In a recent LinkedIn post, Kieran Flanagan outlines a strategic framework for achieving success in today’s competitive marketing landscape. Flanagan proposes a five-stage model that details how different advantages become paramount as the market evolves and commoditizes.
Flanagan begins by emphasizing the power of problem definition:
When you define the problem, you always win. You get to define the problem and position your product as the solution. You have all the influence. Buyers believe you before you pitch; you have earned authority, a strong point of view, and undeniable customer proof.
According to Flanagan, this initial stage offers the highest degree of influence because the marketer gets to frame the narrative and establish their offering as the inevitable solution to a recognized pain point. This foundational step, he argues, earns the buyer’s trust and positions the product favorably before any direct sales pitch occurs.
The Evolution of Marketing Advantages
Flanagan’s model progresses through several stages, each highlighting a different competitive edge. After problem definition, the next crucial advantage lies in customer acquisition.
Unique Customer Acquisition Advantages
When the problem is clearly understood and multiple solutions exist, Flanagan points out that a unique customer acquisition advantage becomes the differentiator. He cites examples like HubSpot’s inbound playbook, Dropbox’s referral loop, and Slack’s viral pull as proprietary growth engines that are difficult for competitors to replicate.
When the problem is well defined, and there are multiple solutions, having a unique customer acquisition advantage wins, a proprietary growth engine others can’t easily copy, HubSpot’s inbound playbook, Dropbox’s referral loop, Slack’s viral pull.
This stage, as Flanagan explains, is about building a growth engine that is intrinsically linked to the product or its early adoption, creating a moat around the business.
Execution and Conversion in a Crowded Market
As customer acquisition channels and playbooks become more widely adopted and shared, Flanagan argues that execution begins to take precedence. In this scenario, where many are using similar strategies, success hinges on finding small edges through rigorous experimentation and testing.
Further along the spectrum, when execution and channels are evenly matched, Flanagan identifies conversion as the key. This stage is about efficiently connecting the right message with the right person. He notes the significant leverage AI is providing marketing teams in this area, allowing them to extract more value from existing demand.
Marketing teams can extract more customers from a dwindling pool of demand.
Scale and AI in Commoditized Markets
The final stage in Flanagan’s model is reached when all previous advantages have become commoditized. At this point, scale becomes the winning factor. However, he highlights that AI is also unlocking new dimensions of scale.
Flanagan suggests that teams effectively integrating AI across their workflows can operate with the efficiency of much larger organizations. As other competitive factors become more common, the most AI-enabled teams are positioned to lead, at least for a period.
As all the above get commoditised, it’s likely the most AI-enabled teams will, for a time, win.
In essence, Kieran Flanagan’s framework provides a dynamic view of marketing strategy, emphasizing the need for businesses to adapt their focus from problem definition and unique acquisition models to execution, conversion, and ultimately, leveraging scale through AI as the market matures.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Kieran Flanagan on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on January 7, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →