When we first launched CatalystCreativ seven or so years back, our days looked quite a bit different. Without the well of experience we draw from now for our client work, we were probably over reliant on unbridled enthusiasm. And that meant more sleepless nights, more positive self-affirmations in the mirror, more running around with a pang of anxiety because what if we aren’t doing something right?
But despite all that, the process behind our work hasn’t changed all that much. We didn’t have a name for it at the time, but looking back, even in our agency’s youth, we were using what we’d later call our Seventh Level Engagement Framework to develop uniquely captivating touchpoints through which our clients could connect with their audiences.
When we dive into client work now, we’re a bit more polished, just as enthusiastic, and tons more experienced. But our methods are largely the same—they’re just more polished now, and we can describe them more clearly!
Coca Cola + W Hotels
For example, without outright calling it as such, we utilized our Seventh Level Engagement Framework when launching a sustainability initiative between Coca Cola and W Hotels spearheaded by will.i.am.
will.i.am’s project was called “EKOCYCLE” (Coke spelt backwards plus recycle). Through this initiative, Coke bottles were recycled into pellets then turned into linens, which were placed in every room at every W Hotel in NYC. We were tasked with publicly launching this partnership, in a manner that showcased the story of two very different brands coming together in the interest of sustainability.
Leveraging our understanding of engagement—what we’d eventually formalize into the Seventh Level Framework—we built out a strategy centered around multiple experiences. Here’s how our thinking went, each step of the way to creating these events.
The Seven Levels
Level 1: Disengagement
At this stage, our focus was on determining these brands’ core audiences. In doing so, we made sure to skip past disengagement—what good is the best laid plan if you’re not targeting the right people? In this case, we found that the best audience was millennials interested in the impact pop culture can have on environmental activism.
Level 2: Unsystematic Engagement
We then set out to develop messaging that would connect with this audience without confusing them. This included a compelling hashtag (#threadscount), then created a campaign that communicated the importance of this partnership.
Level 3: Frustrated Engagement
We developed a customer journey with an emphasis on eliminating potential distractions. This included encouraging consistent audience interaction with the partnership through a digital campaign, multiple physical experiences, and interactive user-generated content.
Level 4: Structure Dependent Engagement
We identified simple calls-to-action that we used to build a digital campaign around this movement. This was the first step toward inviting the audience to actively participate.
Level 5: Self Regulated Interest
To take things one degree further, we partnered with celebrities and influencers that would help move this mission forward by piqueing interest and exciting the target audience into taking more decisive action.
Level 6: Critical Engagement
To further activate our audience, we created a showcase of how plastic Coke bottles could be turned into multiple items by being recycled, including the sheets in W Hotels, demonstrating how recycling can make a difference, and inspire them to make recycling a part of their daily lives.
The Seventh Level
And to ensure our audience was fully aligned with the initiative’s mission, we developed a physical experience with mini vignettes of different personas that people could see themselves in, on different "beds." We wanted them to relate and connect with the product in a meaningful way.
The end result was a series of unforgettable moments, enjoyed by thousands, dispersed all throughout New York City, that drove home the two partner brands’ goals around sustainability.
Interested in finding out more about how CatalystCreativ can boost your brand’s profile among your core audience through an intimate and engaging experience like these? Contact us today—let’s chat about how an experience like this can work for your brand.