The Challenge

APCO began our global partnership with the International Copper Association (ICA) at the 2017 Climate Week NYC, the leading sustainability event adjacent to the UN General Assembly. For ICA’s third year sponsoring Climate Week NYC, APCO developed an integrated campaign to tackle the two main challenges faced by the organization: despite copper’s presence in almost everything we see and touch, the majority of citizens are unaware of its role and importance; and copper possesses an infinite lifecycle and is able to be recycled without losing any of its core properties, a concept that can be difficult to conceptualize.

The Solution

APCO’s strategy focused on maximizing the return on investment of the sponsorship by creating an engaging on-the-ground activation at the event and extending the reach of our messages online beyond event attendees. The resulting strategy merged in-person opportunities with digital amplification. This included:

• Producing a bold, creative content package consisting of pre-planned and live content
• Developing presentations in the unique PechaKucha style (20 image-only slides for 20 seconds each)
• Creating impactful digital thought leadership
• Designing an augmented reality pop-up activation at the event space to help visualize the importance of copper to green construction. This consisted of developing a custom app that could read QR-like codes on a physical display. When an iPad running the app pointed to the codes, attendees could explore three-dimensional imagery and captions detailing what was “behind the wall” and how copper was at the core of it all. The team collected emails of people who engaged with the display for virtual follow up post-event.

The Result

APCO’s approach realized significant impact. Online, these activities contributed to more than 1.9 million impressions, 8,000 engagements across social media platforms and more than 800 follower additions across the online network. ICA’s share of voice on Twitter increased 63 percent from the previous year, for a nearly 250 percent increase since 2017. Additionally, key stakeholders – including Former United States Secretary of State John Kerry and an Apple representative focused on recycling initiatives – shared positive feedback on ICA messages, as well as the way in which they were presented.