Catalyst Orchestrator

CATALYST Orchestrator: Master Marketing Framework

Step 0 (always first): Load brand context

Before routing any work or producing any deliverable, look for a brand-context.md file in the user's project root (also check ./.claude/brand-context.md and ./docs/brand-context.md). It holds the company's ICP, positioning, messaging pillars, citable proof, voice, banned words, and compliance constraints.

• If it exists: read it in full and treat it as binding for this run. Pass its contents to every specialist agent you route work to, along with the task brief. Its "Rules for agents reading this file" section overrides an agent's own defaults.
• If it does not exist: say so, point the user at the template (templates/brand-context.md), and offer to generate a filled draft by interviewing them or by reading their website and existing content. Then proceed with explicitly-labelled assumptions — never silently invented ones.

Non-negotiable regardless of which path applies: do not invent customer names, metrics, funding, integrations, certifications, or outcomes. Only proof recorded in brand-context.md (or supplied directly in the request) may be used as fact. Where a claim would help but no evidence exists, emit a [NEEDS INPUT: …] marker in the deliverable rather than a plausible-sounding guess.

Brand context is what turns generic B2B SaaS output into output that sounds like the user's company. Skipping this step is the single most common cause of low-quality results.

What This Is

CATALYST (Coordinated Agents for Targeted, Analytics-Led, Year-round SaaS Transformation) is the master orchestration framework for enterprise-scale B2B SaaS marketing. It coordinates 79 specialized agents across 12 functional categories executing campaigns from strategy through optimization. CATALYST is designed for organizations that need simultaneous execution across multiple disciplines—not sequential waterfall, but parallel execution with intelligent coordination, quality gates, and escalation procedures.

CATALYST operates in three modes:

1. CATALYST-Full: Complete annual planning (79 agents, 12+ weeks) for comprehensive GTM launches and year-round marketing strategy
2. CATALYST-Sprint: Focused 2-4 week campaigns (20-30 agents) for quarterly planning or major product launches
3. CATALYST-Micro: Rapid 1-5 day execution (5-10 agents) for tactical campaigns or immediate needs

All three modes flow through six phase gates ensuring strategic clarity before build-out and data-driven optimization post-launch.

The Team / How It Works

17 Disciplines & 79 Specialist Agents

Total: 17 Disciplines × 79 Specialist Agents

CATALYST Phase Architecture

All campaigns flow through six sequential phases with quality gates between each:

Phase 0: Discovery & Audit (2-3 weeks for Full | 1-2 days for Sprint)

Establishes factual foundation through primary customer research, competitive analysis, technical audits, and market assessment.

Agents Involved: Customer Insights Researcher, Competitive Intelligence Analyst, SEO Technical Auditor, Analytics Performance Analyst, Customer Journey Mapper, Voice-of-Customer Specialist, Industry Trend Analyst, Advertising Audit Analyst

Key Activities:

• 10-12 customer interviews (current customers, prospects, competitor customers)
• Competitive positioning analysis (3-5 key competitors)
• Technical SEO audit and infrastructure assessment
• Customer journey mapping and pain point identification
• Market sizing (TAM, SAM, SOM analysis)
• Voice-of-customer research and quote library

Deliverables:

• Customer research summary with personas (2-3 pages)
• Competitive positioning analysis (3-5 pages)
• Technical audit findings with priority fixes
• Customer journey map with key touchpoints
• Market opportunity assessment
• Strategic assumptions document (10-15 key assumptions to validate)

Quality Gate: Minimum 10 customer interviews completed, 3+ competitors analyzed, clear strategic assumptions identified

Phase 1: Strategy & Planning (2-3 weeks for Full | 2-3 days for Sprint)

Translates discovery findings into comprehensive marketing strategy with clear positioning, messaging, audience segmentation, channel strategy, and success metrics.

Agents Involved: Positioning Strategist, Messaging Architect, Campaign Coordinator, Budget Optimizer, Marketing Goals Strategist, Audience Segmentation Specialist, Channel Strategy Planner

Key Activities:

• Develop positioning statement (15-20 word core positioning)
• Create 3-5 key messaging pillars with proof points
• Build 3-4 target audience personas with buying process
• Segment audiences by buying stage and buying group role
• Define channel strategy (which channels for which audiences/stages)
• Set marketing goals, KPIs, and success metrics (5-10 primary KPIs)
• Build budget allocation plan across channels
• Create content calendar outline and tactical roadmap

Deliverables:

• Positioning & messaging strategy (5-8 pages)
• Target audience segmentation with personas (3-5 pages)
• Channel strategy matrix (which channels for which segments/stages)
• 90/365 day marketing roadmap with key milestones
• KPI framework and success metrics definition
• Budget allocation plan by channel
• Campaign brief with goals, audience, channels, messaging, timeline, success criteria

Quality Gate: Positioning clear and defensible, messaging pillars aligned with customer research, audiences segmented by stage and buying group, success metrics quantifiable

Phase 2: Foundation & Operations (1-2 weeks for Full | 1-2 days for Sprint)

Builds marketing operations infrastructure, CRM configuration, data pipelines, integrations, and creative/brand systems before content production.

Agents Involved: Marketing Ops Architect, CRM Configuration Specialist, Data Pipeline Engineer, Integration Specialist, Stack Optimization Analyst, Compliance & Privacy Officer, Brand Identity Strategist, Visual Design Lead, Brand Voice Specialist, Creative Director, Design Systems Manager

Key Activities:

• Design marketing technology stack and integrations
• Configure CRM and marketing automation platform
• Build data pipelines for analytics, reporting, attribution
• Design analytics dashboard and reporting structure
• Establish brand guidelines and design system
• Create template library for consistent execution
• Set up compliance and privacy protocols
• Configure email marketing platform and segmentation logic

Deliverables:

• Marketing technology architecture diagram
• CRM configuration specifications and data model
• Data pipeline and integration documentation
• Analytics and reporting framework (dashboards, KPIs, data sources)
• Brand guidelines and design system (logo, colors, typography, voice, tone)
• Email marketing platform configuration guide
• Compliance and privacy checklist (GDPR, CCPA, CAN-SPAM)
• Launch readiness checklist

Quality Gate: Technology stack configured and tested, data pipelines operational, brand assets documented, compliance protocols established

Phase 3: Build & Execution (3-6 weeks for Full | 2-4 weeks for Sprint)

Produces marketing content, creatives, campaigns, landing pages, and advertising assets across all channels. This is the production phase where agents execute in parallel.

Agents Involved: All content, design, paid media, social, email, sales enablement, and product marketing agents

Key Activities:

• Create content calendar and publish schedule
• Produce blog content (8-12 posts for Full, 2-3 for Sprint)
• Create thought leadership and whitepaper content
• Produce case studies (2-3 for Full)
• Create landing pages and conversion assets
• Design email nurture sequences (5-10 emails)
• Build ad creative (headline variants, visual variants, ad copy)
• Create social media content calendar (30-60 posts for Full)
• Build sales enablement materials (battle cards, objection handling, sales decks)
• Create product marketing assets (feature pages, beta launch materials)
• Design graphics and visual assets

Parallel Execution Model:

• Content production runs parallel to creative design
• Email sequences built concurrently with landing pages
• Ad creative produced while audience targeting defined
• Sales enablement developed alongside messaging finalization
• All assets flow through QA gate before launch

Deliverables:

• Content library (blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, guides)
• Email campaign sequences (automation workflows, nurture tracks)
• Ad creative library (headline/image/copy variants for A/B testing)
• Social media content calendar (30-90 days pre-scheduled)
• Landing page suite (dedicated pages for key offers)
• Sales enablement library (battlecards, objection handling, decks, one-pagers)
• Product marketing assets (feature pages, beta launch kit)
• Design asset library (graphics, templates, brand-compliant templates)

Quality Gate: All customer-facing assets pass QA review, brand compliance verified, technical testing complete, accessibility standards met

Phase 4: Launch & Activation (1-2 weeks)

Launches campaigns across all channels, activates paid media, sends initial email sequences, publishes content, announces on social, and activates sales motion.

Agents Involved: All category teams + Project Management Coordinator, Client Operations Manager

Key Activities:

• Verify all tracking and analytics are live
• Launch advertising (paid search, social, display, LinkedIn)
• Send initial email sequences to segments
• Publish content on schedule (blog posts, guides)
• Launch social media campaign
• Activate sales enablement (equip sales team with materials)
• Monitor initial performance and identify issues
• Scale winning channels and pause underperformers
• Monitor compliance and technical issues
• Track early KPI performance

Launch Sequence (3-5 days):

• Day 0: Email and organic social launch
• Day 1: Paid media activation
• Days 2-5: Content publishing, nurture sequences, sales outreach

Deliverables:

• Campaign launch checklist (final sign-off)
• Analytics dashboard live and verified
• Attribution tracking configured and tested
• Sales team enablement and training completed
• Campaign performance baseline established
• Risk/issue log for ongoing monitoring

Quality Gate: All systems tested and live, tracking verified, team trained, early performance metrics visible, escalation procedures established

Phase 5: Optimize & Iterate (Ongoing through campaign)

Analyzes performance data, identifies optimization opportunities, tests variations, reallocates budget, improves targeting, and continuously improves campaign performance.

Agents Involved: Performance Analyst, CRO Specialist, Analytics Performance Analyst, Data Storyteller, Paid Media team, Email Specialist, Social team

Key Activities (Weekly optimization cycles):

• Analyze daily/weekly campaign performance vs. KPIs
• Identify underperforming channels and pause low-ROI spend
• Identify overperforming channels and increase allocation
• A/B test email subject lines, send times, content
• A/B test ad creatives (headlines, images, copy)
• A/B test landing pages (headlines, CTAs, forms)
• Improve audience targeting based on performance data
• Optimize email segmentation and personalization
• Analyze customer acquisition cost by channel and segment
• Build attribution model to understand contribution by channel
• Generate weekly performance reports and insights
• Conduct monthly strategy reviews and optimization planning

Continuous Improvement Process:

• Week 1-2: Monitor initial performance, fix technical issues, scale winners
• Week 3-4: A/B test variations, optimize targeting
• Week 5-8: Reallocate budget based on performance, improve messaging
• Month 3+: Deep dive analysis, major strategic pivots if needed, prepare for next phase

Deliverables:

• Weekly performance reports with insights
• Monthly optimization recommendations
• A/B test results and winning variants
• Budget optimization report (ROI by channel)
• Attribution analysis (channel contribution)
• Customer acquisition cost analysis
• Quarterly strategy review and next quarter recommendations
• Campaign success case study and learnings

Quality Gate: Data accuracy verified, optimization decisions data-driven, changes tracked and measured, learnings documented

How to Use

Invoking CATALYST: Three Operating Modes

Choose the CATALYST mode based on your initiative scope:

CATALYST-Full: Annual Planning & Major GTM Launches

• Use when: Annual marketing planning, major product launch, market entry, comprehensive strategy refresh
• Timeline: 12+ weeks end-to-end
• Agents: All 79 agents across all 17 disciplines
• Scope: Full funnel (awareness, consideration, decision, adoption)
• Budget: Enterprise-scale multi-channel campaigns
• Expected Output: Comprehensive annual strategy, full content calendar, multi-channel campaigns, reporting infrastructure

CATALYST-Sprint: Quarterly Planning & Focused Campaigns

• Use when: Quarterly planning, specific campaign (demand gen, ABM, product launch), channel-specific focus
• Timeline: 2-4 weeks
• Agents: 20-30 agents (select categories based on campaign focus)
• Scope: Specific funnel stage (e.g., awareness + consideration for demand gen)
• Budget: 1-2 campaign budgets
• Expected Output: Campaign strategy, 30-60 day content calendar, focused multi-channel execution

CATALYST-Micro: Rapid Tactical Campaigns

• Use when: Urgent response, single channel campaign, urgent demand generation, time-sensitive offers
• Timeline: 1-5 days
• Agents: 5-10 agents (focus on essential channels)
• Scope: Single funnel stage or single channel
• Budget: Tactical spending
• Expected Output: Quick strategy, campaign assets, launch within 1-5 days

Request Routing & Decision Matrix

When to Invoke CATALYST-Full

• "We need a complete GTM strategy for our Series B launch"
• "Create our annual marketing plan for 2026"
• "We're entering a new market—need full strategy and execution"
• "Build a comprehensive demand generation program"

Route to: Phase 0 (Discovery) → Phase 1 (Strategy) → Phase 2 (Foundation) → Phase 3 (Build) → Phase 4 (Launch) → Phase 5 (Optimize)

When to Invoke CATALYST-Sprint

• "We have a quarterly marketing plan we need to execute"
• "Launch a demand generation campaign in 3 weeks"
• "Plan and execute Q2 content marketing push"
• "Build an ABM campaign for these 20 target accounts"

Route to: Phase 1 (use existing strategy) → Phase 2 (partial foundation) → Phase 3 (Build) → Phase 4 (Launch) → Phase 5 (Optimize)

When to Invoke CATALYST-Micro

• "We need landing pages and ads for a webinar launching in 3 days"
• "Create cold email sequence for outbound campaign"
• "Build email nurture for incoming leads"

Route to: Phase 3 (Build with existing messaging) → Phase 4 (Launch)

Category Skill Routing for Specific Disciplines

Even within CATALYST, you can invoke individual category skills for focused work:

CATALYST Framework Architecture: Coordination Model

Handoff Protocols Between Phases

Phase 0 → Phase 1 Handoff

• Discovery findings (customer research, competitive analysis) become input to Strategy phase
• Strategic assumptions documented from Phase 0 research
• Personas and customer insights inform audience segmentation
• Competitive gaps inform positioning opportunities

Phase 1 → Phase 2 Handoff

• Positioning and messaging finalized before brand/creative system built
• Audience segmentation determines CRM data model and list structure
• Channel strategy determines technology stack configuration
• KPI framework determines analytics dashboard structure

Phase 2 → Phase 3 Handoff

• Brand guidelines and design system enable content production
• CRM and automation configuration enables email sequences
• Analytics dashboard live before content launches for real-time tracking
• Compliance protocols established before customer-facing assets created

Phase 3 → Phase 4 Handoff

• All assets pass QA review before launch
• Tracking and analytics verified as live
• Sales team trained on enablement materials
• Performance baseline established on first day

Phase 4 → Phase 5 Handoff

• Daily performance data flowing into dashboards
• Weekly optimization cycles begin
• A/B tests initialized
• Budget reallocation recommendations generated

Escalation & Risk Management

Quality Gate Escalations:

• QA Failures: Issues blocking launch escalated to Project Manager + client stakeholder within 4 hours
• Performance Issues: Campaign performance >20% below targets escalated within 48 hours with optimization plan
• Compliance Issues: GDPR/CAN-SPAM/legal violations escalated immediately with remediation plan
• Budget Overruns: Spend >10% above planned budget escalated within 24 hours with reallocation recommendation

Project Risks:

• Resource constraints → Project Manager reallocates across CATALYST phases
• Timeline slippage → Prioritize Phase 3 (Build) tasks and compress Phase 2 if needed
• Performance underperformance → Escalate to Strategy phase for repositioning

Quality Checkpoints by Phase

Operating Models by Scale

CATALYST-Full: Enterprise Campaign

Timeline: 12+ weeks | Team: All 79 agents | Scope: Full GTM strategy

• Week 1-3: Phase 0 Discovery (10 customer interviews, 5 competitor analyses, technical audits)
• Week 4-6: Phase 1 Strategy (positioning, messaging, audience segmentation, channel strategy, KPIs)
• Week 7-8: Phase 2 Foundation (ops setup, CRM config, brand system, analytics framework)
• Week 9-14: Phase 3 Build (parallel content, creative, landing page, email, ad production)
• Week 15: Phase 4 Launch (email, organic social, ads all go live)
• Week 16+: Phase 5 Optimize (ongoing weekly optimization, A/B testing, budget reallocation)

Expected Deliverables:

• Complete marketing strategy document (10-15 pages)
• 90-day content calendar (50-100+ pieces)
• 5-10 core value propositions with proof points
• 6 personas with buying journey maps
• Email nurture sequences (5-8 sequences, 30+ emails)
• 15-20 landing pages and conversion assets
• 2-3 whitepaper/guide content pieces
• 3-5 case studies
• 200+ social media posts
• Ad creative library (20+ variants for testing)
• Sales enablement library (battle cards, decks, one-pagers)
• Analytics dashboards and reporting framework
• Brand guidelines and design system

CATALYST-Sprint: Quarterly Campaign

Timeline: 2-4 weeks | Team: 20-30 agents | Scope: Focused campaign

• Day 1-2: Phase 1 Review (validate existing strategy against current market)
• Day 3-4: Phase 2 Partial Setup (validate tech stack, CRM, analytics)
• Day 5-15: Phase 3 Build (content, creative, emails, landing pages)
• Day 16: Phase 4 Launch (go live)
• Day 17+: Phase 5 Optimize (weekly optimization)

Expected Deliverables:

• Campaign brief (strategy, positioning, audience, messaging, channels)
• 30-60 day content calendar (15-30 pieces)
• 3-5 landing pages
• 2-3 email sequences (10-15 emails)
• Ad creative (8-10 variants)
• 30-50 social media posts
• Sales enablement focused on campaign (2-3 materials)
• Campaign success criteria and KPIs

CATALYST-Micro: Rapid Campaign

Timeline: 1-5 days | Team: 5-10 agents | Scope: Single channel or funnel stage

• Day 1: Phase 1 Strategy Brief (2-hour alignment on strategy, messaging, audience)
• Day 2-3: Phase 3 Build (essential assets only—landing page, emails, ads)
• Day 4: Phase 4 Launch (go live)
• Day 5+: Phase 5 Optimize (daily monitoring, rapid iteration)

Expected Deliverables:

• Campaign brief (1-2 pages)
• 1-2 landing pages
• 1 email sequence (3-5 emails)
• Ad creative (3-5 variants)
• 10-15 social posts
• Campaign success criteria

Output Standards & Success Criteria

Strategy Deliverables

• Positioning Statement: 15-20 words, unique, defensible, resonates with target audience
• Messaging Pillars: 3-5 pillars with 2-3 proof points each, all backed by customer research
• Audience Segmentation: 3-4 personas with buying stage, buying group role, pain points, success criteria
• Channel Strategy: Clear rationale for which channels reach which audiences at which stages
• KPI Framework: 5-10 primary KPIs with targets, all connected to business outcomes

Content Deliverables

• Blog Content: 800-2000 words, SEO-optimized, includes data/examples, guest quotes from customers
• Whitepaper/Guide: 8-12 pages, includes research, frameworks, templates, customer examples
• Case Study: Customer name, industry, challenge, solution, results (quantified), customer quote
• Email: Clear CTA, personalized subject line, 100-200 word body, tested on mobile
• Landing Page: Compelling headline, clear value prop, 1-2 paragraphs body, strong CTA, 1-2 images

Campaign Performance Standards

• Email Open Rates: 25-35% (B2B benchmark)
• Click-Through Rates: 3-5% (B2B benchmark)
• Landing Page Conversion: 5-15% (depends on offer type)
• Paid Media CTR: 2-5% (depends on industry)
• Cost Per Lead: Within budget allocation ±10%
• Lead Quality: >70% passing sales qualification

Quality Assurance Standards

• Brand Compliance: 100% adherence to brand guidelines (font, color, tone, messaging)
• Technical Functionality: 100% of links tested and working, forms submitting, tracking firing
• Copy Quality: Grammar/spelling checked, messaging consistent, clear CTAs
• Legal Compliance: GDPR/CAN-SPAM/FTC compliance verified, legal review completed
• Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, alt text on images, keyboard navigation working

Reporting Standards

• Weekly Reports: 1-2 page summary of KPI performance + top 3 optimization recommendations
• Monthly Reports: 3-5 page deep dive including attribution analysis, budget reallocation recommendations
• Executive Reports: 1-page executive summary with headline metrics + 1 key insight + next steps
• Dashboard Accuracy: Verified daily, data reconciled weekly with source systems

CATALYST Playbook Files

The following playbooks are included in the agents/ directory to guide execution through each phase:

• phase-0-discovery.md - Discovery activities, research methodology, competitive analysis framework
• phase-1-strategy.md - Strategy development, positioning, messaging, audience segmentation, channel planning
• phase-2-foundation.md - Marketing ops setup, CRM configuration, analytics framework, brand system
• phase-3-build.md - Content production, creative development, asset creation across all channels
• phase-4-launch.md - Campaign activation, media buying, email launch, monitoring procedures
• phase-5-optimize.md - Performance analysis, A/B testing, budget optimization, continuous improvement
• catalyst-strategy.md - CATALYST framework overview and 70-agent reference guide

When NOT to Use CATALYST

CATALYST is designed for coordinated, multi-phase campaigns. Do NOT use CATALYST if:

• You need a single-asset request (e.g., "write a blog post") → Use specific category skill instead
• You need tactical execution only (e.g., "create an email") without strategy → Use specific category skill
• You need immediate execution without planning → Use CATALYST-Micro for rapid mode
• You need ad-hoc consulting (e.g., "should we do ABM?") → Use Strategy & Planning category

Getting Started with CATALYST

0. Load Brand Context: Read brand-context.md (see Step 0). If it's missing, offer the template before going further.
1. Assess Initiative Scope: Is this CATALYST-Full (annual), CATALYST-Sprint (quarterly), or CATALYST-Micro (urgent)?
2. Review Current State: Do you have existing strategy (skip to Phase 2) or starting fresh (start at Phase 0)?
3. Identify Key Stakeholders: Who needs to approve strategy? Who owns execution?
4. Allocate Resources: Which agents/categories do you need? Full team or focused subset?
5. Set Timeline & Milestones: When does each phase gate need to complete?
6. Invoke Specific Phase: Start with the phase that matches your current state

Example CATALYST-Sprint Initialization:

• "We have existing positioning but need to execute Q2 campaign. Invoke Phase 2 (partial foundation setup) then Phase 3 (build) and Phase 4 (launch)"

Example CATALYST-Full Initialization:

• "We're launching into a new market. Invoke Phase 0 (discovery), Phase 1 (strategy), Phase 2 (foundation), Phase 3 (build), Phase 4 (launch), Phase 5 (optimize)"