Marketing Strategy,
Programmed.
The Marketing Canvas Method in print, first edition (2026). 20 case studies. One decision-making system.
"Marketing is the only core business function without a shared operating system. This book provides one."
Five things you can do after reading this book.
Not theory. Not inspiration. Operational outcomes you can act on this week.
Describe your marketing on 24 dimensions and see exactly what is working and what is not.
Read M3 × M4 × your revenue lever in a deterministic matrix: one of nine archetypes, the same for the same inputs.
Facilitate a structured scoring session. Identify your Fatal Brakes and your accelerators.
Three cycles (FIX, ALIGN, SCALE) with mandatory gates, budgets and owners.
When your team speaks the same language, decisions get faster and alignment gets cheaper.
Real companies. Honest postures.
No flattering interpretations.
Tesla didn't compete in the car market. It competed for the car buyer's identity.
At Step 2, Tesla's combination of a growing market (M3), a product-led offer (M4) and the GET lever called for one posture: A1 Disruptive Newcomer. Its two Fatal Brakes were Features (310) and Positioning (220), and Tesla took both to +3 by 2020. The Roadster proved an electric car could be fast, the Model S that it could be luxurious, the Model 3 that it could be mainstream: each product moved a different dimension. Zero traditional advertising: the growth driver ran on earned media and referrals.
Patagonia's highest-performing marketing campaign told customers not to buy its product.
The "Don't Buy This Jacket" campaign in 2011 is the most concentrated expression of an A3 Brand Evangelist strategy ever executed. In MCM terms: dimension 230 (Values) is a Fatal Brake for A3 — it must be authentic or the tribe collapses. But the Primary Accelerators are Emotions (320) and Purpose (210), both grounded in dimension 120 (Aspirations). The customer's aspiration wasn't outdoor gear. It was to be the kind of person who makes responsible consumption decisions. Patagonia sold that identity. The jacket was incidental.
Sage's problem wasn't the software. It was that the software stopped feeling like it understood its customers.
A4 Stagnant Leader is the hardest archetype to accept — because the diagnosis is uncomfortable. Sage was still growing, still profitable, still dominant in its segment. But the Vital Audit told a different story: Experience (420), one of its two Fatal Brakes, stood at −1, with fragmented products across legacy platforms. Customers weren't leaving. But they were staying without enthusiasm. And without enthusiasm, they were vulnerable to any credible alternative. The Sage case is a study in what happens when a company confuses customer inertia with customer loyalty.
Three parts.
One complete system.
Marketing's missing language. The problem with optimising everything simultaneously. Why "strategic noise" is the default state of most teams — and how a shared vocabulary changes that.
Each step covered in full detail. Every output defined. Every input specified.
Real companies read through their posture. What their vital dimensions were, what worked, what did not, and what the archetype logic explains. Plus how postures evolve over time, and how the method works with AI.
Complete glossary · Workshop facilitation guide · Case study sources · Common mistakes · The 24 dimensions in full detail · Everything you need to run MCM without external support.
Method update. Since this edition, the method has gained Step 3.5 (why each gap exists) and the Operating Baseline. See the current method →
Who this book is for?
CMOs & Marketing Strategists
You've run strategy workshops before. You've use frameworks. You've felt the gap between diagnosis and action. This book closes that gap with a method that connects every decision to evidence.
Founders & Entrepreneurs
You don't have a 20-person marketing team. You need a method that one person can run — with structured outputs you can present to investors, partners, or your own board.
MBA students & Academics
You need a method you can teach, learn, and apply in a case study setting. The 24 dimensions, 9 archetypes, and scoring system give you the precision to grade strategy, not just discuss it.
Ready to give your marketing strategy a language?
Available on Amazon in paperback and digital formats. For founders, SME teams and corporate teams building the marketing strategy of one offer.