The Unicorn from Munich - Big Plans, Big Publicity
Challenge
After a change in CEO, Munich-based identity-as-a-service provider IDnow seized the opportunity to increase brand awareness and progress from being perceived as a start-up amongst relevant target groups. The goal was to be positioned as a “unicorn.” To achieve this, the company aimed to be visible in the business press and generate attention for the new round of investment.
The initial situation was challenging: many media were reporting on identity fraud when opening bank accounts during the campaign period. Public opinion was therefore rather skeptical, and while the problem was in the public spotlight, solution providers had a hard time positioning themselves. Against this backdrop, IDnow wanted to gain maximum attention, especially in business and start-up media, in order to further strengthen its own profile.
Approach
To give the new CEO announcement a greater impact, TEAM LEWIS evolved the story from a personnel announcement to a three-stage strategy story:
– The return of the founders and new CEO
– Announcement of new corporate mission
– Outlook on future products and services
Preliminary interviews with key business journalists allowed the IDnow founders to provide their personal perspective. Afterwards, TEAM LEWIS ensured a broad distribution of the topic to relevant vertical media on branch-specific aspects. In addition, a recent security report was distributed to reinforce the relevance of the topic.
Results
– Six interviews with leading key media in advance: FAZ, Handelsblatt, SZ, Gründerszene, Die Welt, Wirtschaftswoche Gründer
– Positive coverage in all relevant business and start-up media
– 75 clippings and 2,434,851,903 page impressions within four months in the defined industry media
– Organization of a speaker slot at the Banking & Insurance Summit