Generate and Edit a Campaign Strategy

Overview

Campaign strategy in CntX is a bundle of linked ContentStrategy records, not a separate simplified template. A common parent strategy holds initiative-wide fields: name, dates, status, shared objectives and KPIs, and key messages that every workspace should echo. Each CampaignTarget gets a child strategy in its own workspace—linked via `parentContentStrategyId`—with local products, audiences, competitors, communication pillars, content types, and channel configurations including editorial destinations (where content actually publishes).

The strategy editor uses a tabbed layout: Common first, then one tab per targeted workspace. This mirrors how marketing teams actually work—central messaging with brand-local execution. When you generate strategy, CntX orchestrates an idempotent bootstrap: create the common strategy, spawn child strategies, enable available channels per workspace with compatible destinations checked by default, and pull objectives from indexed campaign documents plus aggregated workspace context.

Before plan generation runs, the strategy snapshot freezes the contract the planner reads—frequencies, funnel mix, types, channels, and messages. Edits after a plan exists may mark the plan stale; regenerate when messaging or channel mix changes materially.

When to use

Generate and edit campaign strategy when:

• You created a campaign with targets and optional source documents indexed.
• Initial bootstrap produced draft strategies you must refine—objectives too generic, wrong pillars enabled, or destinations missing on a channel.
• Stakeholders approved messaging and you need to lock key messages before generating dozens of briefs.
• A workspace gained new integrations (WordPress, Webflow, LinkedIn) and child strategy channels need destination wiring.

Pause plan generation until strategy validates: at least one goal, sensible key messages, enabled channels with destinations where publishing is expected, and content types aligned to those channels.

Before you start

• Campaign targets selected and campaign dates set.
• Source documents uploaded and indexed if messaging must cite approved copy—generation quality improves with retrieval-ready docs.
• Workspace context populated for each target: products, audiences, brand platform, competitors.
• Know which channels each brand actually uses; disable dead channels on child tabs to avoid empty briefs.
• Align on key messages (three to seven crisp lines) before requesting AI-generated objectives.

Steps

1. Open Campaigns → [campaign name] and navigate to the Strategy step or open Strategy from campaign detail.
2. If strategy does not exist yet, choose Generate strategy. Wait for bootstrap to finish—common strategy plus child strategies and default channel/destination mappings per target.
3. Open the Common tab. Review name, dates, and status. Edit objectives and KPIs to measurable outcomes tied to the campaign window.
4. Add or refine key messages—numbered lines the whole initiative should reinforce. These propagate to generation prompts across workspaces.
5. Switch to the first workspace tab. In Context, verify products, audiences, and competitors match that brand’s reality. Adjust selections; child strategies do not automatically mirror the common tab’s context picks.
6. In Diffusion (or channel configuration), review pillars, content types, and channels. Disable channels the brand will not use during this campaign.
7. Under each enabled channel, confirm editorial destinations—CMS sites, social accounts, or other integration-backed endpoints. Uncheck destinations that should not receive campaign content.
8. Repeat steps 5–7 for each additional workspace tab. Use hierarchy glyphs or external-link icons in calendar views later to jump between workspaces when reviewing cross-brand output.
9. Save changes on each tab. Resolve validation errors—duplicate names, missing goals, channel frequency over budget—before leaving the editor.
10. When satisfied, return to campaign detail and note strategy freshness. Proceed to Generate plan only when messaging and channels reflect stakeholder sign-off.

Expected result

A complete strategy bundle: one common ContentStrategy and one child strategy per target, each with CampaignTargetChannel rows linking enabled catalog channels to workspace content channels and selected destination IDs. Campaign detail shows strategy as ready for plan generation.

The snapshot used by generation includes shared objectives, key messages, per-workspace frequencies read from child strategies, funnel and type selections, and destination-aware channel intent. Briefs produced later inherit pillar, funnel, audience, and channel metadata consistently within each workspace while respecting the common message frame.

Tips / common issues

• Generic objectives after generate — Enrich context and source documents, then edit manually or regenerate strategy if a regen action is available. AI starters need human metrics and deadlines.
• Channel enabled but no destination — Briefs may generate without a publish path. Wire Configure Channels and Destinations in the target workspace, then refresh child tab destinations.
• Common tab context empty by design — Products and audiences live on workspace tabs; do not expect a single global product pick to override per-brand catalogs.
• Overridden messages on one brand only — Use child strategy pillar and type choices for local nuance; keep strategic shifts in key messages on the common tab so generation stays coherent.
• Strategy edited after plan exists — Plan may show stale indicator. Regenerate plan or targeted weeks—see Regenerate a Stale Campaign Plan.
• Too many enabled channels — Matches weekly effort budget warnings. Lower frequencies on child strategies or reduce enabled channels before plan generation to avoid capacity overflow.

Next step

Generate Campaign Plans and Briefs once strategy reflects approved messaging and per-workspace channels.