Kirkland-based Northwest Weight Loss Surgery (NWWLS) is helping to curb the growing obesity epidemic by providing the Lap Band procedure, a minimally invasive weight loss surgery. The adjustable Lap Band ring is placed around the top part of the stomach, reducing its size, making patients feel full after eating a small amount. The procedure is adjustable, reversible and seven to ten times safer than other forms of bariatric surgery. NWWLS contracted PRR to develop a marketing campaign that would establish an overall brand for the company. The campaign goals were to educate the public on the benefits of Lap Band surgery and brand the clinic and its doctors as experts in the field of bariatric surgery.

PRR worked with NWWLS to create a comprehensive marketing and media relations plan to define a consistent clinic brand; position NWWLS doctors as experts in bariatric surgery; and garner media coverage to educate the public on Lap Band surgery as a safer alternative. PRR reviewed the NWWLS website for content and clarity; redesigned promotional materials to better communicate the NWWLS mission and brand; and negotiated media buys with outlets that would best reach the target audience. PRR also pitched stories to select local and national media. Media messages focused on the growing epidemic of obesity; the Lap Band procedure as a safer alternative; and stories of individuals who have undergone dramatic physical and emotional changes as a result of the surgery. Marketing efforts resulted in a revamped website, a new promotional pamphlet, and numerous strategically placed media buys. Media coverage included in-depth articles in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Puget Sound Business Journal, the Centralia Chronicle, and the Everett Herald. KING-TV aired a Health Link news story which featured two of NWWLS's adolescent patients who had undergone the procedure. PRR also secured a 30-minute, in-depth segment on KOMO-TV's "Northwest Afternoon". PRR successfully pitched a patient story to Newsweek.com, which resulted in the publication of an ongoing patient journal and subsequent news stories about the patients weight-loss progress. Most recently, PRR secured the "Today Show" for a produced segment about Lap Band surgery and four local sisters who underwent the procedure.