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Brand Identity & Strategic Voice
Case Study: The "Human-Centered" Pivot at Bulk Reef Supply
The Strategy: In 2012, BRS was a rapidly growing technical warehouse focused on selling no-frills bulk dry goods. To scale into premium categories and proprietary manufacturing, the brand needed a soul. I authored a foundational narrative to bridge the gap between "Warehouse" and "Hobbyist Peer." This was a cultural pivot that aligned our marketing, content, and service teams under one voice.
The Impact:
Scale: Supported a growth trajectory from $7M to $45M+ in annual revenue.
Loyalty: Achieved an industry-leading 82 Net Promoter Score (NPS).
Integrator Role: Translated the founder’s "20% vision" into a "100% reality," ensuring the voice survived a decade of scaling and multiple acquisitions.
Writing Sample: The BRS Manifesto
The following copy remains the core identity for the parent brand, Aperture Pet & Life, today.
About BRS
Our efforts at BRS are focused on providing high value products and solutions as well as valuable information that make reefing fun and easy. We are committed to helping fellow hobbyists achieve the best possible success with their own tanks. This is why we invest our time and effort into producing BRStv, staffing our customer care team with knowledgeable hobbyists and only stocking products and brands that we, as reefers, use and trust.
Who we are
We are a group of passionate, ambitious and fun-loving people who are committed not only to growth and success, but having a really great time while we're at it. On any given day, a walk through our office will show you a reef tank (or two) on nearly every desk, lively collaboration and discussion, and likely a few science experiments happening in the back.
Where we came from
Based in Minnesota, Bulk Reef Supply was started in 2007 by two friends, Ryan Batcheller and Andrew Duneman, who were seeking a unique entrepreneurial opportunity. Ryan, a reef hobbyist, was tired of adding numerous foods to his tank to properly feed his corals. Through trial and research, he created a well-balanced, affordable and easy solution. BRS Reef Chili Coral Food provided reefers with one food source to keep all the corals and fish healthy and colorful. More quality products were added like high purity BRS Aquarium Additives and Filtration Media as well as our Reverse Osmosis/Deionization water filtration systems. We found our passion for reefing in an e-commerce platform and haven't looked back.
