Most of us have similar thoughts on Musk renaming Twitter to X: It’s a self-inflicted mortal wound that tosses a globally recognized name and verb (tweet) out the window. There’s absolutely no long-term value in altering a name, logo and trademark that nearly everyone with a smartphone recognizes. It’s a short-sighted move and a lesson in what not to do with your brand.
Luckily you can’t destroy your brand like Twitter if you’re a startup. That’s because no one has heard of your company. But, there are missteps that can make your branding path more difficult. Over the years, I’ve heard many CEOs, entrepreneurs and CMOs turn down media opportunities because they thought the news organization was too small. In some cases, they criticized the news website design.
Back in 2016, the weight loss program Noom had little national name recognition despite being popular with consumers. However, the media tide shifted when MACIAS PR took over their publicity after their previous PR agency failed to deliver.
This case study delves into how MACIAS PR successfully elevated Noom’s presence in the media as a digital health coach.
From the start, our team faced challenges, including the need to differentiate Noom in a crowded weight loss market. Mark Macias, the founder, devised a comprehensive strategy outlining the stories to be told and the media outlets to target.
Within the first month of collaboration, MACIAS PR secured a story with CBS News, highlighting how Noom’s mobile app helped pre-diabetics and diabetics manage their conditions. Over the next three years, this success was followed by hundreds of stories appearing on various major platforms, including NBC Today Show, People Magazine, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, CNBC, PIX 11 in NYC, CNN, Fortune, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur, New York Post, and more.
MACIAS PR also helped expand Noom’s reach with Spanish consumers by placing stories with Telemundo and Univision.
B2B and B2C Media Campaign
Besides the B2C focus, Noom also had a B2B service targeting HR and providers. MACIAS PR developed a tailored B2B strategy that secured features in outlets like MobiHealthNews, The American Journal of Managed Care, Fierce Biotech, FW Pharma, Med City News, among others. All of these stories emphasized how Noom as an employee benefit was saving the companies money from a health care spend perspective.
Measurable Results from Media and Branding Campaign
In 2018 and 2019, Google named Noom one of the top-trending diet terms in their annual “Year in Search Report.” This increased search exposure was a direct result of our media coverage.
Fast Company Magazine also recognized Noom as one of the Interbrand Breakthrough Brands in 2017. Most notable, Noom did not have a Chief Marketing Officer during the entire time we worked together. Our media and branding strategy came from our time working directly with the founders.
Media Exposure Helps with Fundraising
Our media campaign also helped support Noom’s fundraising goals. MACIAS PR conceptualized angles that resonated with reporters and investors, showcasing the digital health company as a top disruptor in health tech.
Despite the challenges of obtaining media coverage for investment rounds, MACIAS PR successfully navigated and ensured Noom received extensive and positive exposure. Our PR team secured media coverage for Noom’s $58 million investment round with outlets like TechCrunch, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and AlleyWatch in 2019.
Media Trained Founders and Spokespeople
Throughout the partnership, Mark Macias media trained the C-suite for all media interviews.
For a more detailed case study, please reach out to us. We can share a more in-depth case study that reveals even more successes from our 3+ year relationship with Noom. You can also get a PR estimate by clicking here.
Finance Monthly and ACQ5 5 – an international industry award – named MACIAS PR the 2017-2020 Strategic PR Firm of the Year, and PR Firm of the Year. This was the third year in a row that Finance Monthly recognized our firm. The founder – Mark Macias – is a former Executive Producer with NBC and Senior Producer with CBS in New York. He is also a PR contributor with Entrepreneur and Forbes, providing media analysis, insight and crisis advice on timely business topics.
Every brand wants to be in the New York Times or on Good Morning America but sometimes those aren’t the best news outlets for your targeted exposure.
I wrote an article for Entrepreneur recently that explores when smaller news outlets might bring more targeted exposure. You can read that story here.
Many times, clients will suggest we turn down a smaller publication because they have their hearts set on these larger news organizations. If you’re a startup, you should be accepting all media opportunities — big and small. Your story hasn’t been told as a startup and every media opportunity is a chance to scale your brand. These news stories also help your website with SEO.
Business owners always ask me how can they measure the ROI of PR. The question inspired a recent thought leadership article I wrote for Forbes, which you can read here.
Contrary to what many business owners and entrepreneurs think, you can measure an effective PR campaign. Here are 5 approaches that I broke down in my Forbes article. You can read that article if you’d like to hear more in-depth on these approaches.
