Why Brand-Building is the Engine Behind Cybersecurity Demand
By Adam Kleinberg
Beyond the Logo: Why Brand-Building is the Engine Behind Cybersecurity Demand
In our last post, we explored how cybersecurity brands can stand out amid a sea of sameness. Today, I want to push deeper—into a distinction I hear too rarely: branding vs. brand-building. And I’ll walk you through a real example: how we brought the power of both to life for Recorded Future’s biggest Predict conference yet.
Branding vs. Brand-Building: Clarifying the Difference
It’s common to hear B2B executives say, “My CFO doesn't believe in branding.” That sentiment is a result of flawed thinking: they likely are confusing branding with brand-building.
They’re two very different beasts—and the difference matters.
Branding is your foundation. It’s the one-time (or major) investment in positioning, naming, identity, voice, messaging, and visual system. It defines who you are, how you show up, and why you exist. Without it, you’re a commodity.
Brand-building is your ongoing engine. It’s the consistent investment in awareness, trust, perception, and experience. It’s how you amplify your branding over time so that it delivers on demand generation, pipeline, and growth.
To put it another way:
Branding =
- Capital investment (big, discrete)
- Defines differentiation, promise, identity
- Front-loaded
- Enabling future go-to-market
Branding-Building =
- Operational investment (continuous)
- Drive awareness, trust, preference, momentum
- Ongoing, multi-year ROI
- Amplifies demand, conversion, retention
Too many cybersecurity B2Bs skip branding (because it’s politically hard, abstract, or expensive) and then expect demand engines to carry them. That’s asking for trouble. Without a strong brand, content, ads, ABM, and sales collateral all compete in the same undifferentiated space. They underperform.
But when you pair a thoughtfully built brand (identity + messaging + positioning) with consistent brand-building (campaigns, media presence, events), you get leverage. You accelerate lead velocity. You own trust. You turn the noise into preference.
How We Engineered Brand Momentum for Recorded Future’s Predict Conference
Let’s walk through how we applied this philosophy in a real world example, so you can visualize how the branding/brand-building flywheel works.
The challenge
Recorded Future was planning their largest Predict conference ever, in New York. They wanted to make noise, turn heads, and reinforce category leadership—not just put on another “cyber event.” The stakes were high: attendance, media impact, customer perception, and pipeline momentum all tied to this moment.
Our approach
We didn’t just “design cool visuals” and call it a day. We built a holistic brand experience delivered through high-impact media, immersive storytelling, and synchronized presence across the city.
Here’s a breakdown of key moves:
- Billboards that own the skyline
We commandeered major video billboards in Times Square and Grand Central, turning Recorded Future’s brand moments into a citywide spectacle. When people see your logo splashed across these iconic screens, it becomes a signal. You’re not a cybersecurity company—you are a presence.
- AI-powered hype video that sets the stage
To open the conference with impact, we produced a brand hype video using AI-enhanced storytelling. It ran in the keynote sequence, energizing the audience, resetting expectations, and reinforcing the narrative of "future-proof intelligence." That moment became a shared experience—something attendees talked about, remembered, and internalized.
- Event-level brand system that elevates every touchpoint
Recorded Future deployed a design system that unified visual language, motion design, environmental graphics, signage, stage sets, digital screens, printed materials—all aligned to a coherent brand architecture. The result: every moment—from arrival to keynote to break rooms—felt like it belonged to a single, powerful brand ecosystem. No jarring logos, no off-brand guests—just Colin Jost and Michael Che who tell the news on Saturday Night Live on location to spread the news about Recorded Future.
- Cross-channel amplification
We backed the physical presence with a massive digital presence—including a homepage takeover on The New York Times website. The messaging and visuals were consistent, reinforcing brand connections before, during, and after Predict.
The payoff
- Predict 2025 became not just another conference but a brand moment.
- Media coverage, social buzz, and attendee sentiment all tied back to the brand experience.
- The brand performance lifted downstream demand: more conversions, higher engagement, better pipeline pull.
- Internally, Recorded Future’s teams and customers felt more aligned to their mission and identity.
This is what happens when branding and brand-building work in concert—not in silos.
How (and Where) to Invest in Brand-Building in Cybersecurity
If you’re nodding right now—“Yes, I need this”—here are practical levers to pull in your world:
- Map your brand moments
Audit all your touchpoints—website, events, webinars, reports, ads, sales decks—and identify your biggest moments of truth (e.g. trade shows, product launches). Those are the moments you lean in. - Create signature assets
Develop flagship creative outputs (videos, hero content, event experiences) that carry your brand narrative forward. These signature assets become brand “hooks” you can reuse, mutate, and build on. - Allocate continuous budget
Don’t treat brand-building as discretionary. Dedicate a percent of annual marketing budget (e.g. 10–20 %) to brand initiatives—billboards, high-impact content, major campaigns. You’re buying “votes in the marketplace of attention.” - Track brand metrics (not just leads)
Monitor brand awareness, recall, favorability, share of voice, brand lift. Connect those upstream metrics to downstream impact (lead quality, conversion, pipeline velocity). - Integrate with demand gen, don’t separate
Brand campaigns should feed into lead gen, and vice versa. Use unified themes, shared messaging, and measurement to ensure both sides help each other. - Think in rhythms, not one-offs
Brand-building is a marathon. Don’t do a big splash and vanish. Keep activation cycles—every quarter, hit a new “brand moment” to refresh saliency.
Final Thought (and a Brand Dare)
If you believe branding is a cost, you’ve already lost. But if you see brand-building as the bedrock that multiplies every dollar you spend on growth—you’re playing the right game.
Recorded Future’s Predict NYC is a reminder: when you treat your brand as an experience—not just a badge—you don’t just enter the arena, you command presence. That’s not optional in cybersecurity. It’s how you break free from sameness, earn trust, and fuel real demand.
If you want to dig into how this model could work for your cybersecurity brand .
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