Case Study at a Glance
COMPANY DESCRIPTION
Noom is a subscription-based program used to track food intake and exercise habits
COMPANY LOCATION
New York, NY
why ben
Extensive roster of relationships with influencers in lifestyle, health, fitness, wellness and motherhood verticals
AI-backed performance predictions
the blueprint
Pivot from the success of a performance-driven campaign to an awareness campaign that increased customer lifetime value
the platforms
YouTube, Instagram, Facebook
Dieting Doesn’t Sell on Social
Weight is just a number, but a healthy routine is a lifestyle. That’s why Noom built its subscription-based program around helping users make small behavioral changes that eventually add up to big transformations. Noom users track food and exercise patterns to gain insight into their habits, eventually making better choices for their bodies based on a customized program. But unlike some of its competitors, the company doesn’t encourage dieting—a key differentiator Noom wanted to capture through influencer marketing.
Given BEN’s long roster of relationships with lifestyle and fitness creators, Noom selected it as a partner for a campaign aimed at directly driving sign-ups for Noom. But, over time—and in spite of the impressive conversions earned—BEN saw an opportunity to increase customers’ lifetime value by pivoting away from conversations (namely sign-ups) and recentering the campaign on raising awareness about Noom.
When it Comes to Lifestyle Changes,
Patience Matters
To bring the initial performance-driven campaign to life back in October 2020, BEN leveraged its relationships with existing creators and tapped into its artificial intelligence platform to identify the best influencers for Noom across different demographics, including fitness and beauty influencers, health experts, and new moms defining their postpartum workout routines.
Over the next few months, conversions were in line with what BEN’s artificial intelligence tools predicted, thanks to YouTube videos and Instagram stories from creators like heyitsfeiii, Ashley Nicole, and top performer from past campaigns, KKandbabyJ. But, by May 2021, signs-up began to taper off, likely because consumers were becoming increasingly overwhelmed by (and therefore skeptical of) the growing volume of content around weight loss on social media. That’s when BEN recognized an opportunity to reinvigorate the campaign.
BEN predicted that shifting the campaign to be more informative (rather than sign-up driven) would increase brand affinity by better showing users how the program could transform their lives before pushing them to sign up. This too would ultimately drive conversions, but much more indirectly and gradually.
By focusing on raising awareness, BEN helped Noom demonstrate an understanding of a key concept in lifestyle marketing: users have to envision their transformational journey before they set out on it. One example of this nuanced difference? While heyitsfeiii’s YouTube video from December 2020 walked viewers through the Noom app and how it worked, ultimately urging them to sign up, her May video told a personal story of how Noom helped her achieve her own wellness goals.
Increasing Customer Value Through Awareness
Taking a more educational and information-sharing approach resonated with consumers. For example, heyitsfeiii’s awareness focused video reached 150,000 viewers, outperforming her December product-focused video by nearly 30,000 views. However, one of the most successful pieces of content came from Alisha Marie, whose video drove more than 1.5 million views alone.
Over the course of eight months, influencer content from the entire campaign drove 5.5 million views from more than 90 small and mid-size creators. More importantly for Noom, however, the entire two-part campaign drove 90% lifetime value from signups, surpassing an average of 70% from signups generated through in-house influencer marketing campaigns. At peak conversion rate, BEN was driving about 3,000 signups per month.
For Noom, the collaboration was a success that exceeded its expectations, thanks to BEN’s adaptability and forward-thinking.
5.5M
TOTAL VIEWS
3,000
SIGNUPS PER MONTH AT
PEAK CONVERSION RATE
90%
LTV FROM SIGNUPS, COMPARED
TO AN AVERAGE OF 70% FROM
IN-HOUSE CAMPAIGNS
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