Strategic Positioning Case Study
Defending Digital Campaigns (DDC) – https://defendcampaigns.org/
Role: Director of Marketing & Strategic Partnerships
Focus: Repositioned DDC to attract major Big Tech partnerships by reframing cybersecurity tools as mission-aligned, brand-elevating products.
The Challenge
DDC offered powerful cybersecurity tools to protect U.S. political campaigns—but the messaging was too technical and reactive to resonate with potential partners. Despite the urgency of election protection, major tech companies saw DDC as a nonprofit in need rather than a strategic collaborator.
Strategic Marketing Approach
To secure high-impact partnerships, I repositioned DDC’s offerings with a product marketing lens—shifting from problem-based messaging to value-based storytelling rooted in corporate brand alignment.
Three narrative shifts:
- From “We need support” → to “We extend your impact”
- From technical tools → to brand-relevant outcomes
- From transactional asks → to long-term ecosystem-building
Execution Highlights
- Market Segmentation & Messaging Customization: Tailored strategic narratives for 5+ tech giants (Google, Meta, Microsoft, Cloudflare, Amazon), aligning DDC’s work with each company’s public CSR commitments.
- Positioning Work: Translated cybersecurity solutions into accessible, brand-aligned impact stories—emphasizing how they supported democracy, safety, and underrepresented communities.
- Sales Enablement Materials: Created co-branded decks, 1-pagers, and messaging docs that empowered executives to pitch internally for budget and support.
- Story-led Partnership Development: Built relationships through powerful storytelling—shifting internal decision-makers from skeptics to active champions.
Business Impact
- 100% Growth in Strategic Partnerships: Secured 5 new Big Tech partners (including Google and Microsoft) who had never previously engaged.
- $4.3M+ in Funding: Closed $4M from Google and $325K from Microsoft through compelling value narratives—not traditional grant writing.
- Product Distribution at Scale: DDC’s cybersecurity tools were deployed to 1,000+ political campaigns, with adoption and engagement up 350%.
- Partner Activation: Corporate partners co-developed training, amplification campaigns, and product onboarding resources.
Skills Demonstrated
- Market Positioning & Messaging
- Partner Marketing Strategy
- Narrative Development for B2B Audiences
- GTM Enablement & Sales Collateral
- Executive Comms & Stakeholder Alignment
- Brand & Mission Integration
Transferable to Tech & SaaS
While this was in the civic space, the methods used mirror core product marketing principles:
- Framing complex tools in ways that resonate emotionally and strategically
- Crafting segment-specific messaging across decision-making layers
- Building GTM alignment between product, partnerships, and leadership
- Creating sticky narratives that scale across paid, owned, and partner channels