# Attribution & Framework Origins

## Framework Sources

The marketing problem-solving techniques in this skill are adapted from proven problem-solving frameworks across multiple disciplines.

### Core Frameworks

**Simplification Cascades**
- Origin: Lean methodology, Essentialist philosophy
- Inspired by: Greg McKeown's "Essentialism", Eric Ries' "Lean Startup"
- Core principle: 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle)
- Adapted for: Marketing campaign complexity management

**Collision-Zone Thinking**
- Origin: Innovation theory, lateral thinking
- Inspired by: Frans Johansson's "The Medici Effect", Edward de Bono's lateral thinking
- Core principle: Innovation through unexpected combinations
- Adapted for: Marketing creative breakthrough and differentiation

**Meta-Pattern Recognition**
- Origin: Systems thinking, root cause analysis
- Inspired by: Peter Senge's "The Fifth Discipline", Sakichi Toyoda's "5 Whys"
- Core principle: Addressing systems, not symptoms
- Adapted for: Recurring marketing failure analysis

**Inversion Exercise**
- Origin: Mental models, contrarian thinking
- Inspired by: Charlie Munger's inversion principle, Farnam Street's mental models
- Core principle: Explore opposite to challenge assumptions
- Adapted for: Questioning marketing "best practices"

**Scale Game**
- Origin: Systems thinking, scenario planning
- Inspired by: Scale dynamics from "Blitzscaling" (Reid Hoffman), Y Combinator startup advice
- Core principle: Different strategies work at different scales
- Adapted for: Marketing strategy scaling decisions

**When Stuck Protocol**
- Origin: Constraint-based creativity, first principles thinking
- Inspired by: Eelon Musk's first principles, constraint-based design thinking
- Core principle: Constraints force clarity and action
- Adapted for: Breaking marketing decision paralysis

## Intellectual Lineage

### Systems Thinking
- Peter Senge - "The Fifth Discipline"
- Donella Meadows - "Thinking in Systems"
- Russell Ackoff - System dynamics

Application: Understanding how marketing components interact as systems, not isolated tactics.

### Lean & Agile Philosophy
- Eric Ries - "Lean Startup"
- Jeff Patton - "User Story Mapping"
- Henrik Kniberg - Agile/Lean visualization

Application: Minimum viable campaigns, rapid testing, iterative optimization.

### Constraint-Based Creativity
- Donald Norman - Design constraints
- Philip Kotler - Marketing constraints
- Austin Kleon - "Steal Like an Artist"

Application: Using constraints (time, budget, resources) to force innovative solutions.

### Mental Models & Decision Making
- Charlie Munger - Lattice of mental models
- Shane Parrish (Farnam Street) - Mental model application
- Annie Duke - "Thinking in Bets"

Application: Better marketing decisions through diverse thinking frameworks.

### Innovation Theory
- Clayton Christensen - Disruptive innovation
- Frans Johansson - "The Medici Effect"
- Teresa Amabile - Creativity research

Application: Finding breakthrough marketing approaches through unexpected combinations.

## Marketing-Specific Adaptations

All techniques adapted specifically for marketing challenges:

**Traditional application** → **Marketing adaptation**

- Product simplification → Campaign simplification (Cascades)
- Cross-industry innovation → Cross-industry marketing insights (Collision-Zone)
- Engineering root cause → Marketing system failures (Meta-Pattern)
- Business strategy inversion → Marketing tactic inversion (Inversion)
- Company scaling → Marketing strategy scaling (Scale Game)
- Product development unblocking → Campaign unblocking (When Stuck)

## Practitioner Contributions

These frameworks synthesize insights from:

**Marketing Practitioners:**
- Seth Godin - Permission marketing, Purple Cow
- Ann Handley - Content marketing excellence
- Rand Fishkin - Transparent startup marketing
- April Dunford - Positioning insights
- Peep Laja - Conversion optimization

**Growth Experts:**
- Brian Balfour - Growth frameworks
- Andrew Chen - Growth loops
- Sean Ellis - Growth hacking origins
- Hiten Shah - Product-led growth

**Brand Strategists:**
- Marty Neumeier - Brand differentiation
- Byron Sharp - "How Brands Grow"
- Al Ries & Jack Trout - Positioning
- David Aaker - Brand equity

## Adaptation Philosophy

**Core principle:** Don't reinvent problem-solving. Adapt proven frameworks to marketing context.

**Why this matters:**
- Problem-solving patterns transcend domains
- Marketing-specific insights validate universal principles
- Combination creates practical, battle-tested techniques

## Usage & Attribution

**This skill is:**
- ✅ Free to use for marketing practitioners
- ✅ Adaptable to your specific marketing context
- ✅ Shareable with teams and colleagues
- ✅ Improvable through your own experience

**We encourage:**
- Adapt these frameworks to your specific industry
- Add your own examples and case studies
- Share learnings with the marketing community
- Credit original thinkers who inspired these approaches

**We ask:**
- Don't claim frameworks as original inventions
- Cite sources when sharing publicly
- Contribute improvements back to community
- Teach others these problem-solving approaches

## Further Reading

**For deeper exploration:**

**On Simplification:**
- "Essentialism" by Greg McKeown
- "The Laws of Simplicity" by John Maeda
- "Subtract" by Leidy Klotz

**On Innovation:**
- "The Medici Effect" by Frans Johansson
- "Where Good Ideas Come From" by Steven Johnson
- "Creative Confidence" by Tom & David Kelley

**On Systems Thinking:**
- "The Fifth Discipline" by Peter Senge
- "Thinking in Systems" by Donella Meadows
- "The Goal" by Eliyahu Goldratt

**On Mental Models:**
- "Poor Charlie's Almanack" (Charlie Munger)
- "The Great Mental Models" series (Farnam Street)
- "Super Thinking" by Gabriel Weinberg

**On Marketing:**
- "Positioning" by Al Ries & Jack Trout
- "Purple Cow" by Seth Godin
- "Traction" by Gabriel Weinberg & Justin Mares
- "Obviously Awesome" by April Dunford

## Community Contributions

We welcome improvements:
- Real-world examples from your campaigns
- Industry-specific adaptations
- New techniques following similar patterns
- Refinements based on testing

**Contact:** Share learnings through GitHub issues/PRs or community channels.

## Version History

**v1.0** - Initial marketing adaptation
- Core 6 techniques established
- Marketing examples documented
- Integration guidance provided

**Future:**
- Additional techniques as patterns emerge
- Industry-specific variations
- Community-contributed examples
- Tool integrations and templates

## Acknowledgments

These techniques stand on shoulders of:
- Systems thinkers who taught us to see patterns
- Innovation researchers who studied creativity
- Marketing practitioners who shared their learnings
- Open source community who believes in shared knowledge

**Thank you to everyone who contributed to the intellectual foundations that make better marketing decisions possible.**

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**Remember:** Good problem-solving frameworks are tools, not rules. Adapt them to your context. Test them against reality. Share what you learn.

**The goal:** Better marketing through better thinking.
