With almost two billion smartphone users worldwide and market-disrupting new mobile services launching almost every month, it was only a matter of time before an innovative company developed a digital driver’s license.


That turned out to be MorphoTrust, a leading provider of security solutions and an RH Strategic client. Late last year the Massachusetts-based company announced it was working with the State of Iowa on a driver’s license that would display as a smartphone app.

We saw right away it could be a big story, but only if we gave reporters everything they needed to tell it effectively: detailed product information, compelling visuals, access to the right experts and answers to all the questions about feasibility and security that were bound to come up. We also realized we could take advantage of all the buzz about Apple Pay and mobile payments to position MorphoTrust’s product as yet another major transition to all-digital information. The tagline we came up with was ‘a wallet-less future,’ which immediately resonated with the media.

We got the story out through trade publications and consumer-focused media. The Wall Street Journal, NPR, USA Today and dozens of other top-tier outlets carried it–a total of 70 pieces reached more than 200 million people. As a result, many other states called MorphoTrust asking “When can we do this, too?” The public relations work we did resulted in new business leads for our client as well.