The Situation
WorldRemit is a digital cross-border payments company that took international money transfers fully online: faster, cheaper, and safer than the offline legacy players that dominate the Philippine remittance market. The product was strong on every metric that matters to OFW families: speed, cost, and security. But brand recognition among Filipino senders and receivers was low, and share of voice lagged behind competitors who had been in the Philippine remittance conversation for years.
The Philippine remittance market is one of the largest in the world, with millions of OFW families depending on reliable transfers. Competing in this market isn’t about product features alone. The audience makes remittance decisions based on trust, and trust in financial services comes from consistent media presence and third-party credibility, not advertising.
The Approach
Phase 1: Multi-Format Media Engagement Across Channels
Ran a multi-channel PR strategy spanning press releases, exclusive interviews, broadcast placements, and podcast engagements. Every press release exceeded the target of 10 pickups across broadsheets and online publications. Coverage was placed in Business Mirror and Manila Standard alongside other top-tier outlets.
Phase 2: Thought Leadership Through Trending Remittance Topics
Built story angles around topics the remittance audience was already discussing: inflation’s impact on OFW sending patterns, digital remittance safety, education as a motivation for sending money home, and fraud prevention. By staying on top of the media agenda and connecting WorldRemit to trending conversations, the brand entered stories that journalists were already writing.
Phase 3: Competitive Share of Voice Monitoring
Deployed Media Meter for ongoing media intelligence, tracking WorldRemit’s coverage quantity and quality against competitors across regional newspapers, print, and online. Daily, weekly, and monthly reports identified which topics competitors were covering and where WorldRemit could fill gaps in the conversation.
The Results
- 157 Total articles from June to December 2021, with 74 in mainstream publications
- #2 Second-highest media coverage among all remittance competitors
- 31% Share of voice from June to December, up from 27% in the prior period
Campaign Highlights:
- Every press release exceeded the 10-pickup target across broadsheets and online publications
- Coverage secured in Business Mirror and Manila Standard
- Share of voice grew from 27% to 31% over the campaign period
- Thought leadership angles connected WorldRemit to trending OFW remittance topics
- Media Meter intelligence used for competitive tracking and gap identification in daily, weekly, and monthly reports
The Takeaway
In remittances, the brand that gets covered most is the brand that gets trusted most. WorldRemit reached second place in competitor coverage within seven months because the PR strategy treated every press release as a news story about the market, not an announcement about the product.
- Industry: Finance, Technology
- Service: PR & Digital Campaigns
- Solution: For International Brands Entering PH
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a digital remittance brand compete against legacy players in the Philippine market?
Through sustained media presence that builds trust over time. OFW families choose remittance providers based on familiarity and credibility. A consistent stream of coverage in mainstream publications makes the brand feel established and trustworthy, which is how WorldRemit climbed to second in media coverage within seven months.
Why use thought leadership angles instead of product-focused press releases?
Because remittance decisions are emotional, not technical. OFW families send money for education, emergencies, and daily needs. Stories about inflation’s impact on sending patterns or fraud prevention speak to the audience’s lived experience. Product features describe what WorldRemit does. Thought leadership explains why it matters to the families who use it.
What is share of voice and why does it matter for a fintech brand?
Share of voice measures how much of the industry’s media conversation features your brand relative to competitors. For a fintech entering a market with established players, a rising share of voice signals that the brand is gaining ground in the conversation that shapes consumer decisions. WorldRemit grew from 27 to 31 percent in seven months.
How do you exceed 10 pickups per press release in the Philippine market?
By writing press releases around stories the media is already covering. A release about WorldRemit’s partnership is a company announcement. A release about how inflation forces migrants to reduce remittances is a national story with WorldRemit data inside it. The second version gets picked up because it serves the journalist’s agenda, not just the brand’s.
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