Distilling Clarity

When Sapphire Water Filtration came to us, their product range was strong, but their market perception wasn’t keeping up. Despite having a 30-year history, they found themselves overly reliant on a single retailer for most of their sales. Their reputation? Reliable but seen as budget-friendly—good, but not great in the eyes of their target customers. Competing against larger brands with better visibility, they knew they needed a shift.

This is where BlueOcean stepped in.

We started by asking the big questions: What sets Sapphire apart? How can we communicate that difference effectively? And most importantly, how do we show their customers the real value of what Sapphire has to offer?

The real breakthrough came when we sat down with a long-time regional retailer who had been recommending Sapphire for decades. That conversation unlocked the most valuable insight, shaping the direction of our strategy.

Sapphire’s products are high-quality, there’s no question about that. But with some competitors offering features like WiFi integration, we saw the real opportunity was in simplifying the message. Customers didn’t need bells and whistles—they needed clean water that was easy to access, easy to install, and affordable.

Rather than competing by adding unnecessary features, we repositioned Sapphire as the easy choice—not just the affordable one

With more than 10 years of steady market growth, we knew customers already wanted filtered water.  The market didn’t need educating on why filtered water was important—they were already convinced. So instead of focusing on educating the market, we highlighted the ease of installation and how Sapphire makes water filtration simple and accessible.

We quickly identified the core challenges:

• Heavy reliance on a single retailer left Sapphire vulnerable if that channel faltered.
• Perception as budget was holding them back, despite their high-quality, long-lasting products.
• Limited market presence meant customers weren’t aware of how simple and effective Sapphire’s solutions were for their homes and businesses.

Our next step was to reshape the narrative. We developed a brand message that spoke directly to the needs of Sapphire’s diverse customer base. Whether it was homeowners looking for easy-to-install solutions or plumbers needing reliable, hassle-free parts, we tailored messaging for each audience.

We built the story around three main pillars:

• Simplicity: Whether for tenants needing portable solutions or homeowners looking for full-house filtration, Sapphire’s products are easy to use and install.
• Health and Well-being: While we didn’t need to educate the market, we still emphasized that Sapphire’s products provide clean, healthy water every day.
• Eco-friendly Choices: By reducing plastic waste through reusable filters, Sapphire offered a smart choice for eco-conscious customers.

The new tagline was simple, confident, and relatable:Better water. Pure, and simple.

With a clear message in place, we got to work creating the tools Sapphire needed to break through the noise. First, we developed a sales toolkit designed to empower both retail staff and distributors. This included:

• A pitch deck for sales teams and distributors that laid out the key benefits of choosing Sapphire, to help retail staff confidently recommend Sapphire products to customers.
• Point-of-sale materials that made product features easy to understand and relate to, to aid in-store decision making.

But we didn’t stop with physical tools. We also updated Sapphire’s digital presence, aligning their website and social media with the new messaging to ensure consistency across all customer touchpoints.

The results were immediate and measurable:

• Diversified distribution channels: Sapphire expanded beyond their reliance on one major retailer, establishing relationships with new outlets and creating more stability in their sales pipeline.
• Improved brand perception: Customers began to see Sapphire for what it truly is—a leader in simple, high-quality water filtration. The perception of being "just a budget option" shifted to that of a brand delivering value and reliability without compromise.
• Empowered sales teams: With the new toolkit, retail staff were confident in recommending Sapphire, leading to increased in-store sales and better customer satisfaction.

As Phil and Hayley from Sapphire put it:
"BlueOcean took the time to truly understand our business and market, resulting in a brand transformation that’s helped us grow—both in sales and in how our customers perceive us. It’s been a partnership that’s made a real impact."

Sapphire’s success highlights an important truth: It’s not enough to have a great product—you need to communicate its value effectively. By aligning their messaging with what matters most to their customers, Sapphire was able to expand their market presence, change the conversation around their brand, and build a foundation for sustainable growth.

At BlueOcean, we believe that every business has a unique story to tell. If you’re ready to reshape how your market sees you, we’re here to help.