RHEON
→ Launching a tech startup into space

In early 2020, RHEON secured Series A funding and began operationalizing the venture for a new growth phase.

In the early stages — while pursuing product-market fit, operational effectivness and a sustainable business model, the venture lacked a cohesive and distinctive brand strategy – one that would differentiate its unique value proposition from incumbents and alternatives alike.

Why? Without differentiation and distinctiveness (D&D), you have sameness. In early-stage product development and market penetration, if your product shows no discernible functional difference or distinctive visual identity, potential customers simply scroll past and you fade into obscurity. This costs the venture its vital 'first mover' brand recall and any positive associations it could secure in consumers' future buying decisions.

While differentiation and distinctiveness are crucial for attracting customers, they're equally vital for securing a venture's second most powerful growth lever: talent.

After developing the venture's brand foundation the previous year, I joined in-house to help the internal marketing team 'build the house' – and harness brand power across the entire venture.

Having established the venture's core identity and supporting touchpoints (ID, website, and product videos), the next step aclimatizing to a new culture. Entering a B2B startup founded and run by engineers presented a unique challenge – I was stepping into an environment where brand thinking rarely extended beyond "We have a logo and our colour is blue"...

...however the truth is, while startups work to gain traction and market fit, without investing in brand creation and awareness-building, they risk invisibility in potential customers' future buying situations – directly impacting future revenue.

So my job was introducing some inconvienent truths in order to help build long lasting success.  

My response was tenfold:

01 — Transformed internal perceptions of B2B marketing's look and feel

02 — Developed creative concepts helping consumers bridge the paradigm innovation gap

03 — Embedded brand thinking into the marketing department's core operations

04 — Implemented a comprehensive brand management system

05 — Championed, designed, and led the company culture program centered around it's values

06 — Designed an engaging brand-based Employee Value Proposition 

07 — Aligned all creative elements across touchpoints, from livery to event spaces

08 — Developed an identity style transcending conventional B2B codes

09 — Elevated creative collaborations, generating an 'innovation halo effect' (leading to partnerships with Rapha, Adidas, and Harley-Davidson)

10 — Transformed RHEON Labs from an "undifferentiated polymer venture" into a distinctive "super material" innovation partner