The Challenge

When 143 million people, that’s 40% of the population, experienced a breach of privacy, it dominated the media landscape. This was the case of the now infamous Equifax data breach. Stemming from the fallout, IdentityForce, a family-owned SMB and identity theft protection software provider, recognized that millions of Americans were suddenly concerned with protecting their personal information.

The Work

Together, we pivoted from our ongoing brand-building efforts and developed a crisis response strategy driven by the market need: to educate the public on effectively safeguarding themselves and their businesses from identity theft. We created a five-point action plan that articulated clear steps to help consumers and businesses protect their personal information in reaction to the Equifax data breach. We then launched an aggressive executive thought leadership campaign supported by media relations, content creation, and social media.

The Impact

Our ongoing efforts, in conjunction with this crisis response campaign, helped establish IdentityForce as a key player in the identity theft protection space. Within the first three weeks of this campaign, IdentityForce earned 19 high-profile media placements and increased Twitter impressions by 730% and Twitter follower acquisition by 62%, resulting in increased brand awareness and executive thought leadership. Soon after, IdentityForce was acquired by EZShield, and Moxie + Mettle was retained to support the combined companies that operated under the brand Sontiq. In 2021, TransUnion acquired Sontiq for $638 million.