo-review

name: "cmo-review"
description: "/cs:cmo-review <plan> — Narrative-first interrogation of positioning, ICP, message house, and channel mix. Use when launching a campaign or repositioning, or when CAC is rising and the one-sentence positioning test fails."

/cs:cmo-review — CMO Forcing Questions

**Command:** `/cs:cmo-review <plan>`

The narrative-first strategist pressure-tests positioning before debating tactics.

When to Run

• Before launching any new campaign
• Before changing positioning, tagline, or category
• Before allocating > 10% of marketing budget to a new channel
• Before a major PR moment (funding announcement, product launch)
• When pipeline contribution is declining

The Six CMO Questions

1. ICP (One Real Person)

**Name one real person in your ICP. Company, title, what they do daily, what they hate.**

• Persona ≠ ICP. ICP is real.
• If you can't name one, the ICP isn't sharp enough.

2. JTBD

**What job is the customer hiring this product to do, and what's the alternative they use today?**

• One sentence the customer would say out loud.
• "We use spreadsheets" is a valid alternative. So is "we don't."

3. Positioning Statement

**One sentence: For [ICP], who needs [job], we are [category] that [differentiator] unlike [alternative].**

• This is the headline. Everything cascades.
• If it doesn't fit in one sentence, it's not positioning yet.

4. Distribution Channel

**Where does the customer first hear your name — and is it inbound or outbound at this stage?**

• Name the channel, intent, and the path to first contact.
• PLG, sales-led, content-led, partnership-led — pick a primary.

5. CAC Payback

**Per channel: what's CAC, what's payback in months, and is it improving?**

• If a channel's payback is > 18 months, it isn't a channel — it's a hobby.

6. Defensibility of Brand

**If a well-funded competitor copies your messaging tomorrow, what's still yours?**

• Category position, founder-market fit, customer love, distribution lock — name one.

Workflow

1. **Run the models:**

   python ../../../c-level-advisor/skills/cmo-advisor/scripts/marketing_budget_modeler.py
   python ../../../c-level-advisor/skills/cmo-advisor/scripts/growth_model_simulator.py

2. **Answer the six questions** in writing. 3. **Apply the verdict:**

• 🟢 GREEN — story is sharp, channel mix sound
• 🟡 YELLOW — sharpen positioning before scaling
• 🔴 RED — positioning broken; do not spend

Output Format

# CMO Review: <plan>
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD

## Positioning
One-sentence statement: <here>

## ICP
- Named persona: <name, title, company>
- JTBD: <one sentence in their words>

## Channel Mix
- Primary: <channel> | CAC $X | Payback Ym
- Secondary: <channel> | CAC $X | Payback Ym

## Verdict
🟢 / 🟡 / 🔴

## Next Steps
[3 concrete actions]

Routing

• `/cs:cro-review` — pipeline contribution check
• `/cs:cpo-review` — product ↔ positioning alignment
• `/cs:decide` — log the verdict

Related

• Agent: [`cs-cmo-advisor`](../../agents/cs-cmo-advisor.md)
• Skill: [`cmo-advisor`](../../../c-level-advisor/skills/cmo-advisor/SKILL.md)
• Execution domain: `../../../marketing-skill/`

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**Version:** 1.0.0