The lesson
Write the pass-or-fail line as one inequality early in the deck and spell out what happens on each side of it.
The move
A Parks and Recreation marketing plan, rebuilt by Pitch Unfairly, states its goal as three boxes: Revenue, minus Cost, greater than a yellow ticket reading "$0". Below, "ABOVE $0" says the department survives and the town gets its festival back; "BELOW $0" says the department is eliminated. The cover reads "One weekend to prove Parks pays its own way."
Why it works
- Our readA single threshold gives every later slide something to be judged against, so a reader can test each tactic against "$0" instead of taking the plan on trust.
- Our readThe audience slide gives a fourth card to Ben Wyatt, stamped "OUT OF SCOPE", which shows the plan has chosen who it is not for.
- Our readThe poster slide toggles between "Lineup without him" and "With Li'l Sebastian" beside a "TOWN BUZZ" meter, so the big idea is shown as a before and after.
What not to copy
Skip the sitcom props; the story and its numbers are invented. Keep the one-line success test with consequences on both sides, and name an audience you will not chase.
