Branksome Hall: Slingshot Innovation Academy
Challenge
Branksome Hall, a globally recognized leader in girls' education, identified a market opportunity to extend its innovation expertise to a broader audience. The goal was to launch the Slingshot Innovation Academy — a series of high-performance, co-ed summer programs for youth focused on entrepreneurship, App development, public speaking and business essentials.
The challenge was three-fold:
Brand Extension: Establishing a sub-brand that felt "Branksome-grade" but distinct enough to attract a co-ed audience.
Value Proposition: Positioning a summer camp as a serious "Innovation Academy" that justifies a premium price point through partnerships with global leaders like the DMZ (Toronto Metropolitan University) and University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.
Market Awareness: Launching into a crowded summer program market with a first-year offering that required immediate enrollment and high-trust buy-in from parents.
Solution
The Fractional CMO stepped in to lead the end-to-end launch strategy and creative execution, transforming Slingshot from a concept into a market-ready brand. To differentiate Slingshot in a crowded market, we developed a “creator-first” narrative that traded traditional curriculum for real-world output. This bold voice appealed to youth through the lens of autonomy and tech-mastery, while providing parents with the tangible ROI of a professional-grade incubator.
Key strategic and creative pillars included:
Brand & Content Strategy: Developed the visual identity and high-energy voice for Slingshot, ensuring it appealed to tech-savvy teens while maintaining the prestige required to convert parents.
Website Experience: Designed and wrote the content for the Slingshot web platform, creating a conversion-focused "hub" that clearly articulated the unique pathways: Venture Lab, App Lab, Pitch & Persuasion Lab, and Rotman @ Slingshot.
Integrated Copywriting & Email Campaign: Crafted a sophisticated email nurture sequence for prospective families, bridging the gap between initial interest and program registration.
Digital & Paid Social Advertising: Executed a targeted paid media strategy across Meta and Google, using data-driven creative to reach high-intent parents in the GTA and beyond.
Creative Direction: Designed visual assets to ensure a cohesive, "future-focused" look across digital ads, social media, and internal communications.
Results
Market Leadership: Successfully launched Canada’s first youth program to partner with the DMZ and SureStart, creating a unique co-ed, high-tech summer ecosystem.
Rapid Enrollment: Built immediate brand authority that fuelled strong registration numbers for the inaugural season.
Consistent Brand Narrative: Established a repeatable marketing framework and content assets that the school can leverage for future Slingshot cohorts.
High-Touch Conversion: The integrated email and digital strategy resulted in a high conversion rate, turning passive "browsers" into enrolled "innovators" by emphasizing the credential-building value for participants.
Services Provided: Creative Direction | Copywriting | Website Content | Email Marketing | Paid Social | Digital Advertising | Brand Strategy