Take positioning + ICP + VoC and compose the master narrative that every asset references. The message house is canonical, if a downstream asset's claim is not in the message house, the asset is rejected. Format-agnostic; the source of truth for every channel.
Source synthesis: Andy Raskin (strategic narrative, old game / new game / promised land, Sell the world-shift, not the product comparison), April Dunford (positioning → narrative bridge, Run a monthly narrative-drift audit across decks, homepage, and release notes), Robert McKee (story structure), Donald Miller (StoryBrand 7-part), Joanna Wiebe (message hierarchy).
When to use
- Positioning change (new ICP, new category frame, repositioning).
- Major launch.
- Quarterly narrative refresh.
- After a competitive entrant reshapes the landscape.
Inputs
- Positioning document (canonical statement).
- ICP card.
- VoC substrate (verbatim customer language).
- Competitive matrix.
- Brand voice rules.
Steps
- Read substrate. Positioning, ICP, VoC, competitive, brand voice.
- Compose the strategic narrative (Raskin frame). Change in the world → new game rules → promised land → obstacles → resolution. The change must be undeniable, visible in the world, not invented in the deck.
- Compose the message house. 1 positioning statement + 3 pillars. Each pillar has: headline, support, evidence, proof point.
- Compose audience-specific reframings. 1 per major ICP cell, max 3. Same canonical position, different entry door.
- Compose the master CTA system. 3 CTAs across awareness / consideration / decision.
- Compose objection handling. Top 5 buyer objections × narrative answer.
- Write the master narrative file to substrate.
- Generate a one-page master-narrative brief.
Quality gates
- One canonical message house. Drift = failure.
- Substrate-cited. Every pillar evidence cites substrate.
- Voice-enforced. Passes brand-voice gate.
- Synthetic-audience-tested. Runs through buyer-side personas before being declared canonical.
- Pillar evidence path exists. Pillar without evidence path → reject.
- No more than 3 audience reframings. More than 3 → cut.
- Master CTA cannot conflict with positioning.
Refusal patterns
- Substrate gap on positioning, VoC, brand voice, or roadmap → refuse.
- Pillar without evidence path → reject.
- More than 3 audience reframings → reject.
- Master CTA conflicts with positioning → reject.
Composes with
- Reads from: positioning, ICP, VoC, competitive analysis.
- Writes for: every asset skill (LP, ad, email, video, content, help docs).
- Triggered by: positioning change, launch open, quarterly refresh.
Common failure modes
- "Change in the world" is invented, not observable. Buyers smell this immediately.
- Old-game critique without a clear new-game alternative.
- Three pillars that are really three features.
- Different message houses for sales, marketing, and product. Drift = failure.
- Audience reframings that change the canonical position instead of the entry door.
- Skipping evidence paths under pillars; "trust me" pillars do not survive review.
Outputs
- Master narrative file (canonical).
- Message house (1 positioning + 3 pillars × 4 layers).
- Audience-specific reframings (≤3).
- Master CTA system.
- Top-5 objection handling.
- One-page brief for cross-functional distribution.