1.2 Set up brand and product basics

Why foundation data matters

Marcto output quality depends heavily on context quality. When brand, product, and project data are clear, agents can produce work that matches business facts, brand voice, and channel goals. When context is vague, outputs become generic or may invent details.

The goal is not to complete every field perfectly on day one. Build a usable first version so the agent knows who the brand is, what the product is, and what the current project needs to accomplish.

What to prepare

You can prepare these materials before setup. Missing pieces are fine; agents can help you identify gaps later.

Type	Prepare	If you do not have it
Brand	Website, store link, description, audience, logo, colors	Start with one positioning sentence and let the agent ask follow-up questions
Product	Product photos, title, benefits, specs, price, audience, reviews	Save confirmed facts first and mark uncertain details as needing confirmation
Competitors	Links, screenshots, ad examples, review excerpts	Start with 2-3 direct competitors
Project	Goal, channel, timeline, deliverables, limits	Write what needs to be done and what should not be done

Create a brand

Brand context is long-lived. It should store durable rules, not temporary campaign copy.

Steps:

1. Open Brands in the workspace.
2. Create a brand.
3. Enter brand name, description, positioning, and target audience.
4. Add voice notes such as professional, light, restrained, direct, or playful.
5. Add banned phrasing, such as exaggerated claims, medical promises, or competitor trademarks.
6. Upload logo, brand images, visual references, or brand books.
7. Save and open the brand detail page.
8. Review completeness prompts and missing fields.

Fields to prioritize:

• Positioning: who you serve, what problem you solve, and how you differ.
• Audience: people, situations, pains, motivation, objections.
• Voice: what to say, what to avoid, preferred words, banned words.
• Constraints: compliance limits, pricing limits, channel limits, claim boundaries.
• Key facts: certifications, reviews, cases, origin, data, story.

Add a product

Product context provides facts and benefits. It should be specific rather than adjective-heavy.

Steps:

1. Open Products.
2. Add a product.
3. Select the parent brand.
4. Enter product name, description, and core benefits.
5. Add specs such as material, size, weight, capacity, ingredients, package, or compatibility.
6. Add audience and use cases.
7. Upload product image, manual, review screenshots, or competitor references.
8. Save and open the product detail page.
9. Review missing fields.

Separate product information into three groups:

Type	Example	Use
Confirmed facts	500ml, 316 stainless steel, fits car cup holders	PDP copy and hallucination prevention
Expressible benefits	Leakproof, lightweight, one-hand open, commute-friendly	Headlines, ads, scripts
Needs confirmation	Certification, dishwasher safety, stock, price	Prevent public misuse

Create the first project

Projects hold concrete marketing goals. Brand and product data are durable context; the project is execution context.

Steps:

1. Open Projects.
2. Create a project.
3. Select the brand.
4. Link the products being promoted or analyzed.
5. Name the project, such as “Summer Launch TikTok Creative Test”.
6. Define the project goal, such as scripts, PDP copy, creative plans, or campaign review.
7. Add channels, audience, timeline, deliverables, and constraints.
8. Save and open the project detail page.

A useful project brief should include:

• Goal: awareness, conversion, retention, launch prep, or research.
• Channel: Shopify, TikTok, Instagram, email, paid ads, community.
• Deliverables: scripts, titles, ad copy, landing sections, asset lists, reports.
• Constraints: voice, compliance, banned claims, budget, deadline.
• Success criteria: what counts as usable and who reviews it.

Let agents help complete missing data

If context is incomplete, do not invent details. Open page chat from a brand, product, or project detail page and ask the agent to identify gaps.

Prompt you can copy:

Please review the current page context and tell me whether it is enough for marketing content generation.
Output three sections:
1. Confirmed facts;
2. Reasonable assumptions that need my confirmation;
3. Questions that must be answered.
Then provide a cleaned version that can be saved back to the brand/product/project.

Success checks

Your foundation data is usable when:

• Another teammate can open the brand and understand audience, voice, and boundaries.
• The product page contains specific benefits, specs, evidence, and use cases.
• The project page explains what needs to be produced and by when.
• The agent can summarize the current context accurately before generating.
• Useful outputs have somewhere to be saved.

Common issues

If output is too generic, brand positioning, product facts, or project goals are usually unclear. Ask the agent to list the context it can currently see, then fill the gaps.

If product information is long, do not try to complete everything at once. Prioritize fields that affect truthfulness and compliance: specs, claims, certifications, price, stock, and banned phrasing.

If multiple products share the same brand, complete the brand voice and constraints first, then add each product’s benefits. Multi-product projects will be more consistent.