Is There Any “Soul” in Cyber?
When I first stepped into the world of cybersecurity and tech, I had one big fear: what if this space has no soul?
Coming from industries like education, community programs, and food & beverage, places overflowing with emotion, connection, and humanity, I worried cyber would be a little too… silicon and not enough soul. I pictured endless new acronyms, dashboards and doo-hickies, and engineers speaking in a language only other engineers could love.
Beyond Specs: What Cyber Enables
But to my surprise, the more I’ve peeked behind the curtain, the more I’ve seen that the best cyber brands aren’t technical fortresses. They’re mission-driven. They’re storytellers. The best of the best don’t just explain what their tech does, they tell you why it matters, who it protects, and what it makes possible.
✨ That’s where the soul comes in. ✨
In discovery sessions with cyber companies, I noticed something pretty quickly: the standouts aren’t leading with “we block X% more attacks” (though good for them). They lead with what that protection enables, safer hospitals, more resilient businesses, more trust in the systems we all rely on every day. The conversation shifts from “here’s our thing” to “here’s the future our thing helps build.”
Why the Coolest Brands Pull Ahead
The coolest brands in cyber are the ones catching attention and pulling ahead. They’re the ones weaving narratives that anyone can get behind. Take Torq and Ghost Security, for example. I can understand them as an outsider, engineers in the trenches respect the authenticity, and CISOs with the weight of the digital world on their shoulders can actually feel inspired. There’s a layer of magnetism and that’s not just marketing fluff but strategy with soul.
Finding the Soul in Your Cyber Brand
So how do you find the soul in your cyber brand?
First, zoom out.
Don’t get lost in the features and functions. Ask: What’s the larger human problem we’re solving? Who’s life gets better because of us? If you can’t answer that in plain English, no spec sheet is going to save you.
Translate Tech into Outcomes
Second, connect the dots for your audience.
Engineers may love the elegance and efficiency of your code, but the wider world needs to know why it matters.
Translate the tech into outcomes. Paint the picture. Show me the hospital ward that runs smoother, the student data that stays safe, the small business owners who sleeps better at night.
But do not stop there.
The people buying and deploying your solution are often IT and cyber folks inside those institutions. For them, outcomes look different: fewer false alerts that let them actually sleep at night, dashboards and reports that make them shine in front of their boss, automation that frees them from the grind of repetitive tasks, or savings that make them the hero to finance.
In other words, balance what you achieve for the end user but also highlight how the buyer’s life becomes easier, their work gets more strategic, and their career can grow successfully.
Add Humanity (Yes, Even in Cyber)
Third, remember that “serious industry” doesn’t always mean having a “serious face.”
People want to work with brands that feel alive, approachable, and grounded.
Yes, we’re talking about defending against some scary threats, but that doesn’t mean your brand has to be a robot. Crack a smile. Tell a story. Show some humanity.
[At Punch, we’re a little bias but Arms Cyberis doing a killer job at adding humanity to their branding and marketing.]
The Future Belongs to Brands with Heart
At the end of the day, cyber has plenty of tech, specs, acronyms, etc. What the industry needs more of is heart. The brands that win will be the ones brave enough to stand for something bigger than specs, brave enough to tell stories outsiders can cheer for, and brave enough to put some soul in the security.
And honestly?
That’s the kind of work that makes strategists like me excited for the work.
