CASE STUDY · CALA SYSTEMS
This is a story about making people actually covet a water heater.
I N D U S T R Y
Climate Technology · B2C / B2BS C O P E
Brand CreationD E L I V E R E D
Company & Product Naming · Strategic Positioning · Messaging Framework · Brand Identity & Design System
Website & Landing Pages · Mobile App UX/UI Design · Social Series · Document TemplatesTHE CHALLENGE
Nobody thinks about a water heater…until it breaks.
Cala had built a genuinely smarter water heater. One that learns a household's routine, plans ahead, and is much more effective for your bills and the environment. But they were launching a complex product into a category full of different needs, drivers, and audiences.
On one hand, most people search for any water heater in an urgent frenzy. On the other hand, their main retail partners look prioritize completely different things.
With no name, a revolutionary product, and a launch on the calendar, we needed to tell a clear, compelling, and genuinely resonant brand story for both B2C and B2B audiences.
THE SOLUTION
So we built a brand you get excited about welcoming home.
We built Cala from the ground up. The name, the identity, the messaging, the website, the way the brand speaks to a homeowner versus a contractor. One idea holds it together: Feel-Good Warmth.
Comfort you don't have to think about, running on intelligence that just makes sense. For you, your family, your lifestyle, and the environment.
BEFORE AND AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER$13.7M
Raised across two rounds since launch
Hundreds
Reservations in the two quarters after brand launch
46
States Cala now ships to
We iterated through possible names, all rooted in directions the founders were most compelled by. We ultimately went live with Cala, a word for a small bay or cove in Spanish and Italian, because it evokes the warmth, calm and comfort that their product delivers. Easy to say, easy to remember, easy to picture in your home.
Finding the name
Cala for consumers. Cala Systems for installers. Homeowners buy comfort. Contractors buy confidence and technical reliability.
Through a strategic messaging framework, we fanned out to speak to both audiences, but all under the same brand umbrella. Same brand, two registers, no compromise on either.
A tale of two audiences.
We made the most ignored household appliance worth showing off.
That meant carrying the brand all the way into the product. We worked alongside Cala's team on the app experience, making sure the interface spoke the same language as everything else. Clear enough that a homeowner sees what Cala's doing and why, without learning a thing about heat pumps.
MICHAEL RIGNEY
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
I interviewed three agencies and received price proposals from each. Meli was cost-competitive, but I ultimately selected her because of her consistent ability to identify and communicate powerful human emotions—something we were specifically looking for.
Meli delivered beyond my expectations, creating a foundation we believe will support a decade of company growth. She has an exceptional ability to absorb information and respond with creative, on-point solutions, all while effectively communicating with non-experts. She’s patient, determined, and always willing to put in the hard work, even through multiple revisions—naming and website design in particular stood out.
Her high standards and grit make her one of the best service providers I’ve ever worked with, and I’d partner with her again in a heartbeat.
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