On Cybersecurity Marketing, Branding, and Why Most Companies Get It Wrong
Safe Is the Riskiest Brand Strategy in Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity companies know they are in an extremely crowded market and promptly take zero creative risks.
The result is a sea of dark backgrounds, shield icons, and messaging that sounds like it was written by a compliance committee. Buyers tune it out because none of it actually speaks to them.
I believe the brands that win in this space are the ones willing to be clear, human, and a little unexpected. Authenticity isn't a nice-to-have, it's a differentiator. When everyone else is shouting about ‘real threat intelligence’ or the ‘evolving threat landscape,’ a brand that connects with a buyer's real-world pressure stands out immediately.
After 15+ years marketing in cybersecurity, I've learned that the most effective campaigns aren't the most technically sophisticated. They're the ones that make a buyer feel understood before they ever see a demo.
About Me
Seasoned cybersecurity marketing leader with strong views on messaging, branding, and communications. Part-time ceramics and trivia enthusiast. Northeast native, midwest resident.
Brand Transformation: Onapsis (2022–Present)
Onapsis had something most cybersecurity companies spend years trying to earn: genuine market authority. As the pioneer and category leader in ERP security, their credibility with enterprise buyers was real. However, I didn’t feel that their brand was showing it.
The visual identity felt corporate and dated. The website relied heavily on stock imagery. And the messaging, while technically accurate, didn't reflect the confidence of a company protecting large and extra large enterprises for over 16 years.
Starting in 2022, I led a comprehensive brand overhaul designed to close the gap between how Onapsis was perceived and how it deserved to be seen.
What changed: The website, visual identity, and messaging were rebuilt from the ground up: trading generic enterprise aesthetics for a fresh, confident look that signaled category leadership. Custom creative replaced stock imagery. Messaging was sharpened to reflect Onapsis's pioneer status and unique SAP expertise, including positioning around their designation as the only SAP Endorsed App for SAP cybersecurity and compliance.
What it earned: The refreshed brand supported a period of strong commercial momentum including: recognition on the the Inc. Best in Business list in three categories, expanded media coverage, increased web traffic and inbounds. The new creative direction gave sales and partnership teams a brand they were proud to put in front of enterprise buyers.
BEFORE
AFTER
Brand Transformation: Flashpoint (2017–2020)
Flashpoint came to the table with something genuinely rare in threat intelligence: real street credibility. Built by practitioners, trusted by governments and Fortune 100 security teams alike, the company's reputation among buyers was earned.
But the brand looked like a startup, because it was one. Heavy on stock imagery, inconsistent in voice, and carrying the visual weight of a company still figuring out what it wanted to be. As Flashpoint matured and its ambitions grew, the brand needed to catch up.
As part of the marketing team during a pivotal growth period, I contributed to a brand refresh focused on trust, clarity, and differentiation. We began moving away from the dark, hacker-adjacent aesthetic common in threat intelligence toward something more confident and enterprise-ready. The brief was concise: look like the category leader you're becoming.
The timing mattered and had a tremendous impact. During this period, Flashpoint raised over $34 million in capital, closed 2020 cash flow positive with 48% year-over-year customer growth, and built toward the PE acquisition that followed. A brand that could credibly show up in enterprise boardrooms (not just SOC teams) was part of that story.
