Client: Mosquito Joe

About our Work

Mosquito Joe is an accessible, attractive concept that leveraged a moment in time when a demand for its service boomed in a way it never had before. Zika virus, meet Mosquito Joe – it will obliterate you.

When Mosquito Joe partnered with No Limit Agency for media relations support in 2013, the mosquito control solutions brand was a young startup with one corporate location, eager to kickstart its franchise sales growth. With the goal of creating a safer and more comfortable atmosphere in clients’ own backyards, the brand offered a widely-needed service that had the potential to catch like wildfire throughout the country. They just needed a little help getting their brand’s stories in front of a wider audience.

In the past three years, NLA assisted Mosquito Joe in growing from zero franchise units to more than 170 open territories across 30 states. The expertise to recognize when and how to tell Mosquito Joe’s story has resulted in a collective PR value of $3,271,852.00 and Ad value of $934,815.00, with well over 200 secured placements in the media since 2013.

To add appeal amongst a wider audience, No Limit Agency focused on the people behind Mosquito Joe, ranging from corporate staff to local franchise owners, to give life to the brand story. During the peak season, No Limit Agency hit the media hard to capitalize on topical news and seasonality, but also found creative ways to ensure consistency of media throughout the year, focusing on offseason second jobs, interesting people stories, plans for expansion and more. The result? Spotlights in major media outlets, like Entrepreneur Magazine, Fox News, Good Morning America and the TODAY Show.

When Mosquito Joe first came to No Limit, one of the first priorities was to tell the personal stories of Mosquito Joe franchise owners. Given that the brand attracts prospective business owners from all walks of life, the brand’s franchisees run the gamut, from military veterans looking for autonomy in their civilian careers to seasoned business men and women looking to shake things up.

Former Air Force C-141 pilots, Jeff and Annette Deiters signed with Mosquito Joe with the excitement of jumping in on the ground floor of an up-and-coming industry. In an interview facilitated by No Limit, the married couple spoke with G.I. Jobs about why Mosquito Joe was the perfect fit for them not just as business owners, but as military veterans, too. “Those with a military background tend to transition well into franchising because they have excellent experience in operations and working within a system to follow and execute a plan for success,” Mosquito Joe director of marketing Angela Zerda told G.I. Jobs. “The drive and dedication it takes to run a business comes quite naturally for veterans.”

From an interview secured by No Limit, an early MoJo franchisee, U.S. Army veteran turned entrepreneur Robert Rummells shared his story with Bloomberg. “I’m an outdoor type of guy, and I didn’t want to be chained to my computer in an office, talking on the phone,” Rummel told Bloomberg. “I learned I needed to work for myself. It feels like I’m on patrol. This time, I have a new enemy. Mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.”

When husband and wife duo Kurt and Melissa Godwin of Maryland started their Mosquito Joe business, it was clear that their story would resonate with countless others who were unsatisfied with their day jobs but not quite sure which path to take next. The newly married Godwins wanted to embark on a second career that would allow them to spend more time with each other. After investigating several franchises, the couple finally settled on Mosquito Joe. No Limit was able to land their relatable story in Kiplinger for an article entitled “Starting a New Career in Midlife.”

Every year during National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, Mosquito Joe serves various communities by fundraising or offering donated services. No Limit harnessed the potential for media coverage during the annual events run by Mosquito Joe and has continuously worked to spread the brand’s desire to contribute during this critical week of raised awareness.

“National Mosquito Control Awareness Week is a very important time of year for us, so we wanted to make sure we did our part to give back to the local communities where we operate,” Mosquito Joe CEO and president Kevin Wilson told Landscape Management in an interview facilitated by No Limit. “That’s why we engaged the franchisees in our network to make those important connections while doing something good for the community but also helping curb the ongoing summertime mosquito issue. As this is our first step in supporting the week, we hope it is a strong and strategic step for more things to come.”

During 2016, the ZIKA virus provided additional material for PR support. As media coverage and the public’s fear of the virus increased, No Limit Agency was able to leverage Mosquito Joe as experts on the topic, providing insight on the real threat of the virus to assuage fears, how people can protect themselves and what the brand offers to local communities to keep them safe. As a result, No Limit Agency was able to secure more than double the media placements for Mosquito Joe from 2015 to 2016, including several significant national opportunities and coverage in key growth markets.

When residents in the Washington area became fearful that Zika would arrive on their doorstep, Mosquito Joe offered a preventative measure that helped assuage some of the community’s concerns. In an interview secured by No Limit, Kevin Wilson spoke with The Washington Post about helping to keep the community safe and feeling secure.

“From our perspective, Zika without question has helped so far this season, especially in some of our franchise locations in Florida and Texas,” Wilson told Franchise Times in a No Limit-facilitated interview. “Just the awareness that the press has brought to the forefront with the issue in Brazil. That really causes people to be very frightened, so our phone has been ringing a lot.”

Also in 2016, Mosquito Joe’s parent company, Buzz Brands, launched a new franchise concept: Pool Scouts, a pool cleaning, maintenance and repair company, and retained No Limit Agency for public relations support. In less than one year, No Limit Agency has secured more than 30 media placements for Pool Scouts, and the brand has opened two locations and signed agreements with three new franchise owners.