Break Hearts, Not Parts

Hadrian - Break Hearts - Make Parts

1. Brand Overview

Who They Are

Hadrian is a U.S.-based advanced manufacturing company building the modern industrial base by automating precision parts production for aerospace and defense. Positioned at the intersection of software and machining, Hadrian accelerates new product introduction (NPI) by offering a vertically integrated, API-driven platform that replaces outdated supplier networks. With a tone that’s bold, fast-moving, and unapologetically mission-driven, Hadrian is redefining how America builds.

Business Objective

The goals of this campaign would be to generate qualified leads from aerospace, defense, and space startups, OEMs, and other Tier 1 suppliers. It would also educate the market on Hadrian's ability to accelerate NPI timelines, increase brand awareness among decision makers, increase demo signups, and secure partnerships with primes or quality contractors that can scale with Hadrian’s production infrastructure. 

2. The Challenge

Problem

Despite offering a revolutionary approach to manufacturing, Hadrian is misunderstood by much of its target audience due to outdated perceptions. Hadrian combines advanced automation with a vertically integrated and software first platform that enables them to accelerate new product introduction and help companies iterate faster in critical sectors. Many decision makers aren’t fully grasping the full extent of Hadrian’s innovation, causing missed opportunities with more friction within the buying journey. Until customers are fully educated, Hadrian will be left out of the early state, strategic conversations where value is being created.

Why It Matters

If Hadrian doesn’t correct this perception gap, they risk becoming a donut or being boxed into the legacy supplier category rather than an innovative partner. That positioning would hurt lead quality, elongate sales cycles, and limit enterprise adoption. This could make Hadrian miss the opportunity to define its category as aerospace and defense companies race to modernize their supply chains. The U.S. industrial industry is in urgent need of modernization, and the demand for faster, more interactive product development has never been higher. Hadrian isn’t just selling parts; they are rebuilding infrastructure 

3. Audience

Who They Are

Hadrian’s target market consists of builders, engineering leads, supply chain managers, CTOs, and founders within the aerospace, defense, and high growth hardware startups. These people are mission-driven, obsessed with speed, precision, and building things that last. They read whitepapers, listen to long-form informative content, and spend time in niche chats. Not swayed by glossy marketing, they look for operational excellence, technical transparency, and signs that the vendor gets it. They want innovation only if it reduces friction. They live in a world with tight timelines, impossible specs, and hardware that can’t fail. They’re not just evaluating machines; they’re evaluating momentum, trust, and whether you are going to help them make the impossible real. 

What They Want

This segment wants momentum, not just fast parts but fewer bottlenecks, more certainty, and the ability to iterate quickly without compromise. They want partners who enable them to operate fast, not just manufacturing capacity. At a deeper level, they are buying confidence. Confidence in timelines and ability to ensure part provides can keep up. They want a partner who moves like they do: fast, focused, and all in. 

4. Insight

Core Human Truth

The people shaping the future live in fear that their ideas will never see the light of day, not because the technology isn’t viable but because the manufacturing pipeline is broken. They have seen too many innovations get stalled due to supplier delays, slow timelines, and outdated workflows. They need to work fast, with missions depending on momentum. Any delay could threaten the companies' outflows. These customers don’t just want a vendor, they want a partner that gets the stakes and shares the obsession with speed, precision, and iteration. 

Supporting Signals

Startup CTOs praise manufacturers who move like engineers, not salespeople. Founders are tweeting factory tours like product drops, and engineers are posting teardown threads of failed prototypes. Momentum isn’t just nice to have but a metric that defines who will be a future player. Substacks like Second Best and Not Boring are lionizing the new industrialists, supporting companies that are aligned with the rebuilding America’s Manufacturing thesis with speed and conviction. 

5. Strategy

Strategic Platform

Manufacturing the Future - Accelerating Advanced Manufacturing - Build With Us - Innovate Faster - Iterate Faster and Innovate Freely - Removing NPI Barriers - Break Hearts, Not Parts - Break Hearts, Make Parts 

Hadrian isn’t just a manufacturer; it's a momentum machine. Our goal is to position Hadrian as one of (or only) the partners that engineers, founders, and defence innovators can trust to build. Moving fast when it matters most. 

Strategic Rationale

Some companies may currently view Hadrian as only a vendor and not a transformative force in their supply chain. They don’t just want a vendor, they want a partner who is mission driven and speed/quality-obsessed and who will join them in the trenches. This strategy bridges emotional insight with business objectives, creating high-stakes connections while differentiating the brand in a market full of slow-moving, transactional players. 

6. Campaign Expression

Tagline or Headline

Manufacturing the Future - Accelerating Advanced Manufacturing - Build With Us - Innovate Faster - Iterate Faster and Innovate Freely - Removing NPI Barriers - Break Hearts, Not Parts - Break Hearts, Make Parts 

Key Message

The goal is to make target customers think that Hadrian is the manufacturing partner they dream about. One that speaks their language, shares their mission, and enables innovation instead of slowing it down. We want them to look at Hadrian in their sourcing. Momentum starts with the right partner, and that partner is Hadrian. 

Creative Executions

• OOH - Billboard and magazine ads in relevant areas. Where potential customers are.

• Video Content - Break Hearts, Not Parts video series, short to mid form content of engineers/founders sharing stories of innovation that was nearly killed by slow suppliers. Build With Us: Invite only factory tours for media, partners, and top-tier prospects filmed with Hadrian leadership to showcase the speed, software, and scale in action. “Behind the Scenes” content.

• Written Content - written blogs by trusted people within the technology community. Founder led writing posts, medium to long-form writing coming from the leadership team within the company. Customer success stories, short-form written cases written by customers or engineers who accelerated development with Hadrian.

7. Success Metrics

• Increase Qualified leads for the Atlas program

• Brand awareness/perception shift

• Accelerate sales cycle

• New strategy partnerships with primes, defense contractors, and tier one companies doing big things