case studies
Coolsculpting
Fear No Mirror: US launch of Coolsculpting
ZELTIQ Aesthetics entered the market with the first-ever FDA-cleared, non-invasive fat reduction technology—launching into a category that didn’t yet exist. Complicating matters, FDA clearance was received the same day as a major competitor, immediately creating a race for differentiation, credibility, and category leadership. Early skepticism around efficacy, safety, and results posed significant barriers to both provider adoption and consumer demand. With no traditional advertising, no brand awareness, and no established playbook for the aesthetics space, launch success—and long-term growth—would depend almost entirely on PR and social media.
case studies | coolsculpting
Results
Today, CoolSculpting Is one of the aesthetics industry’s biggest success stories and has become the “Kleenex” of non-invasive fat reduction category.
Billions
of consumer impressions
every year for 7 years
Featured on...
The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, World News Tonight and Nightline on DAY OF LAUNCH. Covered in nearly every major global TV, print and digital news outlet consistently YOY.
Our Mandate
The mandate was ambitious: create and own a new medical category, establish CoolSculpting as the defining brand, and build belief across providers, media, and consumers—using earned influence and education as the primary growth levers. GOLD was retained as PR and social Agency of Record, a role the agency held for seven years, supporting the brand from Silicon Valley startup through IPO and into mainstream global relevance.
Our Approach
- Category creation, not just product awareness
- Clinical and consumer education, addressing efficacy skepticism head-on
- Relentless earned visibility, ensuring CoolSculpting dominated conversation in a crowded, fast-emerging space
- Sustained momentum, despite limited product innovation over long stretches of time
- Provider growth, positioning CoolSculpting as both a medical breakthrough and a business driver
Our Execution
Over seven years, GOLD led comprehensive PR, influencer, and social programs that shaped both perception and demand—often years ahead of industry norms.
Key initiatives included:
- Large-scale educational PR and social campaigns designed to legitimize non-invasive fat reduction and clearly differentiate CoolSculpting from competitors
- Consistent, high-impact media relations that secured billions of consumer impressions and placed CoolSculpting in nearly every major women’s lifestyle and beauty publication year after year
- Ongoing national broadcast visibility across morning and evening shows, establishing CoolSculpting as a household name
- Some of the earliest influencer programs in aesthetics—executed before formal FDA guidelines existed—helping normalize the category and humanize results
- Experiential and media events that brought the technology to life and reinforced credibility
- Strategic storytelling that supported rapid expansion of the provider network and fueled patient demand
For the first five years in market, PR and social were the only marketing channels – no traditional advertising, no paid media agency support – making earned influence the primary driver of awareness, adoption, and growth. Rather than reacting to news, GOLD consistently created it, developing original programs, narratives, and moments that kept CoolSculpting top of mind through every stage of its evolution.
Featured in:
Our Impact
GOLD helped transform CoolSculpting from an unknown Silicon Valley medical innovation into the most recognized brand in non-invasive fat reduction – cementing its position as the category leader. What began as a high-risk market entry became a global consumer brand, supported by widespread media dominance, sustained provider adoption, and mainstream cultural relevance.