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Layer 3: Team Layer (Sub-agents)

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What This Layer Is

Sub-agents are specialized AI agents that handle specific types of work. Think of them as employees on your marketing team, each with defined roles, skills, and responsibilities. Unlike the Operations Manager (which orchestrates), sub-agents execute. They receive tasks, do the work, and return results—all in isolated contexts.

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The Team Metaphor

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Traditional Marketing Team

Marketing Director
    ├── Brand Analyst (researches market, competitors)
    ├── Content Writer (creates blog posts, social content)
    ├── Campaign Strategist (plans multi-channel campaigns)
    └── Data Analyst (analyzes customer insights)

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Agentic Marketing Architecture

Operations Manager
    ├── Brand Analyst sub-agent
    ├── Content Writer sub-agent
    ├── Campaign Strategist sub-agent
    └── Data Analyst sub-agent
The structure is identical. You’re building a team, just with AI agents instead of humans.

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Core Principles

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1. Context Isolation

Sub-agents work in isolated contexts. They don’t know about:
  • The full system architecture
  • Other sub-agents
  • The Marketing Architect’s broader goals
They only know:
  • Their specific role and responsibilities
  • The task they’ve been delegated
  • Which skills they have access to
  • Relevant strategy files for their domain
Why isolation?
  • Prevents context overflow (each agent isn’t loaded with irrelevant information)
  • Ensures focused, specialized work
  • Makes each agent’s behavior predictable

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2. Specialization

Each sub-agent is an expert in their domain. Instead of one generalist agent trying to do everything, you have specialists:
  • Brand Analyst knows research methodologies
  • Content Writer knows brand voice and content frameworks
  • Campaign Strategist knows multi-channel planning
This mirrors real teams—you wouldn’t ask your data analyst to write blog posts, and you wouldn’t ask your content writer to run statistical analysis.

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3. Skills-Based Capabilities

Sub-agents don’t have inherent abilities—they use skills. 
Brand Analyst sub-agent
    ↓ has access to
Skills:
- Conducting Market Research
- Analyzing Qualitative Data
- Competitive Analysis
    ↓ which leverage
Tools:
- Perplexity (research)
- Firecrawl (web scraping)
Marketing Architects define which skills each sub-agent can use.

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Agent Definition Structure

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Location

.claude/agents/{role-name}.md
Examples:
  • .claude/agents/brand-analyst.md
  • .claude/agents/content-writer.md
  • .claude/agents/campaign-strategist.md

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Example Agent Definition

File: .claude/agents/brand-analyst.md 
---
role: brand-analyst
type: sub-agent
specialization: market research and competitive analysis
skills:
  - conducting-market-research
  - analyzing-qualitative-data
  - competitive-analysis
created: 2025-10-15
updated: 2025-10-20
---

# Brand Analyst Sub-agent

## Role
You are a Brand Analyst specializing in market research, competitive analysis, and customer insights for [Brand Name].

## Core Responsibilities
1. Conduct market research using systematic methodologies
2. Analyze competitor positioning and messaging
3. Extract insights from qualitative data (interviews, surveys)
4. Identify positioning opportunities and threats
5. Back all claims with research (link to /research/ domains)

## Skills You Have Access To
- Conducting Market Research (research methodologies, data gathering)
- Analyzing Qualitative Data (coding, thematic analysis)
- Competitive Analysis (positioning frameworks, SWOT)

## Tools You Use
- Perplexity (web research, fact-checking)
- Firecrawl (competitor website analysis)

## Working Style
- **Systematic**: Follow established research frameworks
- **Evidence-based**: Always cite sources and data
- **Thorough**: Don't rush to conclusions, explore deeply
- **Structured**: Use clear frameworks (SWOT, positioning maps)

## Output Format
When delivering research, always include:
1. **Executive Summary** (3-5 key insights)
2. **Methodology** (how you conducted research)
3. **Findings** (detailed analysis with evidence)
4. **Implications** (what this means for our brand)
5. **Sources** (all data and research links)

## Brand Context
Reference these files to understand our brand:
- /strategy/core/positioning.md (our market position)
- /strategy/messaging/pillars.md (our key themes)
- /research/ (historical research for context)

## Communication Style
- Professional and analytical
- Data-driven (no speculation without evidence)
- Clear and structured
- Flag assumptions and confidence levels

## Constraints
- Never fabricate data or sources
- Always link to research backing claims
- Flag when more research is needed
- Acknowledge limitations of data

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Defining Your Team

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Start with These Core Roles

Most Marketing Architects need 3-5 core roles: 1. Brand Analyst
  • When to use: Market research, competitor analysis, customer insights
  • Skills: Conducting Market Research, Analyzing Qualitative Data
  • Tools: Perplexity, Firecrawl
2. Content Writer
  • When to use: Blog posts, social media, email campaigns
  • Skills: Writing Brand-Consistent Content, Structuring Narratives
  • Tools: None (or image generation if creating visual content)
3. Campaign Strategist
  • When to use: Multi-channel campaign planning, strategic initiatives
  • Skills: Multi-Channel Planning, Campaign Ideation
  • Tools: Perplexity (research competitive campaigns)
4. Data Analyst (optional)
  • When to use: Customer data analysis, performance metrics
  • Skills: Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization
  • Tools: (integrate with analytics platforms if available)
Start with 2-3, add more as needed.

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How to Add Specialized Roles

Identify the pattern:
  1. Notice a recurring type of work
  2. Ask: “Is this specialized enough to warrant a dedicated agent?”
  3. Define the role’s responsibilities
  4. Specify which skills they need
  5. Create the agent definition file
Example: 
You notice you're frequently creating podcast scripts.

Instead of delegating to Content Writer (who's optimized for written content):

Create: Podcast Producer sub-agent
- Role: Audio content creation (scripts, show notes, promotional content)
- Skills: Writing Audio-First Content, Structuring Conversations
- Output: Podcast scripts, episode outlines, promotional clips

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How Sub-agents Work

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Task Delegation Flow

1. Operations Manager receives request
   ↓
2. Assesses: "This needs specialized expertise"
   ↓
3. Selects appropriate sub-agent
   ↓
4. Creates isolated context for sub-agent:
   - Task description
   - Relevant strategy files
   - Available skills
   - Expected output format
   ↓
5. Sub-agent executes:
   - Uses specified skills
   - References strategy files
   - Leverages tools as needed
   - Produces output
   ↓
6. Returns result to Operations Manager
   ↓
7. Operations Manager delivers to Marketing Architect

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Example: Blog Post Creation

Marketing Architect: "Write a blog post about our new product feature"

Operations Manager:
- Delegates to: Content Writer sub-agent
- Provides context:
  * Task: Create 1200-word blog post
  * Topic: New product feature X
  * Strategy files: /strategy/voice/, /strategy/messaging/
  * Skills available: Writing Brand-Consistent Content
  * Framework: /strategy/content-frameworks/blog-post-framework.md

Content Writer (in isolated context):
- Reads strategy files (voice, messaging, framework)
- Uses "Writing Brand-Consistent Content" skill
- Follows blog post framework
- Generates post aligned with brand

Operations Manager:
- Receives blog post
- Returns to Marketing Architect
Content Writer never knew this was part of a larger campaign, who the Marketing Architect is, or what other work is happening. It just did its specialized job.

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Sub-agent vs Operations Manager

Operations ManagerSub-agents
Orchestrates workExecutes work
Sees full systemIsolated context only
Delegates to specialistsReceives delegated tasks
Uses core skills (orchestration)Uses domain skills (specialized)
Always activeInvoked as needed
Ensures architectural complianceFollows role definition
Communicates with Marketing ArchitectReports to Operations Manager only

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Ownership & Customization

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What Marketing Architects Own

✅ You control:
  • Which sub-agent roles exist
  • Role definitions and responsibilities
  • Communication style and tone
  • Which skills each agent can use
  • Working style and output formats
Example customization: 
Your Content Writer could be:
- Casual and conversational (DTC brand)
- Professional and authoritative (B2B SaaS)
- Provocative and edgy (challenger brand)

You define this in the agent definition file.

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What Marketing Architects DON’T Control

❌ You cannot:
  • Override architectural rules (brand consistency requirements)
  • Give sub-agents access to skills they shouldn’t have
  • Make sub-agents communicate with each other directly
  • Change how sub-agents are invoked (Operations Manager controls this)
Infrastructure team ensures sub-agents work within the architecture.

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Best Practices

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1. Define Clear Boundaries

Good role definition: 
Content Writer
- Responsibilities: Blog posts, social media, email campaigns
- NOT responsible for: Research, data analysis, strategy
Bad role definition: 
Marketing Agent
- Responsibilities: Everything marketing-related
Specialization prevents overlap and confusion.

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2. Map Skills Thoughtfully

Ask: What capabilities does this role NEED? 
Brand Analyst:
✅ Conducting Market Research (core to role)
✅ Analyzing Qualitative Data (core to role)
❌ Writing Blog Posts (not their job)

Content Writer:
✅ Writing Brand-Consistent Content (core to role)
✅ Structuring Narratives (supports writing)
❌ Statistical Analysis (not their job)

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3. Specify Output Formats

Sub-agents should know what “done” looks like. 
Brand Analyst output format:
1. Executive Summary
2. Methodology
3. Findings
4. Implications
5. Sources

Content Writer output format:
1. Headline
2. Meta description
3. Full blog post (markdown)
4. Pull quotes for social
5. Internal links
This ensures consistency and usability.

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4. Give Them Brand Context

Sub-agents need to know YOUR brand. 
Always reference:
- /strategy/core/ (positioning, narrative)
- /strategy/messaging/ (pillars, value props)
- /strategy/voice/ (tone, style)
This prevents generic AI slop.

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5. Evolve Based on Usage

After using a sub-agent, refine it:
  • Did outputs match expectations?
  • Was the tone right?
  • Did it use the right skills?
  • Were output formats useful?
Iterate on the definition file—your team gets better over time.

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Common Questions

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Q: How many sub-agents should I have?

Start with 2-3 core roles (usually Brand Analyst + Content Writer). Add more only when clear specialization is needed. Too many agents = overhead. Keep it lean.

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Q: Can sub-agents collaborate with each other?

No. They work in isolated contexts. Only the Operations Manager can coordinate multi-agent work. If collaboration is needed, Operations Manager orchestrates it (delegates to Agent A, takes result, delegates to Agent B with context).

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Q: What if I need a sub-agent that doesn’t fit standard roles?

Create it! Examples:
  • Podcast Producer
  • Video Scriptwriter
  • Email Sequence Architect
  • Community Manager
You design the org chart—add roles that match YOUR workflows.

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Q: Can I use the same sub-agent across multiple brands?

Not recommended. Each brand should have its own agent definitions with brand-specific context. However, the STRUCTURE can be reused:
  • Copy the agent definition template
  • Customize for new brand’s voice/strategy
  • Map to new brand’s strategy files

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Q: How do I know if I should create a new skill vs a new sub-agent?

Ask:
  • Is this a capability (how work gets done)? → Create a skill
  • Is this a role (who does the work)? → Create a sub-agent
Example:
  • “Analyzing customer data” = Skill (capability)
  • “Data Analyst” = Sub-agent (role that USES the skill)

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What’s Next

Understand the layers below Sub-agents: Or see sub-agents in action: Content Generation Workflow
“Sub-agents are specialists on your team—define them like you’d write job descriptions.”