ENSURING GOOD PEOPLE DOING GREAT WORK GET WHAT THEY DESERVE

About
Clap Clap Creative

Clap Clap Creative is a branding studio in Toronto.

It’s run by me, Sam Boyer. I'm a brand strategist who builds positioning and messaging for consultancies. As a small founder-led studio, all clients work directly with me. That means no account managers, no hand-offs, no junior staff interpreting what you said. The heart of the Clap Clap Creative branding method comes from my journalism background: it starts with deep interrogative listening that pulls out what you already know about your company… but you’ve never quite been able to put into words.

Where the method comes from

For a decade as a reporter, I covered crime and investigations. Courts, prisons, cold calls and door-knocks. That changes the way you listen and process information. My stories were the kind where you often only have a few minutes with someone and a handful of questions to understand a life. Where finding the right angle could mean the difference between the front page lead or a brief mention on page seven.

When I crossed into brand work — via content marketing, digital, and social media — I noticed those deep interviewing skills transferred perfectly. Because the consultancy founder who can't explain their unique value isn't confused about it. They know what they do and why it matters. They've just never been asked the right questions in the right order. Sometimes, they just need to pressed. So, I ask those deeper questions. I was trained to.

Founders of consultancies are experts. But your expertise isn’t in describing your own value. You’re too deep in the work to name the subtleties that make you stand out. You need someone to sit across from you and pull out what's already there. That's what I do.

“How did you understand us so well?”

This is the question I hear most often, once we're done.

The firms I work with have usually tried to solve their positioning problem before they found me. They’ve tried AI. They may have briefed an agency. Possibly they’ve run internal workshops. And they’ve thrown something on their website that might sound nice, but doesn’t actually say anything.

The challenge with branding is that you have to identify the thing before you can say it clearly.

I come in from the outside. I don't know your industry the way you do. That's the point. My job is to notice what you’ve stopped noticing about yourself, and name it precisely. Then hand it back in language that works. You already know the things that make you special. You just stopped seeing it.

"I can now see the brand I've always known I was, but didn't know how to say." That’s what I’m here for.

40+

clients helped

5+

years in business

9

years as a journalist

75%

clients reengaged for subsequent projects

Working with me

Clap Clap Creative is a solo studio, more or less.

You work directly with me, Sam Boyer. That means you get my full attention on everything. When I take on a project, I plan the strategy, conduct the sessions, ask the questions, do all the writing. The expert thinking never gets delegated.

When a project needs specialist execution that’s outside my wheelhouse — a graphic designer, a photographer, a web developer — I bring in other founders and senior collaborators I've worked with and trust. They come for the work they excel at, working through me. I stay managing the project, so you have one point of contact and one point of accountability throughout.

I'm selective about how many engagements I take on. The work requires it.

What we believe

These principles govern everything we do: who we work with, the way we do things, and what we care about.

Cool people, cool stuff
[Be nice]

Life is too short for bad vibes and ego trips. We collaborate with cool people to create cool stuff. When we vibe with our clients, partners, and projects, the best of all of us shines through. Kindness is non-negotiable.

Tell it like it is
[Be honest]

If a client needs something, we say so. If they don’t, we say that too. We don’t push or sell anything that won’t make them better. Sometimes we need to be the bad guy — but we’re the experts, so we tell it like it is.

Stand the hell out
[Be bold]

Blending in gets you ignored. And it’s dull. So, be bold, be brave, be confident. Show personality, have fun, take risks, be yourself. Everyone else is playing safe, so be a badass. Because why the hell not.

Share your secrets
[Be generous]

We give our expertise and advice freely, without holding back. And we encourage our clients to be generous too — with their personality, perspective, and culture. Sharing what makes you special is what sets you apart.

Back the underdog
[Be a champion]

We fight for the little guys. The ones who care. Those with strong ethics, relentless drive, and exceptional work. The big firms aren’t the answer. We help the underdog win, because they deserve their success.

What our clients say

"Your insights and messaging were on point, inspirational, and reflected our character and marketing objectives. Your background in journalism was evident in your processing, interpreting and presenting of information."

Jablonsky, Ast and Partners. One of Ontario's largest structural engineering consultancies.
Delivered complete verbal brand, visual brand, content strategy, brand collateral, new website.
"Sam asked the right questions to develop a deep understanding of our business and our goals. He’s able to take different voices and different viewpoints and synthesize it all into a unified brand message."

One Core Media. A performance marketing agency with offices in North America and Europe.
Delivered complete verbal identity, brand architecture, new website.
"Sam helped us translate our complex and overly technical way of describing our work into words that others could easily understand. Years later, we still use this language in our pitches to new clients."

Creative Futures. A futures-focused design consultancy for emerging challenges.
Brand voice updates, content audit, messaging + positioning, website content.