Company: Krupp Kommunications, New York, NY
Company Description: Krupp Kommunications, Inc (K2) is an award-winning integrated public relations and marketing agency based in New York City that specializes in brand development for lifestyle, fashion, entertainment, finance, nonprofit and publishing clients. With a mission of building brands that enrich lives, K2 works with clients to create customized, strategic campaigns that deliver extraordinary results.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Marketing - Consumer Products

Nomination Title: MELT – March 2015

Tell the story about this nominated campaign since January 1, 2014 (up to 650 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms.

Genesis

Over a decade ago, Sue Hitzmann was on top of the fitness world. She headlined a top-selling Boot Camp video for Crunch.  She was on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine. But there was a dark secret that was haunting her.

The current paradigm in the fitness industry has most people, including Sue at that time, experiencing chronic pain.

Turning from fitness to manual therapy, Hitzmann discovered that hydrating connective tissue with a light touch effectively relieved her own pain. Thereafter the MELT Method® was born.

Krupp Kommunications helped architect the story and created a brand around Sue and MELT.  Today the MELT Method is a growing multimillion dollar enterprise with a New York Times bestseller published in eight languages, with over 1,000 global credentialed practitioners.

Development

Communicating the science behind MELT is challenging given its complexity. Consumers want to know how to live pain-free, look better and younger, and feel better after working out, so engaging them in these aspects of MELT, allows them to understand and benefit from this revolutionary self-treatment program.

K2 developed the brand story that led to key placements such as “The Dr. Oz Show,” which effectively launched the business to consumers.  The challenge in 2014 was to sustain media interest that would continue to grow the reach of the brand. K2 worked to achieve this by:

• Building recognition for Sue as an authority on fascia science and chronic pain
• Generating interest for the growing MELT product line to drive revenue
• Creating compelling native content across multiple media channels to advance the brand and engage consumers
• Combine digital marketing optimization with overall media relations allowing the synergy to both better inform and more deeply engage audiences in the brand’s powerful message and drive top line sales

K2 assisted in development of a MELT DVD product collection, which demonstrates how MELT works.  Simultaneously, K2 drove traffic to the website through strategic SEO, SEM and social media marketing with branded content as the mechanism for driving effective engagement throughout.  Media relations and digital marketing worked in harmony, with content serving as the fuel to extend reach through organic and paid search, as well as social media sharing.

Execution

K2 arranged for Hitzmann to meet one-on-one with top editors and producers to experience MELTing first hand, and utilized the DVDs to share MELT and the process with media and consumers resulting in:

• A 10-minute segment  on “The Rachael Ray Show” to tout “3 Ways to Get Rid of Cellulite By Summer,” featuring TV stars Kim Whitley and Emily Osment of “Young & Hungry”
• An extensive segment on “Nightline” telling the story of Marisa Merliss, who used MELT to get out of pain after years of trauma her body suffered during her career in dance and fitness
• A “Good Morning America” Heat Index segment driving home the core sales message of MELT
• New York Times Urban Athlete columnist Julia Lawlor wrote the MELT experience, delivering a vivid description of the transformative changes one can feel, and telling the narrative of Hitzmann’s personal journey

Rounding out the MELT coverage were articles in Shape, Woman’s Day, Prevention and Examiner.com, leading consumers directly to MeltMethod.com, driving exposure and sales.

Results to date

In only the first four months of 2015 there have already been more than $1MM in incremental sales. In conjunction with live events, using media relations as the chief sales and marketing strategy, K2 helped the MELT Method increase its reach and sales, establishing a foundation to help millions of people live pain free.

In bullet-list form, briefly summarize up to ten (10) of the chief features and results of this nominated PR program since the beginning of 2014 (up to 150 words).

• Achieved more than $1MM in incremental sales in just the first four months of 2015
• Garnered more than 60 million impressions in 2014
• Combined digital and traditional marketing channels generating expanded consumer interest and sales of the MELT products
• Developed creative, consumer-friendly pitches to position Sue Hitzmann as the go-to expert and authority on fascia science and chronic pain through national media placements
• Expanded the brand’s reach and exposure across digital channels online, both with bloggers and affiliates
• Leveraged local MELT instructors for regional media opportunities to create an authenticity about the brand and demonstrate the opportunity to become a MELT instructor, helping to grow MELT’s over 1,000 active practitioner-base.