Strategic frameworks.
Foundation of success.
A library of strategic frameworks for better structured thinking.
Strategic frameworks
Filter by category or by name.
Venn diagram
Show similarities and differences between two or more sets.
The Triangle
Three related but distinct items in one powerful triad.
The Pyramid
Hierarchy from foundation to peak — priorities, layering and sequential build-up of an idea.
The Onion
Concentric circles radiating from a core — layering brand essence, messages or audience groups.
2×2 Matrix
Two axes, four quadrants, clear categories.
Planning Cycle
Five strategy questions to ask yourself on repeat.
Brand Purpose / Golden Circle
Start with why. Authenticity starts at purpose.
Brand Identity
The brand's promise to customers — a consistent set of associations.
Brand Resonance Model (CBBE)
From awareness to loyalty in four stages.
Brand Equity Pyramid
How many people know, want and recommend the brand.
Brand Equity Sandglass
Pyramid inverted — narrowing path, widening advocacy.
Brand House
Roof, pillars, foundation — the entire brand in one image.
Model of Needs
Which human needs does your brand serve?
Brand Strategy Triangle
The three Ps that hold brand strategy together.
3C Model
Strategy lives where company, customer and competitors meet.
Brand Equity Index
Three indicators of brand strength by Nielsen.
Brand Dynamics Pyramid
Customer journey from presence to bonding with the brand.
Brand Health Pyramid
Brand vitals across five layers.
Brand Platform
The strategic foundation a brand stands on.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats — on a single sheet.
Brand Core
The brand's core surrounded by what the customer feels and gets.
Brand Value Clusters
Values the brand delivers — across four clusters.
Brand Key
Nine fields, one positioning — a Unilever classic.
Brand audit checklist
Six lenses every brand should be examined through.
Marketing Funnel
From awareness to repeat purchase.
Attention Funnel
AIDA — the oldest advertising model.
Purchase Funnel
The buying journey from awareness to loyalty.
Rebranding — research
Before changing, understand what you have.
Rebranding — strategy
Phase two — define the new 'what' and 'how'.
Rebranding — conclusions
Phase three — launch, document, measure.
Brand Identity (Wheeler)
Five phases of identity creation by Alina Wheeler.
Brand Positioning Statement
One sentence defining the brand's place on the market.
Service Branding Triangle
A service brand lives in three relationships — sustain all three.
Brand Differentiation Analysis
Being relevant isn't the same as being different.
Global Brand spectrum
How centralized should a brand be across markets.
Brand Equity
Five sources of brand value per D. Aaker.
Brand Experience
Customers experience a brand in four ways at once.
Brand Experience (Davies)
Consistent experience from idea to touchpoint.
Past, Present, Future
What you keep, what you leave, where you go.
Customer Centricity
The customer isn't a KPI — they are the organisation's centre.
How Brands Provide Value
Five kinds of value a brand creates.
Business Model Canvas
An entire business model on a single canvas.
Messaging Matrix
Which message for whom — on a single sheet.
Brand Messaging Framework
How to communicate brand value simply and clearly.
Brand Strategy Summary
A one-page brand strategy — with depth.
Brand Mapping
Look for the empty space no one else has claimed yet.
Elements of Brand Fame
Four conditions for a brand to become famous.
Modified Funnel
An update of the classic funnel for the always-on era.
ERRC Grid
Eliminate, reduce, raise, create — the blue-ocean recipe.
Strategy Choice Cascade
Five connected choices that make a strategy.
Five Whys
Ask why five times and you'll find the root cause.
Negative Framing
Questions from the dark side — they expose hidden truths.
Research Process Map
Five steps from question to usable insight.
Research Cheat Sheet
Which method to use when — on a single sheet.
Target Groups — layers
Three audience layers: core, message, media.
5Ws Framework
Five W questions to describe a customer.
Consumer Pyramid
From describing the customer to the insight — step by step.
Personas
Fictional characters that help you design with empathy.
Belief Map
To change behavior, change beliefs first.
Censydiam Model
A human compass — 8 motivations on 2 axes.
4Cs — Cross-Cultural Consumer
Seven motivations, seven lifestyle stereotypes.
Empathy Map
Six fields, one customer — for deeper empathy.
Porter's Five Forces
Five forces shaping industry attractiveness.
Competitive Panorama
Competition often lives outside your category.
Competitor Grid
Price × quality — who sits where.
Insight Process
Insight doesn't start with data — it starts with observation.
Insight Types
A typology of insights — from consumer to future.
Habit Loop
Three components of every habit.
BJ Fogg's Behavior Model
Behavior = motivation × ability × trigger.
Cognitive Dissonance
The gap between what we know and what we do.
Behavior Change Funnel
Five roles for communications on the path to behavior change.
3C of Comms Planning
Right message, right place, right time.
Communication Cycle
Planning isn't a document — it's a loop.
Connections Framework
A one-pager blueprint for a comms project.
To / By Model
If you can write 'to X by Y', you have a strategy.
Get / Who / To / By
The one-line essence of a creative brief.
The Long & Short of It
Brand building & sales activation — keep the 60:40 balance.
Unique Cultural Problem (UCP)
The sweet spot between category, culture and credibility.
Cultural Strategy (Holt & Cameron)
Find disruption in culture — become its flag.
3C for Content Strategy
Even the best content at the wrong time is waste.
Customer Pillars for Content
Help, inspire, inform — three content roles.
Brand Ecosystem
A brand as an interconnected touchpoint ecosystem.
Freytag's Pyramid
The classic narrative arc in five acts.
6 Key Elements of a Creative Brief
Six fields that keep a brief short and strong.
Brand Building Framework
Brand-building content rules: fame, story, distinctive cues.
Brand architecture — 4 choices
Four strategies for expanding the brand portfolio.
Brand Architecture Spectrum
Spectrum of relationships between parent and child brand.
Trend Hunting — Sweet Spot
A trend's sweet spot emerges from tension between three forces.
How to spot a trend
Trends travel from the cultural edge into the mainstream.
Foresighting
From data to wisdom — the foresight pyramid.
BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Portfolio priorities by growth and market share.
Behaviour change barriers
Three barriers to break when changing behaviour.
Marketing around new needs
How to plug a product into newly emerged needs.
Communication channels
Four channels that shape opinion of a brand.
Consumer Journeys
How to use customer journeys across the company.
Experience Mapping
Map complex customer experience by building blocks.
Joyce's Advertising Process
Buying shapes attitude as much as attitude shapes buying.
Media Strategy Process
Seven steps of planning and evaluating media strategy.
Cultural Strategy Framework (Crowd DNA)
Find and own the cultural gap in your category.
Cultural Narrative
Structure a community's story through present, vision and threats.
Hurson's Productive Thinking Model
Six steps of productive thinking — from understanding to action.
Consumer Analysis
Deep understanding of what people truly want.
What do they Think, Do and Need?
Four questions about what the audience needs from the brand.
Plot Tool (Beemgee)
Story events as chronology or as narrative.
Social Media — Brand Framework
Brand-building rules translated to social.
Golden Circle
Start with Why. People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.
Kapferer Brand Identity Prism
Six facets of brand identity — external and internal.
Value Proposition Canvas
Aligns your offer with what the customer actually wants.
Double Diamond
Diverge twice, converge twice — the diamond of design.
McKinsey 7S
Seven interconnected Ss — none can be changed alone.
Marketing Mix 4P
Four marketing levers — product, price, place, promotion.
PESTLE Analysis
Six external forces shaping your market.
RACE Planning
Four steps of the digital marketing funnel.
STP — Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning
The classic three-step of marketing strategy.
Ansoff Matrix
Four growth strategies by product × market.
Marketing sales funnel
Five-stage funnel from awareness to advocacy.
12 steps to a strategy
APG checklist from brief to one-page strategy.
Planning framework (Miami Ad School)
Linear process from brief to creative platform.
2C model
Intersection of audience interest and brand category.
Customer Value Proposition
Why a customer should choose you.
Consumer split
Segment by frequency × loyalty.
Communication blueprint
One page that ties goal, message and channel together.
Connection strategy process
How to build a connection strategy from three truths.
9-slide presentation
Short narrative arc for any strategy presentation.
Connection barriers
Actions + behavior = identified barrier.
Primary insight source
Where the insight comes from defines what it's for.
Derive propositions
Four steps from product to proposition.
Agencies execute. Consultants advise. And then everyone wonders why the two never add up.
Clues does both. We look for the clues that point to the right path, and then we walk it with you all the way. Because strategy without execution is just a well-paid hypothesis.
We put this library together because we see structured thinking as the foundation of success. Whether you're working on your next campaign or building a brand-new brand.
Share it, use it, build on it. The Clues team.