The Marketing Canvas Method

A complete system to diagnose, prioritise, and strengthen your strategy.

Six steps. Shared vocabulary. Scored dimensions. Traceable decisions. A defined sequence where every output feeds the next input — and every strategic choice traces to a scored observation.

24 Dimensions scored per assessment
9 Strategic archetypes auto-detected
6 Steps — no skipping, no shortcuts

The Marketing Canvas

24 dimensions. Six meta-categories.
One shared language.

When someone on your team says "we have a 420 problem," everyone knows they mean Experience. Click any dimension to read its definition, scoring criteria, and strategic implications.

Click any dimension to open its guide

Each dimension opens its guide on laurentbouty.com

All dimension guides →

"The problem is never a lack of ideas. It's a lack of a defined order of operations for using them."

Why the MCM starts with Step 0, not Step 1

0

Scope

Lead Segment Junction

"Who exactly are we building this strategy for?"

Output →

One company. One market. One geography. One customer segment. A strategy for everyone is a strategy for no one.

→ Scope
1

Context

Strategic Context Mapping

"Where do we compete, against whom, and what forces are at play?"

Output →

10 market parameters (M1–M10) across Market DNA, Competitive Position, and External Forces.

→ Context
2

Goals

Revenue Ambition & Goal Setting

"What do we want to achieve, and which revenue lever gets us there?"

Output →

SMART goal + Strategic Archetype. M3 × M4 + revenue option (GET / KEEP / STIMULATE) unlocks one of 9 archetypes — each a pre-built strategic operating system.

→ Archetype
3

Audit

The Vital Audit

"Is the machine capable of achieving the goal we've just set?"

Output →

Scored assessment of your 10 archetype dimensions (Vital 8 + 2 Growth Drivers). Scale −3 to +3. No zero — every dimension is either helping or hurting.

→ Gaps
4

Action

Strategic Action Engine

"What do we do about the gaps?"

Output →

15 prioritised initiatives across three streams — FIX · ALIGN · GROWTH — each scored for Feasibility × Impact. High-Feasibility, High-Impact executes first.

→ Actions
5

Roadmap

Strategic Cycle Roadmap

"In what order and at what speed?"

Output →

Three 4-month cycles: FIX (Months 1–4) → ALIGN (5–8) → SCALE (9–12). Three mandatory gates: Integrity → Relevance → Efficiency. Then return to Step 2.

→ Roadmap
LAURENTBOUTY.COM / THE-METHOD · ARCHETYPE SECTION

9 Strategic Archetypes. Not chosen — derived.

Your market growth curve (M3), competitive strategy (M4), and revenue goal produce a single logical archetype. Same inputs, same archetype, every time.

A1 Acquisition · Growth
Disruptive Newcomer Enter and displace through technical or conceptual superiority. Your product is better — your entire effort must make the right people know it and believe it. Fatal Brakes: Positioning (220) and Features (310).
Full article
A2 Acquisition · Commodity
Efficiency Machine Win by making expensive structurally impossible for every competitor. The volume flywheel only works if the cost advantage is architectural — not tactical. Fatal Brakes: Acquisition (610) and Values (230).
Full article
A3 Retention · Experience
Brand Evangelist Build a tribe around purpose and identity. Your customers don't just buy — they belong. A Values Breach is the most destructive event in any A3 brand's lifecycle. Fatal Brakes: Engagement (140) and Values (230).
Full article
A4 Retention · Services
Stagnant Leader Retain and re-energise a declining installed base. Fix the bucket before you try to refill it — acquisition into a broken experience scales the problem. Fatal Brakes: Experience (420) and User Lifetime (630).
Full article
A5 Retention · Decline
Pivot Pioneer Transition to a new category or business model before the window closes. Your historical positioning is now your biggest brake — not your heritage. Fatal Brakes: Positioning (220) and Listening (510).
Full article
A6 Stimulation · Decline
Value Harvester Extract maximum cash flow from a declining asset with near-zero reinvestment. Harvesting is a discipline, not a defeat — and refusing the archetype is always more expensive. Fatal Brakes: Budget/ROI (640) and Experience (420).
Full article
A7 Retention · Experience
Scale-Up Guardian Protect delivery quality during explosive growth. Your best acquisition strategy right now is to stop acquiring and fix the leaky bucket. Fatal Brakes: Experience (420) and Magic (440).
Full article
A8 Stimulation · Products
Niche Expert Build deep expertise in a narrow domain. The niche gets deeper, not wider — breadth is the enemy of the specialist position. Fatal Brakes: Features (310) and Positioning (220).
Full article
A9 Acquisition · Introduction
Category Creator Define a job the market hasn't named. You must invent the problem before you can sell the solution — and educate before you sell. Fatal Brakes: Job To Be Done (110) and Features (310).
Full article

Every dimension is scored on a scale from −3 to +3.

No zero.

Every dimension is either helping or hurting. Sitting on the fence is not a position the method allows.

Each archetype defines which dimensions are Fatal Brakes, Primary Accelerators, and Growth Drivers — your Vital 8. Score those 10 dimensions. The gaps between where you are and where your archetype needs you to be become the input for Step 4.

Fatal Brakes (F)

Target: ≥ +2

If any fatal brake scores below 0, the strategy is dead on arrival. Fix these first — before anything else moves.

Primary Accelerators (P)

Target: ≥ +2

The dimensions where your archetype wins or loses its competitive position. High score here creates compounding advantage.

Secondary Dims (S/T)

Target: ≥ +1

Supporting dimensions. Not the priority — but neglecting them creates drag that slows the whole strategy down.

Growth Drivers (GD)

Run in parallel

Generate revenue while you repair. These run alongside the FIX stream so momentum doesn't stop during the audit cycle.

Ready to run the method
with your team?

Three ways in — depending on how you work best.

The Book

Marketing Strategy, Programmed

The complete method in ~300 pages. Every step, every dimension, every archetype — with 20 case studies from Tesla, Patagonia, LEGO, Airbnb, Nokia and 15 more.

€25 · Amazon · Paperback & eBook

About the book →

The Cards

MCM Card Deck

60 physical cards covering all 24 dimensions, 9 archetypes, and the 6-step process. Built for workshop facilitation.

€50 · Shipped from Brussels

Get the cards →

Workshop

Facilitated with your team

1–2 day on-site or remote sprint. Steps 0–5 facilitated. Your team leaves with a scored canvas, a named archetype, and a 12-month roadmap.

On request · Europe

Book a call →

The full framework — dimensions, archetypes, scoring logic — is open-source and free.

marketingcanvas.net ↗