Member Article

Answers on a postcard: TestCard appoints Smoking Gun and Genie Comms in new partnership

Award-winning medtech enterprise Testcard has appointed Smoking Gun and Genie Comms to handle its comms, PR and social media management.

TestCard, which has just launched an at-home, non-invasive UTI testing kit that turns a smart phone camera into a clinical-grade scanner, is also receiving SEO and PPC counsel from the Manchester-based agencies.

TestCard is shaking up the UK healthcare market with its at-home testing kit which comes with an accompanying mobile app, for a quick and easy way to detect a urinary tract infection (UTI). The app provides immediate results that can then be shared with a healthcare professional.

The brand’s commitment to empowering people to take control of their own health will be at the core of the comms messaging, as Smoking Gun and Genie Comms seek to educate consumers on the benefits of quick, at-home health testing and monitoring.

Luke Heron, co-founder of TestCard, said: “We’ve known Genie Comms for some time and Smoking Gun came highly recommended to us - we know what an impact they have had for other health brands in driving sales.

“We were immediately impressed not only by the team’s credentials but also by their energy and understanding of our brief and business challenges. We’re looking forward to combining all our talents for this industry-first launch.”

TestCard was born in 2017 after a discussion at the school gates. Luke Heron and business partner Dr Andrew Botham were talking about medical tests and how people - men in particular - delay seeking professional help.

They saw a problem with the way people traditionally accessed tests, which can often be a resource hungry process. For many people across the world, it is extremely difficult to access a quick and simple test, which means slower access to help.

TestCard went on to beat Apple and Samsung to win ‘Top Emerging Technology’ at CES 2019, and the credibility of this win propelled the company forward in ways it could never have imagined.

It has recently secured a further £4.5m funding that will be used for new product development, FDA applications and product launches – and also to bridge to its next funding round anticipated in the second quarter of 2021.

Smoking Gun Managing Director, Rick Guttridge, said: “We welcome TestCard to our roster of health and wellbeing clients and we’re looking forward to working with a start-up business with such big plans. “Our wealth of experience and expertise in the health and lifestyle market, combined with TestCard’s ambitious plans and innovative offering, creates the perfect platform for us to deliver results that make a genuine business impact.”

Gill Galassi, co-founder at Genie Comms said: “We specialise in delivering compelling strategic, consumer-centric communications to deliver commercial results. We’re really excited about working with Smoking Gun to deliver this very thing for TestCard and their truly unique proposition.”

TestCard has a progressive product pipeline. Alongside UTI tests, it is also working to develop a drugs misuse test, a test for pregnancy and ovulation as well as glucose pre-screening.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Green .