The challenge
Al Dillon, Sapper's founder and CEO, came to us with a hard problem hiding inside a simple one. The company ran both managed services and products, and the brand had never quite held them together. The story changed depending on who was telling it.
A small, Canada-focused marketing team was trying to scale that across distinct parts of the business while keeping one identity intact. They needed a foundation that spoke to existing clients and the new markets they were moving into, without losing the gravity of what they actually do.
The approach
We started by building one brand foundation, drawing on StoryBrand principles to keep it clear rather than clever. That meant a tight brand brief, a positioning statement, and a mission that could carry both the managed services and the product side of the business, Hunchly included.
Then we put it to work where it mattered most. We brought the new strategy to life at CANSEC 2024, Canada's premier defense and security show, through the design and messaging of their sponsored booth. We closed with a six-month roadmap so the team could keep building on the foundation at their own pace.
I haven't been able to bridge the complexity of what it is we do, even the simplicity of what it is we do, with the severity and the impact of what it is. Both ends of that spectrum fit with what you have provided us.Al Dillon, Founder & CEO, Sapper Labs
Where it landed
For the first time, Sapper had one story that worked across the whole business, and a leadership team that recognized themselves in it. The mission and positioning gave internal teams a shared language, and the CANSEC presence put the new brand in front of exactly the right audience.
The roadmap gave them a way to keep the momentum going without us in the room, which is how you know brand work holds. It is meant to outlast the engagement.
