2023 SC Awards Finalists: Security Marketing Campaign of the Year  

Axonius Inc.’s Security Marketing Campaign “Controlling Complexity,” featured world champion gymnast Simone Biles and CrossFit champion Amy Bream. The campaign aimed to raise brand awareness and showcase the human element of cybersecurity. The messaging strategy highlighted life’s complexity, Axonius’s ability to help customers control it, and the importance of company culture. The campaign utilized a multi-channel approach, including YouTube, programmatic advertising, and OTT platforms like iHeart and Hulu. In a departure from typical cybersecurity marketing, Axonius focused on the human stories of Biles and Bream. The campaign has proven successful, increasing aided recall from 9% to 27% and achieving over 2 million impressions on OTT platforms.

F5, Inc., in collaboration with Little Hands of Stone, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the Security Marketing Campaign of the Year. The “A Force For” campaign focuses on the human aspect of cybersecurity and emphasizes security as a moral imperative. Launched at global security events, the campaign employed connected TV spots, out-of-home advertising, and social media content on platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. A compelling video, A Force For Making Cybersecurity Personal, was at the heart of the campaign, accompanied by localized content and ads. The creative imagery and flexible messaging of the campaign resonated with cybersecurity professionals and F5 employees alike. The campaign successfully exceeded its goals, with 46 million completed views for the video, a 39% engagement rate, a 40% increase in web visits in San Francisco, a 107% increase in social followers, and a 125% increase in social conversation. Furthermore, F5’s brand health increased by 17.5%, and the employee-led video became the most shared asset by F5 employees.

WatchGuard Technologies’ “Security of ONE” marketing campaign addressed the growing cybersecurity skills gap, the campaign sought to create brand awareness for the modern security platform vendor. Utilizing a multi-channel approach, including digital ads, podcasts, and video, the “Security of ONE” message reached over 43 million impressions, surpassing industry engagement standards. Notably, the campaign also resulted in increased familiarity, positive opinions, purchase consideration, and recommendations for WatchGuard’s unified cybersecurity solutions. The company continuously measured and optimized the campaign’s performance to effectively engage its target audience.