Secure Code Warrior Case Study
Brief Overview
In this case study, we present the successful journey of Secure Code Warrior, their role in supporting organizations achieve Secure by Design, how we shifted our PR program and corporate narrative over the last nine months, and how this campaign set the company up to refocus their entire company value proposition and positioning in 2025. We outline how we executed a successful analysis launch, and our approach to continue the excitement/momentum.
The Client
Secure Code Warrior is a Developer Risk Management Platform that transforms the way software is created. The platform enables enterprises to implement new standards for secure code – like secure by design – throughout the software development lifecycle allowing organizations to measure, manage and mitigate security risk. Secure Code Warrior has been a client of W2 Communications for over three years.
The Opportunity
In 2022, the company sought a cybersecurity PR firm partner who could bolster its brand awareness with minimal direction and limited executive bench and content assets. Since day one, the program centered around thought leadership development for Secure Code Warrior’s two co-founders, Pieter Danhieux and Matias Madou. The program was then customized for global regions to enable them to generate similar outcomes.
With a history of limited access to executives and few internal data points or metrics to share, the PR team had to think creatively, offering reporters alternative supporting points and Secure Code Warrior-driven solutions beyond traditional statistics or data.
The Solution
Each year, W2 Communications exceeds quality coverage expectations, making them Secure Code Warrior’s agency of choice year after year. In 2024, we collaborated and identified the right moment in time to shift the PR program/corporate narrative to Secure by Design. From there, it set the company on its journey to strategically re-position themselves as a developer risk management platform – vs. previous “security training” positioning used over the last several years.
In 2024, Secure Code Warrior sought to position itself as a leading champion for developer upskilling, establish the critical gap of benchmarking security skills, and outlined why it is a key component of Secure by Design.
W2 Communications played a pivotal role in driving this Secure by Design transformation, redefining the company’s corporate narrative over the past nine months. By leveraging media outreach, thought leadership content and launching a data-driven analysis, we positioned Secure Code Warrior as an essential partner for enterprises looking to align their own security approaches with CISA’s Secure by Design initiative.
The launch of Secure Code Warrior’s analysis, in collaboration with Chris Inglis and Kemba Walden of Paladin Group, saw nearly 20 pieces of launch coverage – including key outlets like POLITICO, CyberScoop, Nextgov, Risky Biz and more. Post-launch, the PR team secured several byline placements and interviews around Secure by Design to continue Secure Code Warrior’s established momentum.
This strategic brand shift not only elevated Secure Code Warrior’s position in the cybersecurity landscape, but set the foundation for a broader company repositioning in 2025, ensuring its continued leadership in developer risk management and secure software development.
The Result
Since January 2023, the team worked directly with Intel 471’s researchers specifically to turn them into thought leaders. We completed media training and intake calls to develop individual thought leadership platforms which we pitched to key reporters. By building their credibility, we turned them into a consistent resource for journalists who could speak about cybersecurity in relation to some of the world’s largest events (i.e. the Olympics), experts on trends happening in the threat landscape and standout innovators in the industry.
W2 Communications has secured over 130+ pieces of coverage (114 in the first year of the program), which includes features in business press publications such as Axios, WIRED, Bloomberg, Forbes, Globe and Mail and more. Because of the team’s efforts, Intel 471 participated in over 25 interviews discussing breaking news, Intel 471’s place in the market, threat hunting, research and trends.
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