Earning interest for Credit.com's expertise

Credit.com had the knowledge and expertise to become a respected source of personal-finance advice, but it lacked the necessary name recognition.

Its CEO and in-house experts included former credit-industry insiders. Still, the company wasn't known as a go-to source for consumer-credit information. Executives wanted to raise Credit.com's visibility and drive up the number of potential clients visiting the Web site. In summer 2006, the company engaged Padilla Speer Beardsley, which developed messaging that promoted the talents of the CEO and his team, and positioned them as the premier voice of credit education.

Using key media contacts, Padilla gained exposure for Credit.com's personal-finance experts in top-tier outlets such as USA Today, Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters and TheStreet.com.

Today, the leadership at Credit.com are sought-after spokespeople. Fox News Channel asked the CEO for consumer tips to avoid holiday debt. WCBS-TV contacted him for a segment on identity theft during the November "sweeps week." And during a two-week blitz last spring, Credit.com was mentioned by numerous media outlets, including CNN, the Los Angeles Times and The Dallas Morning News. The company's prominent profile helped double its Web site traffic during the blitz.