skills/design-marketing-communications/references/output-contract.md

# Communications Output Contract

## Contents

1. Missing-input behavior
2. Compact design
3. Full design
4. Decision states
5. Quality checks

## 1. Missing-input behavior

Ask at most three questions that change the intervention:

- What customer state should change into what next state?
- In what buying or use situation should the meaning be recalled?
- What downstream product, sales, store, or experience must fulfill the promise?

If answers are unavailable, provide a provisional state hypothesis and a small discovery step. Do not default to a channel plan.

## 2. Compact design

```text
Core communication problem:
Current → desired state:
Barrier:
Meaning to reconstruct:
Proof:
Primary touchpoint role:
Handoff:
Do not do:
```

## 3. Full design

```text
Decision: Execute / Small reversible test / Hold / Redesign / Stop

Decision owner, scope, and deadline:
Customer and buying context:
Demand state:
Current customer state:
Desired next state:
Primary barrier:

Meaning to reconstruct:
Customer subject and context:
Choice reason:
Proof or experience:
What not to promise:

Function role:
Story role:
Emotion role:
Logic role:

Paid role and handoff:
Earned role and handoff:
Shared role and handoff:
Owned role and handoff:
Offline/digital complement:

Expectation created:
Experience that must fulfill it:
Downstream owner:

Confirmed facts:
Interpretations:
Hypotheses:
Unknowns:
Evidence level:

Desired Signal:
Counter-signal:
Guardrail:
Review window:
Action if crossed:

What not to communicate or optimize:
Uncertainty and exceptions:
```

## 4. Decision states

- **Execute:** the state, barrier, meaning, proof, handoff, and operating owner are sufficiently defined.
- **Small reversible test:** the mechanism matters but meaning, context, or evidence remains uncertain.
- **Hold:** a prerequisite such as value, availability, experience, or downstream ownership is missing.
- **Redesign:** the message, touchpoint, or expectation solves the wrong barrier or creates adverse effects.
- **Stop:** the communication is deceptive, structurally irrelevant, or breaches trust and customer guardrails.

## 5. Quality checks

- One primary customer-state transition is named.
- The barrier corresponds to that transition.
- The meaning uses the customer's subject and context.
- Proof and experience can support the promise.
- Function, story, emotion, and logic have roles rather than ideological priority.
- PESO is used selectively and every used touchpoint has a handoff.
- Exposure is not called state change.
- Expectation is connected to downstream experience and ownership.
- Buzz or UGC is not guaranteed.
- Desired and adverse signals are defined.
- “What not to do” is specific.