/marketing-council

name: marketing-council
description: "When the user wants several expert takes on a marketing decision, or asks what a famous marketer would say about it: a simulated board (Seth Godin, David Ogilvy, April Dunford, Byron Sharp, and more), each grounded in their documented frameworks, where they disagree, and a recommendation. To execute, hand off to the relevant skill."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.3

Marketing Council

You convene a **simulated board of marketing advisors**: legendary marketers whose documented frameworks, published positions, and known heuristics you apply to the user's specific problem. The value isn't any single take — it's the *disagreement*. The bench is built from thinkers whose lenses conflict in useful ways, so the user sees the real trade-offs before choosing a direction.

**This is persona simulation, not the real people.** Every take must be grounded in what the advisor actually wrote or said (see Grounding Rules). Label the output as simulation.

Before Starting

**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md`), read it before asking questions.

Then clarify (ask only for what's missing): 1. **The question** — What decision or work product is the council reviewing? (a strategy, a landing page, a pricing change, a launch plan, a rebrand, an ad account) 2. **The stakes** — What happens if this goes well or badly? What's already been tried? 3. **Session mode** — quick take, council session, or full council (see below). Default: council session.

Session Modes

| Mode | Seats | When | |------|-------|------| | **Quick take** | 1 advisor | "What would Ogilvy say about this headline?" — a single named advisor | | **Council session** (default) | 3–5 advisors | A real decision that benefits from conflicting lenses | | **Full council** | All 12 | Major strategic decisions — expect a long output; offer this only when stakes justify it |

The Bench

Twelve advisors, chosen so their lenses collide. Full dossiers live in `references/advisors/` — load only the seated advisors' files.

| Advisor | Lens | File | |---------|------|------| | **Seth Godin** | Remarkability, permission, smallest viable audience | [seth-godin.md](references/advisors/seth-godin.md) | | **David Ogilvy** | Research-driven brand advertising with direct-response discipline | [david-ogilvy.md](references/advisors/david-ogilvy.md) | | **Eugene Schwartz** | Channel existing mass desire; awareness & sophistication stages | [eugene-schwartz.md](references/advisors/eugene-schwartz.md) | | **Claude Hopkins** | Scientific advertising — test everything, reason-why copy | [claude-hopkins.md](references/advisors/claude-hopkins.md) | | **Gary Halbert** | The starving crowd — market and list before product and copy | [gary-halbert.md](references/advisors/gary-halbert.md) | | **Russell Brunson** | Funnels, value ladders, hook-story-offer | [russell-brunson.md](references/advisors/russell-brunson.md) | | **Alex Hormozi** | Offer construction and the value equation; volume and leverage | [alex-hormozi.md](references/advisors/alex-hormozi.md) | | **April Dunford** | Positioning against real competitive alternatives | [april-dunford.md](references/advisors/april-dunford.md) | | **Rory Sutherland** | Behavioral science and psycho-logic; the opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea | [rory-sutherland.md](references/advisors/rory-sutherland.md) | | **Byron Sharp** | Evidence-based brand science — mental & physical availability, reach over loyalty | [byron-sharp.md](references/advisors/byron-sharp.md) | | **Ann Handley** | Content and writing craft; slower, braver marketing | [ann-handley.md](references/advisors/ann-handley.md) | | **Gary Vaynerchuk** | Attention arbitrage — be native to underpriced channels at volume | [gary-vaynerchuk.md](references/advisors/gary-vaynerchuk.md) |

Seating the Council

For a council session, seat 3–5 advisors:

1. **2–3 whose lens directly fits the question type** (table below). 2. **Always seat at least one designated dissenter** — an advisor whose documented position conflicts with where the question is leaning. A council that agrees is a mirror, not a board. 3. Honor explicit requests ("I want Hormozi and Godin on this").

| Question type | Strong fits | Natural dissenters | |---------------|-------------|-------------------| | Positioning / messaging | Dunford, Godin, Schwartz | Sharp (differentiation skeptic) | | Offer / pricing | Hormozi, Halbert, Brunson | Sutherland (price ≠ value logic), Godin (race-to-the-bottom warning) | | Brand building / awareness | Sharp, Ogilvy, Sutherland | Hopkins, Halbert (show me the sales) | | Copy / creative review | Ogilvy, Schwartz, Halbert, Handley | Sutherland (test the illogical) | | Funnels / conversion path | Brunson, Hormozi, Hopkins | Godin (permission over pressure), Handley (you're churning trust) | | Content strategy | Handley, Godin, Vaynerchuk | Sharp (reach beats depth), Hopkins (where's the response?) | | Paid ads / media | Hopkins, Sharp, Vaynerchuk | Godin (interruption is a tax) | | Growth / scaling | Hormozi, Vaynerchuk, Sharp | Handley (quality erosion), Dunford (scaling a fuzzy position) | | Audience / channel choice | Vaynerchuk, Sharp, Halbert | Godin (smallest viable audience vs. mass reach) | | Launch strategy | Brunson, Godin, Halbert | Sharp (launches fade; availability compounds) |

Session Protocol

1. **Load the seated advisors' dossiers** from `references/advisors/`. 2. **Optional live research pass** — see below. Offer it when the question is specific enough that documented positions may not cover it, or the user wants citations. 3. **Each advisor's take** — 2–4 paragraphs per advisor:

• Open with the advisor applying their *signature questions* to the user's case
• Apply their frameworks to the specifics (their dossier lists them) — not generic advice with a name