Executive Summary
A mid-sized health and wellness company partnered with Brief to address a clear challenge: despite offering industry-leading products and an authentic founder story, the brand remained underrecognized outside a niche community of loyalists. Competitors with larger budgets and broader narratives were dominating the wellness conversation, leaving the client sidelined in both media and retail channels. "Each month of limited visibility costs us money in unrealized revenue," the CEO shared. "Retail expansion was also stalled because partners questioned our ability to drive demand.” Through a communications transformation grounded in narrative strategy, we elevated the brand’s philosophy, positioned the founder as a credible voice in the wellness space, and created a simplified media ecosystem that invited participation from customers, partners, and cultural leaders. The result was a measurable shift in awareness, engagement, and sales—driven not by traditional promotion, but by story-led credibility.
A mid-sized health and wellness company partnered with Brief to address a clear challenge: despite offering industry-leading products and an authentic founder story, the brand remained underrecognized outside a niche community of loyalists. Competitors with larger budgets and broader narratives were dominating the wellness conversation, leaving the client sidelined in both media and retail channels. "Each month of limited visibility costs us money in unrealized revenue," the CEO shared. "Retail expansion was also stalled because partners questioned our ability to drive demand.” Through a communications transformation grounded in narrative strategy, we elevated the brand’s philosophy, positioned the founder as a credible voice in the wellness space, and created a simplified media ecosystem that invited participation from customers, partners, and cultural leaders. The result was a measurable shift in awareness, engagement, and sales—driven not by traditional promotion, but by story-led credibility.
The Opportunity
Innovation without amplification
The client faced limited brand awareness outside their existing customer base, with only 12% recognition among their target demographic. They were dominated by larger competitors with 10-20x their marketing budget. Media coverage focused almost exclusively on product reviews rather than brand story or mission. The absence of a cohesive narrative connecting their various product categories created confusion among consumers and retailers. They struggled to differentiate in a crowded wellness marketplace where hundreds of brands competed for consumer attention. Securing top-tier media placements beyond specialized industry publications proved particularly difficult. The founder possessed a compelling personal story but limited public profile and speaking experience. This untapped resource represented a significant opportunity for authentic brand storytelling.
The Opportunity
Innovation without amplification
The client faced limited brand awareness outside their existing customer base, with only 12% recognition among their target demographic. They were dominated by larger competitors with 10-20x their marketing budget. Media coverage focused almost exclusively on product reviews rather than brand story or mission. The absence of a cohesive narrative connecting their various product categories created confusion among consumers and retailers. They struggled to differentiate in a crowded wellness marketplace where hundreds of brands competed for consumer attention. Securing top-tier media placements beyond specialized industry publications proved particularly difficult. The founder possessed a compelling personal story but limited public profile and speaking experience. This untapped resource represented a significant opportunity for authentic brand storytelling.
Our Approach
We implemented Brief's proprietary Momentum Analytics™ approach to uncover the brand's most compelling narratives. Through interviews with 75+ community members, analysis of 5,000+ customer reviews, and in-depth founder story sessions, we discovered something remarkable: the brand’s real differentiator wasn’t its products—it was its worldview. Customers were subscribing to a lifestyle philosophy rooted in moderation, intentionality, and balanced living that rejected extremes in favor of sustainable wellbeing. We reframed the narrative around a new platform: Intentional Balance. This idea challenged both the high-performance extremism common in wellness and the superficiality of trend-based competitors. It positioned the brand not as a product line, but as a practical counterculture—one that could be led by the founder, but voiced and reinforced through its growing community.
Our Approach
We implemented Brief's proprietary Momentum Analytics™ approach to uncover the brand's most compelling narratives. Through interviews with 75+ community members, analysis of 5,000+ customer reviews, and in-depth founder story sessions, we discovered something remarkable: the brand’s real differentiator wasn’t its products—it was its worldview. Customers were subscribing to a lifestyle philosophy rooted in moderation, intentionality, and balanced living that rejected extremes in favor of sustainable wellbeing. We reframed the narrative around a new platform: Intentional Balance. This idea challenged both the high-performance extremism common in wellness and the superficiality of trend-based competitors. It positioned the brand not as a product line, but as a practical counterculture—one that could be led by the founder, but voiced and reinforced through its growing community.
The Solution
Reframing the narrative through a focused, integrated rollout
Over the course of five weeks, we worked alongside the client's marketing team to reshape their communications strategy using our Strategic Narrative Framework — a methodology designed to translate business intent into cohesive, story-driven messaging. "We selected one area for immediate traction: redefining how the company expressed its core value proposition," said Brief's Head of Strategy. "The brand had all the raw material. Our job was to help it speak its own language — clearly, confidently, and at scale." A critical strategic decision emerged early in our process. While the brand had multiple audience segments, we chose to focus our initial narrative deployment on health-conscious professionals aged 35-50 — a group our analysis showed was both underserved by existing offerings and highly receptive to the balance-focused approach. This targeted strategy allowed for more efficient resource allocation and created a foundation for expansion to adjacent segments.
The Solution
Reframing the narrative through a focused, integrated rollout
Over the course of five weeks, we worked alongside the client's marketing team to reshape their communications strategy using our Strategic Narrative Framework — a methodology designed to translate business intent into cohesive, story-driven messaging. "We selected one area for immediate traction: redefining how the company expressed its core value proposition," said Brief's Head of Strategy. "The brand had all the raw material. Our job was to help it speak its own language — clearly, confidently, and at scale." A critical strategic decision emerged early in our process. While the brand had multiple audience segments, we chose to focus our initial narrative deployment on health-conscious professionals aged 35-50 — a group our analysis showed was both underserved by existing offerings and highly receptive to the balance-focused approach. This targeted strategy allowed for more efficient resource allocation and created a foundation for expansion to adjacent segments.
The Methodology
Building sustained credibility through narrative discipline
We launched with a tiered media strategy, deliberately bypassing traditional wellness press in favor of cultural and lifestyle outlets that matched the new positioning. We secured regular contributor roles for the founder, supported by a myth-busting editorial series that challenged industry assumptions with nuance and data. Strategic partnerships extended the narrative into new verticals—from mental health nonprofits to art institutions—allowing the brand to show up in contexts that felt unexpected but credible. A landmark research initiative on changing attitudes toward health and balance served as a central proof point, generating a major wave of earned media. Influencer strategy focused on resonance over reach—curating a network of micro-advocates who lived the brand philosophy and extended its relevance across diverse communities. This engagement actually helped refine our own methodology as well. The unique challenges of a wellness brand competing against larger, more established players led us to develop an enhanced competitive positioning module within our Strategic Narrative Framework — a component we've since successfully implemented with clients across multiple sectors.
The Methodology
Building sustained credibility through narrative discipline
We launched with a tiered media strategy, deliberately bypassing traditional wellness press in favor of cultural and lifestyle outlets that matched the new positioning. We secured regular contributor roles for the founder, supported by a myth-busting editorial series that challenged industry assumptions with nuance and data. Strategic partnerships extended the narrative into new verticals—from mental health nonprofits to art institutions—allowing the brand to show up in contexts that felt unexpected but credible. A landmark research initiative on changing attitudes toward health and balance served as a central proof point, generating a major wave of earned media. Influencer strategy focused on resonance over reach—curating a network of micro-advocates who lived the brand philosophy and extended its relevance across diverse communities. This engagement actually helped refine our own methodology as well. The unique challenges of a wellness brand competing against larger, more established players led us to develop an enhanced competitive positioning module within our Strategic Narrative Framework — a component we've since successfully implemented with clients across multiple sectors.
The Results
As illustrated in our impact timeline, these improvements followed a clear sequence: better market positioning led to enhanced media presence, which built credibility with retail partners, ultimately driving both direct and retail sales growth in parallel channels.
Brand awareness saw remarkable growth from 12% to 38% among target audiences within 18 months, creating a foundation for sustained growth. Community building efforts yielded impressive results, with social following growing by 430%. Notably, 78% of new followers came from outside the traditional wellness audience, significantly expanding the brand's reach into valuable new market segments. Thought leadership became a cornerstone of our strategy. The founder emerged as a go-to expert in the industry, participating in more than 25 speaking engagements and making 15 broadcast appearances. These opportunities positioned both the founder and brand as authoritative voices in the space. Consumer demand responded accordingly, with direct-to-consumer sales increasing by 165%. At the same time, we reduced customer acquisition costs by 28%, creating a more efficient path to growth and profitability. Most significantly, the company's market position transformed from product manufacturer to thought leader in the "Intentional Balance" approach, carving out a distinctive category in a wellness space typically dominated by extreme methodologies.
The Results
As illustrated in our impact timeline, these improvements followed a clear sequence: better market positioning led to enhanced media presence, which built credibility with retail partners, ultimately driving both direct and retail sales growth in parallel channels.
Brand awareness saw remarkable growth from 12% to 38% among target audiences within 18 months, creating a foundation for sustained growth. Community building efforts yielded impressive results, with social following growing by 430%. Notably, 78% of new followers came from outside the traditional wellness audience, significantly expanding the brand's reach into valuable new market segments. Thought leadership became a cornerstone of our strategy. The founder emerged as a go-to expert in the industry, participating in more than 25 speaking engagements and making 15 broadcast appearances. These opportunities positioned both the founder and brand as authoritative voices in the space. Consumer demand responded accordingly, with direct-to-consumer sales increasing by 165%. At the same time, we reduced customer acquisition costs by 28%, creating a more efficient path to growth and profitability. Most significantly, the company's market position transformed from product manufacturer to thought leader in the "Intentional Balance" approach, carving out a distinctive category in a wellness space typically dominated by extreme methodologies.
The Impact
A communications program that redefined category leadership
Media coverage expanded by 295% with 62% of placements in previously inaccessible publications. This directly supported retail expansion, resulting in distribution agreements with two national retailers previously unwilling to carry the brand. For example, a feature article in a business publication led directly to a retail partnership worth $1.8 million in annual revenue. The company's executive team traces this opportunity directly to the narrative repositioning. The communications strategy freed the marketing team from continuous content creation, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives. Staff reported spending 40% less time on routine content while producing materials that performed 3.4x better by engagement metrics.
"This approach fundamentally changed our market trajectory," says the CEO. "Each component of the communications strategy connected directly to business outcomes, ultimately positioning us for acquisition at a 4.2x revenue multiple, significantly above industry average."
The Impact
A communications program that redefined category leadership
Media coverage expanded by 295% with 62% of placements in previously inaccessible publications. This directly supported retail expansion, resulting in distribution agreements with two national retailers previously unwilling to carry the brand. For example, a feature article in a business publication led directly to a retail partnership worth $1.8 million in annual revenue. The company's executive team traces this opportunity directly to the narrative repositioning. The communications strategy freed the marketing team from continuous content creation, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives. Staff reported spending 40% less time on routine content while producing materials that performed 3.4x better by engagement metrics.
"This approach fundamentally changed our market trajectory," says the CEO. "Each component of the communications strategy connected directly to business outcomes, ultimately positioning us for acquisition at a 4.2x revenue multiple, significantly above industry average."
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Brand Partnerships
Consumer Behavior
Brand Collaboration [36-Hour Sellout] | Brief® Case Study
CASE STUDY: How our luxury brand collaboration between fashion and automotive partners sold out in 36 hours and commanded 280% resale premiums.
Latest projects
PR & Communications
Crisis Communications
PR Crisis Management [94% Trust Restored] | Brief® Case Study
CASE STUDY: Our "Measured Response with Context" methodology navigated severe allegations, restoring 94% trust and boosting competitive win rates by 35%.
Brand Partnerships
Consumer Behavior
Brand Collaboration [36-Hour Sellout] | Brief® Case Study
CASE STUDY: How our luxury brand collaboration between fashion and automotive partners sold out in 36 hours and commanded 280% resale premiums.