gsp-brand-strategy

name	gsp-brand-strategy
description	Define positioning, voice, and messaging (creative phase — benefits from capable models) — use when: define our positioning, brand strategy, what's our voice, how do we talk to customers

Phase 2 of the GSP branding diamond. Interactive creative session — present research insights, collaborate on archetype and positioning, then produce full strategy including voice and messaging. This phase replaces the previous separate strategy + verbal phases.

Prerequisites: /gsp-start scaffolds the brand directory, then /gsp-brand-research (Phase 1) produces the discover chunks this phase reads. Strategy will run on BRIEF.md alone if discover chunks are absent, but invoking it before /gsp-start exits with "run /gsp-start first" — it does not bootstrap.

Define brand strategy and voice through interactive creative direction, then produce strategy chunks.

Input: .design/branding/{brand}/BRIEF.md + discover chunks Output: .design/branding/{brand}/strategy/ (5 chunks + INDEX.md) Agent: gsp-brand-strategist

- Always use `AskUserQuestion` for user-facing questions — never raw text prompts - One decision per question — never batch multiple questions in a single message - Never re-ask what the user already answered in a prior phase — read BRIEF.md and build on it - Push opinionated recommendations but let the user decide - Quality gate: if you could swap in a competitor's name and it still works, it's too generic - Artifacts must balance human readability with agent consumption for downstream phases ## Step 0: Resolve brand

Resolve brand from .design/branding/ (one → use it, multiple → ask). Set BRAND_PATH. If missing, tell user to run /gsp-start first.

Step 1: Load context

Read {BRAND_PATH}/BRIEF.md — business, personas, brand essence, competitive landscape.

Chunk-first: Read {BRAND_PATH}/discover/INDEX.md. If it exists, load all 4 discover chunks. Fallback: If INDEX.md doesn't exist, proceed without — strategy can run on BRIEF.md alone.

Step 2: Present strategic opportunity

Synthesize research + brief into a focused insight:

• Competitive gaps — where the market underserves
• White space — unoccupied positions
• Persona tension — unmet needs from BRIEF.md personas

Frame as: "Here's where this brand can win." Keep it to 4-6 lines.

Step 3: Archetype selection

Read the personality direction from BRIEF.md (gathered during /gsp-start). Use it as the starting point — don't re-ask for personality. Deepen it into a structural archetype.

Use AskUserQuestion with 2-3 archetype candidates that align with the chosen personality direction. Each option:

• Label: archetype name
• Description: strategic reasoning — why it fits the personas and gaps, and how it builds on the personality direction from the brief
• Preview: example sentence in that archetype's voice

Push a recommendation. Let user choose, adjust, or blend.

Step 4: Positioning challenge

Show competitive landscape on 2 axes. Use AskUserQuestion with 2 options:

• Safe play — description: where it sits, nearby competitors, lower risk / preview: positioning statement
• Bold play — description: white space, differentiation, what the risk is / preview: positioning statement

Push for bold. Let user decide.

Step 5: Voice direction

Reference brand essence from BRIEF.md. Use AskUserQuestion with 2-3 voice directions:

• Label: 3-word voice set (e.g. "Precise, Inventive, Grounded")
• Description: how these words differentiate and what they signal
• Preview: example sentence in that voice

Step 5.5: Style direction

Read {BRAND_PATH}/discover/mood-board-direction.md and look for the Style Affinity section. If it exists and recommends presets:

Present the style direction to the user. Use AskUserQuestion with options:

• One option per recommended preset — Label: preset name, Description: why the researcher recommended it (tag matches + rationale)
• No preset — "Build the visual identity from scratch without a style base"

Store the user's choice in {BRAND_PATH}/config.json → system_config.style_base as an array of preset slugs (e.g. ["swiss-minimalist"]). If "No preset" → leave as [].

If the Style Affinity section doesn't exist or discover was skipped, skip this step silently.

Step 6: Spawn strategist

Load references and agent methodology

Read these files and hold their content for inlining into the agent prompt:

• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../templates/phases/strategy.md — strategy output template
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/brand-archetypes.md — brand archetypes reference
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/positioning-frameworks.md — positioning frameworks reference
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/voice-tone.md — voice-tone reference
• ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/methodology/gsp-brand-strategist.md — agent methodology

With confirmed archetype, positioning, and voice direction, spawn the gsp-brand-strategist agent with:

• BRIEF.md content
• All discover chunks
• Confirmed archetype, positioning, voice direction
• Content of strategy output template (loaded above)
• Content of brand archetypes reference (loaded above)
• Content of positioning frameworks reference (loaded above)
• Content of voice-tone reference (loaded above)
• Agent methodology (loaded above)
• Audit chunks if they exist: evolution-map.md, equity-analysis.md
• brand_mode from config.json
• style_base from config.json (may be empty)
• Output path: {BRAND_PATH}/strategy/

The agent writes 5 chunks + INDEX.md:

1. positioning.md
2. archetype.md
3. brand-platform.md
4. voice-and-tone.md
5. messaging.md
6. INDEX.md

Step 7: Perspective check

Load BRIEF.md personas. Present brief stress-test:

"Stress-testing from three angles:

{Primary persona name}: {1-line reaction — would they trust this?} Skeptic: {1-line challenge to the boldest decision} {Top competitor}: {1-line — is the brand differentiated enough?}

Concerns?"

Use AskUserQuestion:

• Lock it in — "Strategy looks solid"
• Adjust — "I want to change something"

If adjust → loop back. If confirmed → proceed.

Step 8: Update state and route

Update {BRAND_PATH}/STATE.md: set Phase 2 (Strategy) to complete.

Invoke /gsp-phase-transition with phase strategy and output directory {BRAND_PATH}/strategy/.