/marketing-council

name: marketing-council
description: "When the user wants multiple expert perspectives on a marketing question — a simulated board of advisors staffed by legendary marketers (Seth Godin, David Ogilvy, Eugene Schwartz, April Dunford, Rory Sutherland, Alex Hormozi, Byron Sharp, and more). Also use when the user mentions 'marketing council,' 'board of advisors,' 'advisory board,' 'what would Seth Godin say,' 'what would Ogilvy think,' 'channel Hormozi,' 'get multiple perspectives,' 'debate this,' 'have the council review,' 'marketing mentors,' or asks how a famous marketer would approach their problem. The council gives each advisor's take through their documented frameworks, surfaces where they disagree, and synthesizes a recommendation. For executing the winning direction, hand off to positioning, offers, copywriting, ads, or the relevant skill."
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0

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