CovertSwarm
Agency work
The challenge
Cybersecurity firm CovertSwarm required a new brand identity that better reflected their unique approach to supporting their clients against threats.
Rather than just passively providing testing services for compliance purposes, CovertSwarm instead offer an “attack on subscription” approach that allows their team of ethical hackers (the Swarm) to breach their clients’ security. Once they find a way in, they then alert their client before a true ‘bad actor’ can accomplish the same feat.
CovertSwarm needed an assertive, genuinely unique proposition that would give them standout in the sector. Working as part of the team at Hallam, we analysed existing brand equity and opted to improve on some elements (e.g. by adding higher contrast to the existing colour palette) and introduce whole new ones (such as a bold typeface choice for key messages and a close-crop photographic style that intentionally makes things feel uncomfortable.)
The response
As well as visual elements, we helped develop an unassailable tone-of-voice for the brand. The vast majority of the cybersecurity category takes a conservative, defensive tone to try and provide assurance to prospective clients – but it mostly falls flat and sounds weak. By taking a no-nonsense, irreverent approach to their messaging, CovertSwarm has become identifiable by its language alone.
In adopting this approach, they are speaking directly to their target audience in a way that is instantly understood and infinitely more memorable than their competitors.
The results
As well as producing the brand strategy and accompanying brand identity, we then continued to work with CovertSwarm on the rollout of their new brand across print and digital media – crafting campaigns to drive MQLs and SQLs for the business to pursue.
The resulting brand strategy and accompanying identity helped to catapult CovertSwarm firmly into the cybersecurity scene, where they continue to grow at a rapid pace.
