Meredith Acquires Leading Mobile Mindfulness App "Stop, Breathe & Think"
Expands Meredith's Digital Presence in Growing Consumer Engagement Segment
Provides Affinity Marketer Synapse with Exciting New Customer Loyalty Offering
NEW YORK and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP; www.meredith.com)—the leading media and marketing company reaching 185 million American consumers every month and nearly 90 percent of U.S. millennial women—announced today that it has acquired Stop, Breathe & Think (SBT), a leading mobile mindfulness app with more than 17 million emotional check-ins to date.
SBT is highly differentiated in the market thanks to four key components:
- Check-ins—Users complete regular emotional check-ins and receive recommended mindfulness activities tuned to those emotions.
- Programs—Expert-driven, multi-day programs help users tackle issues that challenge people most, such as anxiety, sleep, stress or focus.
- For the Whole Family—With an additional app for children and strong presence in elementary, middle and high schools across the country, Stop, Breathe & Think helps families practice mindfulness together.
- Multi-platform Distribution—SBT is a leading mindfulness brand on Amazon Alexa, the first mindfulness publisher on Snapchat's Discover page and the first mindfulness programming for kids on Hulu.
"Stop, Breathe & Think is an ideal strategic fit for Meredith and our increasing focus on consumer products, services and experiences," said Meredith Consumer Products President Tom Witschi. "We are excited to enter the fast-growing mindfulness space and view this as an important addition to our well-established health and wellness expertise. SBT has natural synergies with Meredith brands and platforms and will provide Synapse, our affinity marketing business, with an attractive new product for its unique retail and online distribution channels."
Founded in 2015 by Jamie Price and Julie Campistron, the Santa Monica-based company has been on a growth trajectory. SBT created a mobile app that draws on science-backed techniques and practices created with scientific advisors who have doctorates in their specialty fields. Scientific data proves that it works: In a recent peer-reviewed study, users were 82 percent more likely to not feel anxious after just 10 sessions with the app. And in a 2019 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association, SBT was the clear favorite among the panel of psychologists, outperforming its competitors in categories including Ease of Use, Content, Functionality and Purpose.
"Our mission is to help more people find peace of mind and build emotional strength. We are thrilled to join forces with Meredith, a content-driven company with unparalleled consumer reach, to bring SBT to its massive audience," said Price and Campistron, who will remain in their roles.
According to a recent Meredith study conducted in partnership with The Harris Poll, American women are facing stress at heightened epidemic levels. Nearly half the survey respondents said the burnout they feel is so extreme that it keeps them up at night. At the same time, two-thirds of Gen Z women surveyed said, "The way things are going, I don't know how I'm going to cope with the stress if it continues at this pace."
"Mindfulness has universal appeal that will enhance the lives of our customers and value to our partners," said Scott Macon, Synapse President. "We see significant opportunities across our business model. SBT will help expand and optimize Synapse's unique distribution channels and customer engagement touchpoints."
Cooley LLP served as legal advisor to Meredith in the transaction. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
ABOUT SYNAPSE GROUP, INC.
Synapse Group Inc. is a marketing and technology services company focused on building strategic partnerships with some of the largest consumer brands. Synapse creates customized solutions designed to acquire, engage and reward customers. Synapse partners across a variety of industries including online, retail, airline, hospitality and phone. Synapse Group Inc. is a Meredith Corporation company based in Stamford, CT.
ABOUT STOP, BREATHE & THINK
Stop, Breathe & Think is a personalized emotional wellness platform that helps kids and adults build the emotional strength and confidence to handle whatever comes their way. The five-star-rated app, winner of the 2017 Webby People's Voice Award for Best Health App, is paving the way to everyday emotional wellness with bite-size personalized content and activities based on user emotions.
Co-founded by Jamie Price and Julie Campistron, Stop, Breathe & Think has achieved large consumer appeal, with over 4.5 million organic downloads. Its personalized experience has been praised by users and media and has allowed the team to build the world's largest database of real-life emotional data, with over 17 million emotional check-ins to date. That data is unequivocally proving the efficacy of the app, especially as it relates to stress and anxiety decrease.
Stop, Breathe & Think is available on iOS, Android and Alexa and online at http://www.stopbreathethink.com.
ABOUT MEREDITH CORPORATION
Meredith Corporation has been committed to service journalism for more than 115 years. Today, Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms—including broadcast television, print, digital, mobile and video—to provide consumers with content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners. Meredith's National Media Group reaches over 180 million unduplicated American consumers every month, including nearly 90 percent of U.S. millennial women. Meredith is a leader in creating content across media platforms and life stages in key consumer interest areas such as entertainment, food, lifestyle, parenting and home. Meredith is the No. 1 magazine operator in the U.S., and owner of the largest premium content digital network for American consumers. Meredith's leading national brands include PEOPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, InStyle, Allrecipes, REAL SIMPLE, SHAPE, Southern Living and Martha Stewart Living. Meredith also features robust brand licensing activities including more than 3,000 SKUs of branded products at 4,000 Walmart stores across the U.S. and at walmart.com. Meredith's National Media Group also includes leading affinity marketer Synapse, and The Foundry, the company's state-of-the-art creative lab and content studio. Meredith's Local Media Group includes 17 television stations reaching 11 percent of U.S. households and 30 million viewers.
SOURCE Meredith Corporation
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