The Marketing Canvas Method
Marketing strategy you can read like a map, and run like a program.
Most strategy work produces opinions. This produces a diagnosis. Twenty-four dimensions describe your marketing machine, nine archetypes tell you which one you should run, and six steps turn that into a twelve-month plan. Play it through below.
The structure
One canvas, six meta-categories, twenty-four dimensions
Every brand runs on the same twenty-four dimensions. Tap a category to reveal its four dimensions, then open any dimension to read the full guide. See all six to complete the canvas.
"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
Scope
Lead Segment Junction
"Who exactly are we building this strategy for?"
One company. One market. One geography. One customer segment. A strategy for everyone is a strategy for no one.
Context
Strategic Context Mapping
"Where do we compete, against whom, and what forces are at play?"
10 market parameters (M1–M10) across Market DNA, Competitive Position, and External Forces.
Goals
Revenue Ambition & Goal Setting
"What do we want to achieve, and which revenue lever gets us there?"
SMART goal + Strategic Archetype. M3 × M4 + revenue option (GET / KEEP / STIMULATE) unlocks one of 9 archetypes — each a pre-built strategic operating system.
Audit
The Vital Audit
"Is the machine capable of achieving the goal we've just set?"
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.
Action
Strategic Action Engine
"What do we do about the gaps?"
15 prioritised initiatives across three streams — FIX · ALIGN · GROWTH — each scored for Feasibility × Impact. High-Feasibility, High-Impact executes first.
Roadmap
Strategic Cycle Roadmap
"In what order and at what speed?"
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.
The evidence
Nine archetypes, read through real companies
Each archetype is a pre-built strategic operating system, documented against named companies. Filter by the revenue lever it serves, then tap a card to see its proof. Same brand, different market, can even produce two archetypes: ALDI runs A2 in the US and A8 in Belgium.
Some archetypes serve more than one lever, so they appear under each. A4 and A8 cover all three.
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.
Worked Example
See the method applied
The full diagnostic in action: a six-step worked example of the Marketing Canvas Method applied to the A9 Category Creator archetype. Interactive, with the full math visible.
Green Clean Case Study →