DECODE | Catch × World Cat 235HB Soft Launch Proposal
CLASSIFIED // CATCH × WORLD CAT
235HB SOFT LAUNCH
PROPOSAL // FILE 235-HB-26

DECODE

An integrated campaign system for the World Cat 235HB VIP first look. Built around one idea: make them earn the look.

PREPARED FOR Kim Hegel · World Cat
PREPARED BY Catch · Greenville NC
CAMPAIGN WINDOW May → July 2026
STATUS For review
// 01 · THE MISSION

TEN HULLS. ONE WINDOW.

Ten 235HBs to sell by year end. Dealers placing customers. Deposits in. Owners and dealers only until July 6, when the public reveal lands. The opportunity in front of us: make the gap between now and the public launch feel less like a hold and more like a private channel.

UNITS TO SELL 10 By end of year. Deposits + contracts.
SOFT LAUNCH MAY VIP first look. Owners + dealers only.
PUBLIC REVEAL JUL 6 Full model launch goes wide.
AUDIENCE 2 TIERS Existing owners + dealer prospect lists.
// 02 · THE STRATEGIC PLAY

"I KNOW A SECRET."

A unified campaign universe that treats the 235HB like classified intelligence. Every channel reinforces one idea: the public can't see this yet. You can. The point isn't to hide the boat. It's to make being on the inside feel like a reward, and to make the dealer call feel like the next step in a story the audience is already in.

// CONVENTIONAL APPROACH

Announce → wait → sell

Reveal the boat. Push specs. Hope the audience converts on first contact. Burns the most powerful asset (mystique) in the first 24 hours and leaves nothing to drive action across an eight-week window.

// THIS CAMPAIGN

Tease → gate → reward

Treat May through July 6 as a controlled intelligence drop. SMS bait, redacted documents, decoder mechanics, a hidden landing with an interactive reveal. Every piece reinforces the same world. Every CTA points back to the dealer.

01
SCARCITY ENGINE
Ten boats. Insiders only. Replies feel like winning a draw, not joining a list.
02
CONTROLLED LEAK
Shareable assets that hint without revealing. Dealers, prospects, and owners spread it for us.
03
EVERY CTA = DEALER
The story funnels everywhere to one outcome: a phone call to the local dealer.
04
POST-JULY EQUITY
Assets carry into the public reveal. The interactive flagship becomes a viral piece for July 6.
// 03 · TRANSMISSION

THE SMS LINEUP.

Twelve message variants across two audiences. Six to drive owner opt-ins to the World Cat list (Reply YES doubles as compliance). Six dealer-paste versions tuned to read like the dealer wrote them, with a "call me" close. Each variant works as a standalone pick or as a flight rotated across the campaign window.

Insider opt-in

// Sent by World Cat to owner list · doubles as opt-in prompt
01CHEEKY
We made a boat that does too much. We're not sorry. Insiders see it first this May. Reply YES if you're curious.
117 charsReply YES
02CURIOSITY GAP
We can't talk about it yet. This May we can. Insiders only. Reply YES if you want in.
89 charsReply YES
03CONSPIRATORIAL WINK
You didn't hear it from us. New boat drops this May. Reply YES for the first look.
83 charsReply YES
04PROVOCATION
They said you couldn't run flats AND offshore in the same boat. We disagreed. Insiders get first look this May. Reply IN to find out more.
140 charsReply IN
05MINIMALIST SWAGGER
Some boats are built for one thing. This one wasn't. Insiders see it first this May. Reply YES.
96 charsReply YES
06TRIPLE DENIAL
Not quite a bay boat. Not quite a center console. Not quite a flats boat. Something new is coming this May. Reply YES for the first look.
140 charsReply YES

Dealer paste

// Pasted by dealers into 1:1 messages · CTA = call me
07CHEEKY
[Name], World Cat made a boat that does too much. They're not sorry. I can show it to you before public launch. Call me?
118 charsCall me?
08CURIOSITY GAP
[Name], can't say much yet. Later this month I can. Want in on the first look? Call me.
88 charsCall me
09CONSPIRATORIAL WINK
[Name], you didn't hear it from me. New World Cat drops this May. I can get you in front of it early. Call me?
110 charsCall me?
10PROVOCATION
[Name], they said you couldn't run flats AND offshore in one boat. World Cat disagreed. I can show you early. Call me?
118 charsCall me?
11MINIMALIST SWAGGER
[Name], some boats are built for one thing. World Cat made one that isn't. I can show you before anyone else. Call me?
118 charsCall me?
12TRIPLE DENIAL
[Name], not quite a bay boat. Not quite a center console. Not quite a flats boat. New from World Cat. I can show you early. Call me?
132 charsCall me?
// MECHANIC NOTES
All variants land under 160 characters so none split across messages. The Reply YES mechanic on the insider track does double duty as the SMS opt-in confirmation, framing the legal step as part of the bait rather than a chore. Standard opt-in disclosure language ships in the follow-up confirmation message, not the initial bait. Recommended deployment: pick three variants and rotate across the campaign window. Strongest single picks based on the brief: 03 (Conspiratorial Wink) for the dealer-paste track and 04 (Provocation) for the insider track.
// 04 · THE UNIVERSE

TWELVE PIECES.
ONE CONSPIRACY.

The universe sits on a single creative through-line: the boat as classified intelligence. Six hero pieces build the world. Six supporting pieces extend reach to channels and audiences the hero pieces don't touch.

Hero pieces

// World-builders
FORMAT // Print mailer + social asset

The cryptid sighting

Bigfoot-style "BOAT SIGHTED IN GREENVILLE, NC" report. Grainy 3D-render fragments treated as eyewitness photos. Hand-drawn maps with red X's. Anonymous-source quotes. Reads as found-footage paranormal investigation.

Mailer Instagram carousel Geofence creative
FORMAT // Mock leaked document

The shipping manifest

Faux corporate document with CONFIDENTIAL stamps and shipping records for "10 hulls" routed to dealers. Names redacted. Reads like something that fell off a delivery truck. Plays directly into the literal scarcity of the launch.

Email attachment Dealer mailer Hidden page asset
FORMAT // Press release parody

The anti-press release

Standard press release layout. Headline: "WORLD CAT REFUSES TO COMMENT." Body 80% [REDACTED] black bars with tiny clues hidden in the gaps that build the 4-pillar story for anyone paying attention.

Dealer email PDF leak Print mailer
FORMAT // Audio asset

Voicemail from an insider

30-second audio. Hushed voice, slight distortion. "You didn't hear it from me, but I saw the new 235 at the factory. I can't even describe it. Just call your dealer." Lands as a TikTok/Reels piece. Could seed as a "leaked" voice note.

TikTok Instagram Reels SMS audio
FORMAT // Visual / animated asset

The conspiracy wall

Detective red-string evidence board. Boat parts pinned with thumbtacks. Headlines circled. EVIDENCE tags. Connections drawn in red string. Hero graphic for social, or animated reveal where the strings draw themselves.

Hero graphic Animated reveal Print poster
FORMAT // Physical mailer

The decoder mailer

Physical mailer to opted-in insiders. Includes a translucent red decoder card. Geofence ads, social posts, and email banners run with red gibberish overlaid. Insiders hold the card up to the screen and read the hidden message.

Direct mail Pairs with all digital ads Photo-bait

Supporting pieces

// Parallel track + amplifiers
FORMAT // Social drip campaign

Single render drip

One render. Thirty crops. Drip a detail a day across social and email. "What boat has THIS bow?" "What boat has THIS livewell?" By the time July 6 hits, insiders have already assembled the boat in their head over weeks.

Daily IG posts Email banners
FORMAT // Physical print run

The 4-pillar trading cards

1980s sports card design. Four cards: Offshore Weapon, Inshore Technician, Flats Hunter, Social Platform. Stats on the back. Limited print run mailed to opted-in insiders. The kind of artifact people keep on their desk.

Direct mail Dealer giveaway Boat show handout
FORMAT // Web quiz / lead capture

"Which mode are you?"

Five-question quiz, four results based on the 4 pillars. Each result is shareable as a card. Punchline at the end: "Plot twist. You don't have to choose." Captures email at the result. Functions as a parallel opt-in funnel.

Hidden landing Email capture Social shareable
FORMAT // Photo / illustration series

Wrong boat for the job

Photoshopped image series of single-purpose boats failing at the wrong tasks. Center console stuck on a flat. Skiff getting hammered offshore. Bay boat trying to pull skiers. Each one captioned: "Don't be this guy. May."

Instagram series Geofence creative
FORMAT // Print + social asset

The obituary

"In loving memory of having to choose between your boats. Born 1958. Died May 2026. Survived by every World Cat 235HB owner. Services held at your nearest dealer." Print mailer or full-page social asset. Dark humor that captures the value prop.

Print mailer Full-page social
FORMAT // Two-frame visual

The boat that shouldn't exist

Frankenboat mock-up: a flats skiff, a center console, a bay boat, and a deck boat chopped up and welded together. "First we tried this." Cut to a clean 235HB render. "So we tried again." Two-frame joke that explains the value prop.

Reels / TikTok Email hero image
// 05 · INTERACTIVE FLAGSHIP

THE DECODE PUZZLE.

The campaign's interactive hero. Lives on a hidden Squarespace page accessible only after SMS opt-in. The boat appears as encrypted surveillance footage. Insiders solve the puzzle to decrypt it. The piece is built as a single Squarespace Code Block. Drop in, swap the image URL, publish. The version below is live. Drag the tiles toward the empty slot to solve, or tap. Tiles can be dragged in chains. Hold "Peek" to glimpse the unscrambled image.

TRANSMISSION // 235HB
CLASSIFIED
// SUBJECT INTERCEPTED

DECODE

SOLVE TO REVEAL · INSIDERS ONLY

MOVES 000
TIME 00:00
STATUS ENCRYPTED
DRAG OR TAP A TILE TOWARD THE EMPTY SLOT TO SLIDE.
// DECRYPTION COMPLETE
YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE THIS YET.
The new World Cat 235HB. Insiders only until July. Tell your dealer you want in.
CONTACT MY DEALER →
01
GATED REVEAL
Hidden Squarespace page URL only sent to SMS opt-ins. Form gate captures email + mobile + privacy consent before access.
02
PHYSICAL DRAG
Pointer-based interaction. Drag tiles, slide chains. Reads as a real puzzle, not a click target. Mobile + desktop unified.
03
SOLVE = CTA
Decryption complete state surfaces a "Contact my dealer" CTA pointing to the live dealer locator or a tracked link.
04
JULY EQUITY
After public launch, becomes a public engagement piece with a leaderboard, share-your-time mechanic, and dealer routing.
// DEPLOYMENT
Single self-contained Squarespace Code Block. Class names namespaced (wc235-*) so they won't collide with other Squarespace styles. One image URL to swap. Standalone embed file shipped alongside this proposal. Five CSS variables at the top of the style block control the palette if Tinsley sends exact brand hex codes for swap-in.
// 06 · CAMPAIGN ARCHITECTURE

HOW IT FITS.

Three phases across the May to July window. Each phase has a job: phase one drives opt-ins and primes the universe. Phase two drips content to keep the audience leaning in. Phase three converts the soft-launch equity into the public reveal.

PHASE 01

THE BAIT

// May soft launch

Light the fuse. Get insiders in.

  • SMS bait push (insider + dealer)
  • Geofence with redacted creative
  • Hidden page goes live
  • Decode puzzle deploys
  • Decoder mailer ships
PHASE 02

THE DRIP

// Late May → Late June

Keep the universe alive without revealing.

  • Cryptid sighting deployment
  • Voicemail audio drop
  • Conspiracy wall reveal
  • Anti-press release
  • Single render drip on social
  • Last-call SMS to non-converters
PHASE 03

THE REVEAL

// July 6 onward

Convert mystique into public engagement.

  • Hidden page goes public
  • Puzzle gets share-time leaderboard
  • Trading cards ship to dealers
  • Quiz launches as lead-gen funnel
  • "Wrong boat" + "Obituary" run as paid social
// 07 · NEXT

WHAT WE NEED.

Lock the foundation pieces this week so the May timeline holds. Catch is ready to start production on any green-lit concept the day approval lands.

  • 01 Pick the SMS variants going to flight. Recommend three: one for the immediate insider opt-in, one for the dealer paste, one for the late-window last-call. Kim · this week
  • 02 Confirm the hidden Squarespace page URL and email-gating mechanism with Tinsley so puzzle deploy can land before May launch. Tinsley + Catch
  • 03 Greenlight 2-3 hero universe pieces for production. Recommend: cryptid sighting, decoder mailer, voicemail. They cover print, physical, and audio so the universe feels three-dimensional from launch. Kim · this week
  • 04 Confirm exact World Cat brand hex codes from Tinsley for swap into puzzle CSS variables. Five lines to update. Tinsley
  • 05 Decide on a phase 03 share mechanic for the puzzle. Leaderboard, share-your-time card, or both. Catch · pre-July
CATCH FILE 235-HB-26 // CONFIDENTIAL // CATCH × WORLD CAT