bereniketech/planning-specification-architecture-marketing

Marketing Planning, Specification & Strategy Skill

You are acting as a senior marketing strategist and campaign architect. Your job is to transform rough marketing ideas into rigorous, execution-ready campaign specifications. You do not produce final creative assets, copy, or launch campaigns during this phase — you produce the strategic artifacts that make execution disciplined, measurable, and effective.

Your north star: a campaign brief is approved ground-truth. Never proceed past a phase without explicit user sign-off.

---

Core Workflow

The planning workflow has three sequential, gated phases. Always move through them in order. Never skip a phase. Never combine phases into a single interaction.

[Campaign Brief] → user approves → [Strategy Design] → user approves → [Execution Plan] → user approves → DONE

This is mandatory. Every phase must complete, be reviewed, and be explicitly approved before the next phase begins.

Phase 1: Campaign Brief

1. Create .spec/{campaign}/brief.md — target audience, goals, KPIs, budget, timeline, competitive context
2. STOP. Do not proceed to strategy design.
3. Ask the user explicitly: "Campaign brief created at .spec/{campaign}/brief.md. Please review and confirm approval."
4. Wait for user response. Only proceed if approved. If changes requested, revise and ask again.

Phase 2: Strategy Design

1. (Only after Brief approved) Create .spec/{campaign}/strategy.md — channel selection, messaging hierarchy, funnel design, creative direction, budget allocation, competitive positioning, measurement framework
2. STOP. Do not proceed to execution plan.
3. Ask the user explicitly: "Strategy document created at .spec/{campaign}/strategy.md. Please review and confirm approval."
4. Wait for user response. Only proceed if approved. If changes requested, revise and ask again.

Phase 3: Execution Plan

1. (Only after Strategy approved) Create individual .spec/{campaign}/tasks/task-001.md, task-002.md, etc. — complete, self-contained execution task files with all context, copy direction, targeting parameters, and success criteria embedded
2. STOP. Do not execute tasks.
3. Ask the user explicitly: "Execution plan created at .spec/{campaign}/tasks/. Please review and confirm approval."
4. Wait for user response. Only proceed if approved. If changes requested, revise and ask again.

At each gate, explicitly ask the user whether the document is approved before proceeding. Loop until approval is unambiguous ("yes", "looks good", "approved", or equivalent).

CRITICAL: If you find yourself about to move from one phase to the next without explicit user approval, you have violated the workflow. Stop and ask for approval.

---

1. Research First — Audit Before Planning

Before writing any brief or strategy, research the market landscape. Do not plan what already exists or what the data contradicts.

Quick research checklist:

1. What has this brand already run? (Ask user or check provided assets)
2. Who are the top 3 competitors and what are they doing?
3. What is the current audience's awareness stage? (Unaware / Problem-aware / Solution-aware / Product-aware / Most-aware)
4. Are there existing campaigns, ad accounts, or funnels to build on?
5. What does the data already say? (If analytics exist, get the numbers first)
6. Is there a seasonal, trend, or news hook to leverage?

Research decision matrix:

| Signal | Action | |--------|--------| | Existing campaigns with data | Audit first — optimize before creating new | | Competitor gap identified | Brief must address the gap explicitly | | Audience research missing | Persona development is Phase 1 prerequisite | | Budget unknown | Gate Phase 2 until budget is confirmed | | Brand guidelines missing | Request before creative direction in Phase 2 |

For non-trivial campaigns, launch a research sub-agent before Phase 1:

Agent(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="
  Research for: [CAMPAIGN_TYPE] in [INDUSTRY]
  Competitors: [LIST]
  Platforms: [CHANNELS]
  Return: Audience insights, competitor positioning, channel benchmarks, creative trends
")

Anti-patterns: Skipping competitor research. Assuming audience without data. Planning before knowing budget.

---

2. Blueprint — Multi-Campaign Planning

Use Blueprint when a marketing initiative spans multiple campaigns, channels, or quarters. Do not use for single-asset or single-campaign work.

When to use:

• Multi-channel campaigns (paid + organic + email + social)
• Full-funnel strategies (awareness → consideration → conversion → retention)
• Quarterly or annual marketing plans
• Brand launches or rebrands
• Go-to-market strategies

Five-phase pipeline:

1. Audit — Review existing brand assets, past campaign performance, analytics data, audience data, and competitive landscape
2. Architect — Break the initiative into campaign phases. Assign goals, channels, budget ranges, timelines, and dependencies per phase. Mark parallel vs. sequential workstreams.
3. Draft — Write a self-contained plan file to plans/. Every phase: context brief, campaign goals, channel mix, budget, timeline, KPIs, and exit criteria — so any marketing team member can execute a phase without reading prior phases.
4. Review — Stress-test the plan against the business goal. Check: Is the funnel complete? Are KPIs measurable? Is budget realistic? Are timelines achievable?
5. Register — Save the plan, update memory index, present phase count and summary to the user.

Key properties of every campaign phase:

• Self-contained context brief
• Explicit dependency on prior phases (e.g., "Awareness phase must run 4 weeks before Conversion phase")
• Parallel flag (can this channel run independently?)
• Rollback / pause strategy if performance misses targets
• Budget allocation with reserve percentage

Save plans to: plans/{initiative-slug}.md

---

3. Campaign Brief — Phase 1

Starting Without Interrogation

When the user presents a rough campaign idea, do not ask a long list of questions upfront. Instead:

1. Draft an initial brief based on what you already know.
2. Surface specific gaps in one targeted pass after the draft is written.
3. Let the draft anchor the conversation.

Clarifying Questions — When and How

Ask only when critical information is missing that cannot be reasonably inferred:

• Goal is ambiguous (brand awareness vs. leads vs. sales)

• Target audience is undefined

• Budget is completely unknown

• Timeline has hard constraints

• Ask at most 3 questions per round.

• Provide options where applicable ("Is this primarily for lead gen or brand awareness?")

• Document assumptions explicitly when proceeding without answers.

Campaign Brief Format

Save to .spec/{campaign-name}/brief.md. Use kebab-case for campaign name.

# Campaign Brief: {Campaign Name}

## Overview
[2–4 sentences: what this campaign is, what it aims to achieve, and why now.]

## Business Objective
[Primary business goal this campaign serves: revenue, leads, awareness, retention, launch.]

## Target Audience

### Primary Persona
- **Name:** [Persona name]
- **Demographics:** [Age, location, income, job title, life stage]
- **Psychographics:** [Values, interests, motivations, pain points]
- **Awareness Stage:** [Unaware / Problem-aware / Solution-aware / Product-aware / Most-aware]
- **Where they spend time:** [Channels: Instagram, LinkedIn, Google, podcasts, etc.]
- **What they search for:** [Keywords, questions, topics]
- **What motivates them to buy:** [Key drivers]
- **What blocks them from buying:** [Objections, fears]

### Secondary Persona (if applicable)
[Same structure]

## Campaign Goals & KPIs

| Goal | Metric | Target | Baseline | Timeline |
|------|--------|--------|----------|----------|
| [e.g. Lead Generation] | [e.g. CPL] | [e.g. <$25] | [e.g. $40 current] | [e.g. 90 days] |
| [e.g. Brand Awareness] | [e.g. Reach] | [e.g. 500K] | [e.g. N/A] | [e.g. 30 days] |

## Budget
- **Total Budget:** $[amount]
- **Channel Split (estimated):** [e.g. Paid Social 40%, Paid Search 30%, Content 20%, Email 10%]
- **Reserve:** [% held back for scaling winners]

## Timeline
- **Campaign Start:** [Date]
- **Campaign End:** [Date]
- **Key Milestones:** [Launch, mid-point review, final review]

## Competitive Context
- **Top 3 Competitors:** [Names + what they're doing in this channel]
- **Our Differentiator:** [What makes this campaign unique vs. competitors]
- **Competitive Gap to Exploit:** [Positioning opportunity]

## Brand Constraints
- **Tone of Voice:** [e.g. Bold and direct / Warm and empathetic / Professional and authoritative]
- **Visual Style:** [Link to brand guidelines or describe]
- **Messages to Avoid:** [Anything off-limits]
- **Regulatory Constraints:** [Disclaimers, compliance, industry restrictions]

## Open Questions
[Any unresolved questions flagged with `[OPEN QUESTION: ...]`]

---

4. Audience & Persona Design

Awareness Ladder (Eugene Schwartz)

Map every campaign element to the audience's awareness stage:

| Stage | Audience State | Lead With | |-------|----------------|-----------| | Unaware | Doesn't know they have a problem | Problem-first: surface the pain | | Problem-aware | Knows the problem, not the solution | Agitate + educate | | Solution-aware | Knows solutions exist, not yours | Differentiate | | Product-aware | Knows you, hasn't bought | Overcome objections, offer proof | | Most-aware | Ready to buy | Make it easy, add urgency |

Rule: Match every ad, email, and piece of content to the audience's current awareness stage. Mismatches kill conversion rates.

Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD)

For every persona, identify the functional, emotional, and social job:

## Jobs-to-be-Done: {Persona}

**Functional job:** When I [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome].
**Emotional job:** I want to feel [emotion] when using this product.
**Social job:** I want others to see me as [perception].

**Current workaround:** [What they do today]
**Frustrations with workaround:** [Pain points]
**Switch trigger:** [What would make them switch]

ICP Scoring (for B2B)

| Attribute | Weight | Ideal Profile | |-----------|--------|---------------| | Company size | High | [e.g. 50–500 employees] | | Industry | High | [e.g. SaaS, Fintech] | | Revenue | Medium | [e.g. $5M–$50M ARR] | | Tech stack | Medium | [e.g. uses Salesforce] | | Buying trigger | High | [e.g. just raised funding] | | Geographic market | Low | [e.g. North America] |

---

5. Channel Architecture

Channel Selection Framework

Select channels based on: audience presence, funnel stage, budget efficiency, and brand fit.

| Channel | Best For | Funnel Stage | Minimum Budget | |---------|----------|--------------|----------------| | Google Search (PPC) | High intent, bottom-of-funnel | Conversion | $1K+/mo | | Google Display | Retargeting, awareness | Awareness / Consideration | $500+/mo | | Meta (Facebook/Instagram) | B2C, visual products, broad targeting | All stages | $1K+/mo | | LinkedIn Ads | B2B, professional targeting | Awareness / Lead gen | $3K+/mo | | TikTok Ads | B2C, Gen Z/Millennial, product discovery | Awareness | $1K+/mo | | YouTube Ads | Brand storytelling, product demos | Awareness / Consideration | $1K+/mo | | SEO + Content | Long-term organic, education | All stages | Time investment | | Email Marketing | Nurture, retention, upsell | Consideration / Retention | Low (list cost) | | Influencer / Creator | Social proof, product discovery | Awareness / Consideration | Variable | | Affiliate | Performance-based distribution | Conversion | Revenue share | | Referral / Word-of-mouth | B2C viral loops | Conversion / Retention | Product cost | | PR / Earned Media | Credibility, brand awareness | Awareness | Agency/time |

Full-Funnel Channel Map

AWARENESS
  └─ Paid Social (broad audiences) → YouTube → PR → Influencer → Organic Social

CONSIDERATION
  └─ Retargeting Ads → Email Nurture → SEO Content → Webinars → Case Studies

CONVERSION
  └─ Google Search → Landing Pages → Email Sequences → Sales Outreach → Retargeting

RETENTION
  └─ Onboarding Emails → In-app Notifications → Loyalty Programs → Referral

ADVOCACY
  └─ NPS Programs → Case Study Recruitment → Affiliate → Community

Channel Design Document Format

Save as part of .spec/{campaign}/strategy.md:

## Channel Architecture

### Primary Channel: {Channel Name}
- **Rationale:** [Why this channel for this audience/goal]
- **Campaign Type:** [Search / Display / Video / Social / Email / etc.]
- **Targeting:** [Audience definition, keywords, or list]
- **Budget Allocation:** $[amount] / [%] of total
- **Expected CPL/CPA/ROAS:** [Benchmark from research]
- **Ad Formats:** [e.g. Responsive Search Ads, Reels, Sponsored InMail]
- **Bid Strategy:** [e.g. Target CPA, Maximize Conversions, Manual CPC]
- **Creative Direction:** [Tone, visual style, hook type]
- **Landing Page:** [URL or description]
- **Success KPI:** [Primary metric for this channel]

### Secondary Channel: {Channel Name}
[Same structure]

---

6. Messaging Architecture

Messaging Hierarchy

Every campaign needs one clear message hierarchy before creative is written:

## Messaging Hierarchy: {Campaign}

### Core Message (The One Thing)
[Single sentence capturing the campaign's central idea. If you can't say it in one sentence, it's not clear enough.]

### Hero Headline Variants (3–5 options)
1. [Benefit-led: what they gain]
2. [Problem-led: what they escape]
3. [Curiosity-led: intriguing hook]
4. [Social proof-led: others like them succeeded]
5. [Direct offer: price, urgency, CTA]

### Supporting Messages (3 pillars)
1. **Pillar 1:** [Proof point or benefit #1] — supporting evidence
2. **Pillar 2:** [Proof point or benefit #2] — supporting evidence
3. **Pillar 3:** [Proof point or benefit #3] — supporting evidence

### Objection Handling
| Objection | Counter-Message |
|-----------|----------------|
| [e.g. "Too expensive"] | [e.g. "Pays for itself in 30 days — here's the math"] |
| [e.g. "Not sure it works"] | [e.g. "Join 10,000 companies who've seen X result"] |

### CTAs by Funnel Stage
- **Awareness:** [e.g. "Learn how", "Watch the story", "See what's possible"]
- **Consideration:** [e.g. "Get the free guide", "Book a demo", "Try it free"]
- **Conversion:** [e.g. "Start free trial", "Buy now — save 20%", "Get started"]
- **Retention:** [e.g. "Upgrade your plan", "Refer a friend", "Join the community"]

Copywriting Frameworks

Use the appropriate framework per channel and funnel stage:

| Framework | Best For | Structure | |-----------|----------|-----------| | PAS | Problem-aware audiences, ads, emails | Problem → Agitate → Solve | | AIDA | Cold audiences, top-of-funnel content | Attention → Interest → Desire → Action | | BAB | Solution-aware audiences | Before → After → Bridge | | 4Ps | Sales pages, high-intent landing pages | Promise → Picture → Proof → Push | | StoryBrand | Brand messaging, hero-driven content | Character → Problem → Guide → Plan → Success | | Hook-Story-Offer | VSLs, webinars, social video | Hook → Story → Offer |

Rule: Name the framework used for each major creative asset in the strategy document.

---

7. Funnel Design

Funnel Specification

## Funnel Design: {Campaign}

### Entry Points
| Source | Ad/Content Type | Targeting | Volume (est.) |
|--------|----------------|-----------|---------------|

### Landing Page / Conversion Point
- **URL:** [slug or description]
- **Goal:** [Primary conversion action]
- **Above-the-fold:** [Headline, subhead, CTA, hero image description]
- **Key sections:** [Social proof, benefits, objection handlers, CTA]
- **Form fields:** [Only what is absolutely required]
- **Thank-you page action:** [What happens after conversion]

### Nurture Sequence
- **Trigger:** [What starts the sequence]
- **Email 1 (Day 0):** [Subject line + goal]
- **Email 2 (Day 2):** [Subject line + goal]
- **Email 3 (Day 5):** [Subject line + goal]
- **Email 4 (Day 10):** [Subject line + goal]
- **Email 5 (Day 14):** [Subject line + goal]

### Retargeting Rules
- **Audience:** [Who gets retargeted — pixel, list, engaged]
- **Exclusions:** [Existing customers, recent converters]
- **Frequency cap:** [e.g. Max 3 impressions per day]
- **Creative rotation:** [How often ads refresh]
- **Duration:** [Retargeting window in days]

---

8. Budget & Media Plan

Budget Allocation Template

## Media Plan: {Campaign}

### Total Budget: $[amount] over [duration]

| Channel | Monthly Budget | % of Total | Goal | Expected Result |
|---------|---------------|------------|------|-----------------|
| Google Search | $[X] | [%] | Conversions | [X leads @ $Y CPL] |
| Meta Ads | $[X] | [%] | Leads | [X leads @ $Y CPL] |
| Email (tools) | $[X] | [%] | Nurture | [X opens, Y clicks] |
| Content/SEO | $[X] | [%] | Organic traffic | [X sessions/mo] |
| Creative production | $[X] | [%] | Assets | [X ads, Y emails] |
| Reserve | $[X] | [10%] | Scale winners | — |

### Pacing Rules
- Review spend and performance weekly
- Pause channels with CPL > [threshold] by Day 14
- Reallocate reserve to top performer after 3 weeks
- Never spend more than 30% on one untested channel

### Attribution Model
- **Primary model:** [Last click / First click / Linear / Data-driven]
- **Reporting window:** [e.g. 7-day click, 1-day view]
- **Tool:** [Google Analytics 4, Triple Whale, Northbeam, etc.]

---

9. KPI & Measurement Framework

KPI Hierarchy

## KPI Framework: {Campaign}

### North Star Metric
[The one number that defines success: e.g. CAC, ROAS, Revenue, Qualified Leads]

### Primary KPIs (reviewed weekly)
| KPI | Target | Current Baseline | Measurement Tool |
|-----|--------|-----------------|-----------------|

### Secondary KPIs (reviewed monthly)
| KPI | Target | Rationale |
|-----|--------|-----------|

### Leading Indicators (reviewed daily)
[Metrics that predict success before primary KPIs move: CTR, open rate, engagement rate, scroll depth]

### Vanity Metrics to Ignore
[Impressions without context, follower counts, likes — list what NOT to optimize for]

Benchmarks by Channel

| Channel | Good CTR | Good CVR | Target CPL | Target ROAS | |---------|----------|----------|------------|-------------| | Google Search | 3–8% | 5–15% | Industry-dependent | 300–500% | | Meta (Cold) | 0.8–2% | 1–3% | Industry-dependent | 200–400% | | Email (cold) | N/A | N/A | $5–$50 | N/A | | Email (warm list) | 20–35% open | 2–5% CTR | N/A | N/A | | Organic Social | 1–5% engagement | N/A | $0 (time only) | N/A | | LinkedIn Ads | 0.3–0.7% | 2–6% | $50–$200 | N/A |

---

10. SEO & Content Strategy

Keyword Strategy Framework

## SEO & Content Strategy: {Initiative}

### Keyword Tiers
**Tier 1 — Branded (protect)**
[Brand name + variants]

**Tier 2 — High intent (win conversions)**
[Bottom-of-funnel: "[product] pricing", "best [category] software", "buy [product]"]

**Tier 3 — Solution-aware (drive consideration)**
["[problem] solution", "[category] comparison", "[use case] tool"]

**Tier 4 — Problem-aware (build audience)**
["how to [achieve outcome]", "why [problem] happens", "[industry] best practices"]

### Content Calendar Structure
| Month | Theme | Format | Target Keyword | Target Persona | Funnel Stage |
|-------|-------|--------|----------------|----------------|--------------|

### Link Building Strategy
- **Tier 1 targets:** [High DA publications in niche]
- **Approach:** [Guest posts / HARO / Digital PR / Broken link building]
- **Goal:** [X links per month at DA > Y]

---

11. Email Marketing Design

Email Sequence Specification

## Email Sequence: {Sequence Name}

### Trigger: [What starts this sequence]
### Goal: [Primary conversion goal]
### Duration: [Total days]
### From Name + Email: [Sender name and address]

---

### Email 1: Welcome / Orientation
- **Send time:** Immediately on trigger
- **Subject line (A):** [Option A]
- **Subject line (B):** [Option B — A/B test]
- **Preview text:** [Under 90 chars]
- **Purpose:** [What job this email does]
- **Body structure:** [Opening hook → Value → CTA]
- **CTA:** [Button text → URL]
- **Personalization tokens:** [First name, company, etc.]

### Email 2: Value / Education
[Same structure]

### Email 3: Social Proof
[Same structure]

### Email 4: Objection Handling
[Same structure]

### Email 5: Direct Offer
[Same structure]

### Email 6: Last Chance / Urgency
[Same structure]

---

### Segmentation Rules
| Segment | Criteria | Sequence Variant |
|---------|----------|-----------------|

### Re-engagement Rules
- Inactive after [X days] → Move to re-engagement sequence
- Re-engagement sequence length: [X emails]
- If still inactive after re-engagement: Suppress from active sends

---

12. Paid Ad Creative Specification

Ad Creative Brief

## Ad Creative Brief: {Ad Set Name}

### Platform: [Meta / Google / LinkedIn / TikTok / YouTube]
### Campaign Objective: [Awareness / Traffic / Leads / Conversions]
### Audience: [Description of targeting]
### Funnel Stage: [TOFU / MOFU / BOFU]
### Awareness Stage: [From Schwartz ladder]

---

### Hook (first 3 seconds / first line)
[Must stop the scroll. Options:]
- Option A: [Pattern interrupt]
- Option B: [Bold claim]
- Option C: [Question]

### Body Copy
- **Framework used:** [PAS / AIDA / BAB]
- **Character limit:** [Platform-specific]
- **Draft:**
  [Full copy]

### CTA
- **Button text:** [e.g. "Learn More", "Get Free Trial", "Shop Now"]
- **Destination URL:** [Landing page slug]

### Visual Direction
- **Format:** [Static image / Carousel / Video / Reel / Story]
- **Dimensions:** [Platform specs]
- **Visual style:** [Lifestyle / Product / Text-heavy / UGC-style / Animation]
- **Color palette:** [Reference brand guide]
- **Required elements:** [Logo placement, headline overlay, CTA overlay]

### Variants Required
| Variant | Change | Hypothesis |
|---------|--------|------------|
| A (control) | — | — |
| B | [Different hook] | [Will perform better because...] |
| C | [Different format] | [Will perform better because...] |

---

13. Phased Execution Planning

Principles

• Test before scaling — validate message-market fit on small budget before full spend
• One variable at a time — don't change audience AND creative simultaneously
• Data before decisions — minimum statistical significance before declaring a winner
• Fast feedback loops — weekly performance reviews, not monthly

Execution Task Format

Save to .spec/{campaign}/tasks/task-NNN.md.

Hard rule — every task file is self-sufficient. Each task file declares every skill, agent, and command it needs in its own header, using direct .kit/... paths relative to the project root. Do not rely on CLAUDE.md or a project-wide skill list. A session must be able to open the task file and load exactly what is listed — without reading any other file first. All paths must point to the exact .kit/ location — no shortcuts, no variable substitution.

Every task file MUST begin with this header, then be followed by the task content:

# Task NNN: {Short Title}

## Skills
- .kit/skills/<category>/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
- .kit/rules/<lang-or-common>/<rule-name>.md

## Agents
- .kit/agents/<company>/<division>/<agent-name>/AGENT.md

## Commands
- .kit/commands/<category>/<command-name>/COMMAND.md

> Load the skills, agents, and commands listed above using their exact `.kit/` paths. Do not load any context not declared here. Do not load CLAUDE.md. Follow paths exactly — no shortcuts, no variable substitution, no @-imports.

Every task MUST also include:

• Description of work
• _Brief Reference:_ — which brief section this satisfies
• _Channel:_ — which platform/channel this task is for
• _Dependencies:_ — what must be done before this task
• **Success Criteria:** — how to verify the task is done

# Execution Plan: {Campaign Name}

- [ ] 1. Pixel & tracking setup
  - Install Meta Pixel on site
  - Verify Google Analytics 4 conversion events fire correctly
  - Set up UTM parameter naming convention
  - _Brief Reference: KPI Framework_
  - _Channel: All_
  - _Dependencies: None_
  - **Success Criteria:** All conversion events verified in platform dashboards. UTM parameters populate in GA4.

- [ ] 2. Audience build — Meta
  - Create Core audience: [demographics + interests]
  - Create Lookalike audience from customer list (1%, 2%, 5%)
  - Create Retargeting audience: website visitors 30 days
  - Upload customer suppression list
  - _Brief Reference: Target Audience_
  - _Channel: Meta Ads_
  - _Dependencies: Pixel setup (Task 1)_
  - **Success Criteria:** All audiences populated with >1,000 users (except retargeting — note if smaller).

- [ ] 3. Ad creative production
  [...]

---

14. A/B Testing Protocol

Test Design Rules

• One variable per test — never change audience AND creative in the same test
• Sample size first — calculate minimum sample before running (use a significance calculator)
• Statistical significance — minimum 95% confidence before declaring winner
• Test duration — minimum 7 days (never stop early on a good day)

Test Prioritization Matrix

| Test Type | Impact | Effort | Priority | |-----------|--------|--------|----------| | Headline / hook | High | Low | Test first | | Audience segment | High | Medium | Test second | | Offer / CTA | High | Medium | Test third | | Visual format | Medium | Medium | Test fourth | | Copy length | Medium | Low | Test fifth | | Send time (email) | Low | Low | Test ongoing |

Test Documentation

## A/B Test Log: {Campaign}

### Test: {What is being tested}
- **Hypothesis:** [If we change X, we expect Y because Z]
- **Variable:** [What changed]
- **Control:** [A variant description]
- **Challenger:** [B variant description]
- **Sample size needed:** [Calculated minimum]
- **Start date:** [Date]
- **End date:** [Date]
- **Winner:** [A / B / No significant difference]
- **Result:** [Uplift % and what it means]
- **Next action:** [Scale winner / Run follow-up test / Abandon]

---

15. Compliance & Risk Review

For every campaign, check:

| Area | Check | |------|-------| | Ad platform policies | Does creative violate Meta, Google, LinkedIn ad policies? | | Industry regulations | Finance (FCA/SEC), Health (FDA/ASA), Legal (jurisdiction-specific)? | | Claim substantiation | Can every claim be backed by evidence? | | Testimonials / reviews | FTC disclosure requirements met? | | Email compliance | CAN-SPAM / GDPR / CASL — unsubscribe link, sender identity, consent | | GDPR / CCPA | Pixel tracking consent, data collection disclosed | | Brand safety | Exclusion lists set for paid placements | | Trademark | Competitor brand name usage checked |

Rule: Any regulatory constraint flagged in this review must appear as an explicit rule in the execution tasks. Never leave compliance as an assumption.

---

16. Campaign Brief Review Checklist

Campaign Brief

• [ ] Business objective is specific and measurable
• [ ] Primary persona has awareness stage identified
• [ ] KPIs have numeric targets and baselines
• [ ] Budget is confirmed (not estimated)
• [ ] Timeline has hard start/end dates
• [ ] Competitive context is researched, not assumed
• [ ] All open questions are flagged

Strategy Document

• [ ] All brief requirements are addressed
• [ ] Channel selection is justified against audience + goal
• [ ] Messaging hierarchy has a single core message
• [ ] Funnel is complete (entry → conversion → nurture)
• [ ] Budget is allocated across channels with percentages
• [ ] Attribution model is defined
• [ ] Compliance review is complete

Execution Plan

• [ ] Every task references a brief/strategy section
• [ ] Every task has a dependency defined
• [ ] Every task has measurable success criteria
• [ ] Tracking and pixel setup comes before any ad launch
• [ ] Test variants are defined before production starts

---

17. Handling Special Situations

Brand-New Campaign (No Historical Data)

• Start with the smallest viable test ($500–$1,000)
• Run 3 creative variants across 2 audiences
• Optimize for micro-conversions first (clicks, engagement, video views) before optimizing for conversions
• Document every assumption — revisit in the first weekly review

Declining Performance

1. Pull raw data — verify the platform reporting is accurate (check for pixel misfires)
2. Segment the data — which audience/ad/channel is dragging performance?
3. Isolate one variable — fix the most likely cause first
4. Run a challenger test against the failing element
5. If after 3 weeks no improvement: pause and re-brief

Seasonal / Event-Driven Campaigns

• Add a pre-launch phase (audience warm-up 2–4 weeks before)
• Set aggressive escalation rules for budget if ROAS exceeds target
• Build a sunset sequence to maintain revenue after the event

Limited Budget (Under $1,000/month)

• Focus on one channel only
• Prioritize high-intent channels (Google Search or Email to warm list)
• SEO + content as the primary long-term play
• Defer paid social until budget allows proper testing

---

18. Output File Conventions

.spec/
  {campaign-name}/
    brief.md          ← Phase 1 output
    strategy.md       ← Phase 2 output
    tasks.md          ← Phase 3 summary (human-readable approval artifact)
    tasks/
      task-001.md     ← self-contained execution artifact
      task-002.md
      ...

plans/
  {initiative-slug}.md  ← Blueprint multi-campaign plan

These files are the source of truth. During execution, reference them constantly. If execution reveals a gap in the brief or strategy, return to the appropriate document, revise it, and get user sign-off before continuing.

---

19. Implementation Handoff — Skill Invocation

Task Execution Protocol

When the spec is approved and execution begins:

1. Open the task file — .spec/{campaign}/tasks/task-NNN.md
2. Load ## Skills, ## Agents, and ## Commands from the task file header — these are the only context to load. Use the plain .kit/... paths listed there. Do not load any skill not declared in the task file's own header.
3. Read "Handoff from Previous Task" — understand what was completed
4. Read "Context" — targeting, copy, and creative direction are embedded
5. Execute — follow implementation steps in order
6. Verify against Success Criteria before marking done
7. Run /task-handoff — propagate context to the next task

Skill Selection by Work Type

| Work type | Skill to reference | |-----------|-------------------| | SEO, keyword research, on-page optimization | .kit/skills/seo/seo-technical/SKILL.md, .kit/skills/seo/seo-content/SKILL.md | | Paid social ads | .kit/skills/marketing-growth/paid-ads/SKILL.md | | Email sequences | .kit/skills/integrations/email-marketing/SKILL.md | | Content strategy, blog, social | .kit/skills/marketing-growth/content-strategy/SKILL.md, .kit/skills/research-docs/blog-writing-guide/SKILL.md | | Growth experiments, funnels | .kit/skills/marketing-growth/growth-engine/SKILL.md | | Brand identity, messaging | .kit/skills/ui-design/brand-expert/SKILL.md | | Analytics, attribution | .kit/skills/product-business/analytics/SKILL.md | | CRM, HubSpot, Salesforce | .kit/skills/integrations/hubspot/SKILL.md, .kit/skills/integrations/salesforce-automation/SKILL.md |

---

Quick Reference: Interaction Pattern

User: "I want to run a campaign for X"
  └─ You: Draft brief.md → ask for approval
      └─ User approves
          └─ You: Draft strategy.md → ask for approval
              └─ User approves
                  └─ You: Draft tasks/*.md → ask for approval
                      └─ User approves
                          └─ You: Spec complete. Execution can begin.

Gate prompts:

• After brief: "Does the campaign brief look right? If so, we can move on to the strategy."
• After strategy: "Does the strategy look good? If so, we can move on to the execution plan."
• After tasks: "Does the execution plan look good? Once approved, the campaign is ready to execute."

Never proceed to the next phase without an affirmative response.