Brand Strategy
This is our Brand Strategy.
1. Introduction
This section explains what the brand strategy is, who it’s for, and how to use it.
1.1 Welcome
"Our Brand Strategy is a shared guide for how we show up in the world. It captures what Meetball stands for, how we talk about it, and how we grow with intention.
Like our Values and Principles, this is here to help anyone who wants to contribute: whether you're designing, coding, storytelling, or community-building.
This document:
- Grounds us in our identity so we stay clear and consistent as we grow
- Helps new contributors understand how to immerse themselves in Meetball in a way that reflects what we stand for
- Aligns product, marketing, and community work so our efforts stay coherent
This isn’t just for marketers. If you care about how Meetball is perceived and built—this is for you."
1.2 Why Brand Strategy Matters
"A brand isn’t just our logo or how we sound on social. It’s the sum of how people experience us, and how we keep resonating with them.
This strategy gives everyone a shared foundation to build from, so that Meetball stays consistent, recognizable, and aligned with our mission no matter who’s shaping the message."
1.4 Who This Is For
"This guide is for anyone contributing to Meetball whether you're writing copy, building features, designing interactions, hosting events, or just curious about what we stand for.
If you feel like you are one of us, like us, that are driven by how Meetball is understood, experienced, and shared, then this document is for you."
1.5 How This Differs from the Handbook
"The Brand Strategy helps us stay aligned on what the world should understand and feel when they encounter Meetball.
If you're looking for internal practices, contributor guidelines, or team operations, head to the Meetball Handbook. This document is about how we show up externally — clearly, consistently, and with purpose."
2. Our Core Identity
This section re-iterates Meetball’s north star: why we exist, what we believe, and how we want to be understood.
- Mission and Vision:
- Values: [LINK]
- Principles: [LINK]
2.5 Core Positioning
"Meetball is the platform for intentional connection through shared challenges or goals.
We don’t just help people network; we help them meet the right people, and remember who they met because they mattered."
2.6 Brand Story
"Meetball originated from a bold experiment:
How easy would it be for strangers to build real relationships by simply asking, “How can I help?”
And we saw that it worked, and that it was easy.
We saw how traditional networking often felt extractive, performative, and transactional. So we built something different: a platform grounded in mutual support and genuine connection, where people can safely share what’s on their mind and find those who can help them.
We started by building it that way ourselves. In a world that feels increasingly noisy, disconnected, and transactional, we believe it’s time to bring human generosity back to how people meet."
2.7 What We’re Not
"Meetball is not about food. At least not edible food. It's food for the soul.
- Not a social feed.
- Not a transactional networking tool.
- Not built to extract attention or harvest data."
2.8 Brand Promise
"Meetball helps you find and connect to the right people, and remember who you met.
Just ask your question, any question, and help will find you."
3. Brand Personality & Voice
3.1 Brand Archetype
The Connector:
"Meetball brings people together by surfacing shared challenges and common goals. We nurture reciprocity, spark curiosity, and create a welcoming space where meaningful, intentional connections can form. We’re not here to broadcast or impress... we’re here to connect."
3.2 Personality Traits
"Meetball is:
- Warm and human
- Curious and generous
- Intentional and grounded
- Community-driven, not algorithm-driven
We facilitate meaningful interactions and act as a trusted space for people to connect around shared challenges, aligned goals, and mutual support. Meetball feels like a friend who listens, a collaborator who shows up, and a catalyst who helps things move forward."
3.3 Tone of Voice
"Our tone is:
- Warm and conversational
- Inviting and approachable
- Curious and open-ended
- Empowering and action-oriented
We don’t perform or overhype. We speak plainly and honestly, trusting that real value resonates louder than buzzwords."
3.4 Key Message Pillars
- Connection through helping, not just networking
- Ask for help, offer help — that’s where real relationships begin
- One community perpetually across events, not starting over each time
- Built by and for the community, not by corporate control
- Remember who you met, where, and why it mattered
- Mutual support for shared challenges and common goals
4. Audiences for Messaging
4.1 Who We’re For
"We start by focusing on local, values-aligned communities, especially those already gathering around shared interests, challenges, or goals. In Lisbon, that means creative technologists, early-stage founders, event hosts, and purpose-driven professionals who care more about connection than clout.
But Meetball isn’t just for these. It’s for anyone who feels the friction of traditional networking, and wants something more human."
Across markets, we look for people who:
- Ask “Who can I help?” instead of “Who can help me?”
- Prefer listening over pitching
- See community as a place for mutual support
- Want to connect based on real needs, not social capital
Audience types:
- Users (event attendees, connectors)
- Community builders (organizers, hosts)
- Contributors (builders, storytellers)
- Investors & partners (relationship-first believers)
4.2 Key Message Themes
- Connection through helping, not just networking
- One community across events, not starting over each time
- Mutual support for shared challenges and goals
- Built by and for the community
- Meet the right people, remember why they mattered
4.3 Voice & Tone Tips
- Speak like a human (skip jargon)
- Be clear before clever
- Ask good questions
- Empower, don’t preach
- Avoid performative hype
- Make it actionable
4.4 Messaging Variants
- Users: “Tired of awkward icebreakers or dead-end intros? Meetball helps you ask for help, offer it, and meet the right people.”
- Organizers: “You’ve created the space. Meetball helps your people find each other, and makes it easier for more people come to join events.”
- Contributors: “Meetball was built using Meetball. We’re an open startup where anyone can contribute, grow in the process, and share in the value created.”
- Investors: “We’re building a new kind of social infrastructure. It's relationship-first, community-powered, and designed to grow with intention.”
- Media: “In a world built on performance and noise, Meetball is helping people reconnect through real-world generosity, shared goals, and human-scale community.”
5. Stories We Tell
"Our stories aren’t just for marketing. They’re how we reflect the real people, values, and moments that shape Meetball."
5.1 Signature Story Types
- “It started with a question...” → real help stories
- “Meetball was built using Meetball.” → behind the scenes
- “I’ve never had that kind of conversation at an event before.” → surprising connections
- “From stranger to collaborator.” → partnership arcs
- “This space felt different.” → host/attendee reflections
5.2 Story Hooks & Openers
Try starting with:
- “I showed up not knowing what I needed, and then someone asked…”
- “All I did was write a question. That changed everything.”
- “I didn’t expect to find anyone who cared about…”
- “We met through Meetball. Now we…”
- “This wasn’t networking. It was something else.”
- “At first, I wasn’t sure what to say. Then someone said, ‘How can I help?’”
6. Community as Brand
6.1 Community Shapes Brand
"From the way people talk about us, to the features they build with us, to the stories they share — Meetball’s identity reflects the humans who co-create it."
6.2 Contribution is Identity
"We don’t just recognize contributions, we design for them. Whether someone adds a feature, hosts an event, answers a question, or shares a story, they shape how Meetball is seen, felt, and understood."
6.3 Guidelines, Not Rules
"Our brand strategy is a compass. We created it to help everyone move in the same direction, not to limit creativity, voice, or local nuance."
7. Brand Guidelines
Brand Guidelines /Visual Identity Documentation
Draft: Google Sheet (link to be added)