Marketing Frameworks
Every framework from every course, organised by your company stage and marketing maturity. Download the PDFs, pin them to your wall, use them in workshops.
Startup
Early stage, small team, finding product-market fit
Scale-up
Growing team, established product, scaling go-to-market
Enterprise
Large organisation, multi-brand portfolio, complex stakeholders
Foundation
Core positioning and brand frameworks. The essential toolkit every marketer needs before anything else.
Startup
The Brand Key
Nine-element positioning framework used by Unilever and most FMCG companies. Covers root strength through brand essence.
From: Brand Positioning MasterclassPositioning Statement Template
For [target], [brand] is the [category] that [benefit] because [RTB]. Includes the Swap Test checklist.
From: Brand Positioning MasterclassConsumer Benefits Ladder
Map product attributes → functional benefits → emotional benefits → brand essence in a single visual ladder.
From: Brand Positioning MasterclassScale-up
Messaging House
Core message, three pillars, proof points, and persona adaptations in one structured document.
From: Brand Positioning MasterclassValue Proposition Canvas
Map customer jobs, pains, and gains against your product's pain relievers and gain creators.
From: Brand Positioning MasterclassEnterprise
Brand Pyramid
Five-level pyramid from attributes to brand idea. Used for portfolio architecture and brand governance.
From: Brand Positioning MasterclassGrowth
Competitive strategy, go-to-market, and scaling frameworks for teams that have nailed the basics.
Startup
Dunford's 5 Components of Positioning
Competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, target customers, and market category for tech products.
From: Brand Positioning MasterclassPMM Five-Phase Operating Model
Discover → Strategise → Define → Get Set → Grow. The cyclical operating model for product marketing teams.
From: Product Marketing FundamentalsScale-up
Competitive Battlecard Template
Eight-section template: overview, strengths, weaknesses, trap-setting questions, objection handling, and win stories.
From: Sales EnablementLaunch Tier Classification
Tier 1–3 framework for matching launch investment to strategic significance. Includes RACI template.
From: Product Marketing FundamentalsEnterprise
Ansoff Growth Matrix
Market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification — with risk assessment.
From: Strategic Thinking FoundationsPorter's Five Forces
Industry analysis: rivalry, buyer power, supplier power, threat of substitutes, and threat of new entrants.
From: Strategic Thinking FoundationsOptimisation
Diagnostic, financial, and creative excellence frameworks for teams optimising an established function.
Startup
Win/Loss Analysis Template
Structured interview guide and analysis framework for understanding why deals are won or lost.
From: Product Marketing FundamentalsScale-up
Creative Brief Template
Single-page brief: objective, target, insight, proposition, RTBs, mandatories, and deliverables.
From: Campaign Planning and Creative BriefingPMM Maturity Audit
Diagnostic scorecard across five dimensions to assess where the PMM function is strong and weak.
From: Product Marketing FundamentalsEnterprise
Brand P&L Template
Every line of the brand P&L explained: gross sales through to net contribution. Includes volume decomposition.
From: Marketing Finance and P&L ManagementBCG Matrix & GE-McKinsey
Portfolio strategy: plot business units by market share/growth (BCG) or attractiveness/strength (GE-McKinsey).
From: Strategic Thinking FoundationsLeadership
Strategic planning and C-suite frameworks for marketing leaders shaping business direction.
Startup
Frameworks coming soon
Scale-up
Annual Brand Plan Template
Complete plan structure: situation assessment, strategic choices, financial framework, activation calendar.
From: The Annual Brand PlanEnterprise
Strategy Kernel (Rumelt)
Diagnosis → Guiding Policy → Coherent Actions. The three-part test for whether you have a real strategy.
From: Strategic Thinking FoundationsPlaying to Win: Five-Choice Cascade
Winning aspiration, where to play, how to win, capabilities, management systems. Lafley & Martin's strategic framework.
From: Strategic Thinking FoundationsLearn the thinking behind each framework
Every framework here is taught in depth inside an ESSAI course — with worked examples, practice prompts, and quizzes.
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