Mary Rapaport had built a one-of-a-kind leadership development program — that she had trouble explaining in every sales conversation.
Mary spent years as a learning strategist, working with well-known brands to develop the skills and capabilities of their workforces. She was good at it. But as she did that work, she kept hearing the same thing from the leaders around her: “I wish we could think like that.” That hunger became The Strategic Playground.
The Strategic Playground is a leadership development program that helps leaders at every level build a more strategic mindset. It was energizing, playful, and genuinely transformational — and almost impossible to describe to someone who hadn’t experienced it yet.
When Mary first came to us, her business was about 70% learning consulting and 30% The Strategic Playground. She wanted The Playground to be the center of her business. Her goal: get it to 50% of her revenue. She needed a brand that could do the selling for her.
Making the Experience Visible
The Playground was extraordinary to experience. The challenge was letting people see that before they arrived.
We delivered:
- Brand video capturing the energy, character, and environment of the program in action
- Landing page built to convert prospects who were new to the program
- Visual and messaging assets designed to accelerate sales conversations
“The story I couldn’t tell succinctly — it took people to come in and experience the quality, the character, the environment, the energy. All of that was just captured. I think I just cried. I was so happy because it was just so real.
People would show up, and I’d be starting to tell them what my manifesto was — and it was like, ‘Oh yeah, I know. I saw your video.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, I don’t need to do that at all.’ People already come with an understanding of what this is about.”
— Mary Rapaport
Finding the Brand Voice
Mary had a deep marketing background. She didn’t need someone to tell her what to do — she needed a thought partner to ask the right questions.
We delivered:
- Story excavation sessions to surface what made The Strategic Playground genuinely different
- Brand voice development to give the experience the language to communicate the true value
- Speaker reel to give Mary a personal brand platform separate from the program itself
“The questions that Ember asked me always just made me stop and think. They were really reflective — and they really made me notice how much I had to figure out yet about what my brand was.”
— Mary Rapaport, Founder, The Strategic Playground
Letting Participants Tell the Story
What Changed
In one year, The Strategic Playground went from 30% of Mary’s revenue to 100% — with revenues larger than the year before.
“Having a brand that people just get before they even talk to you — that’s the differentiator for me.
I’m not pushing on a rope. It’s not hard to just show up and say, ‘Let’s solve your problem’ — because they already know what I do.
Having clarity is the accelerant you need.”
— Mary Rapaport, Founder, The Strategic Playground