How Homebase Turned Real-Time Workforce Data Into National Earned Media
Homebase leveraged proprietary workforce and economic data to turn major climatic and cultural events into timely business stories, earning consistent top-tier coverage and positioning the company as a trusted source on the real-world external factors small businesses face and the overall impact that has on the broader economy.
3+
pieces of coverage in top-tier outlets
Challenge
Homebase sat on a rich stream of real-time small business data, but most of it lived below the surface. The challenge was not a lack of insight. It was identifying how to turn operational workforce trends into stories that mattered to national and local audiences in the moment.
Extreme weather events and major cultural moments were creating immediate economic consequences – both good and bad – for small businesses across the country. Reporters needed fast, credible data to quantify what was happening on the ground. Without a clear storytelling strategy, Homebase risked missing the opportunity to own these conversations.
Solution
SourceCode built a rapid response data storytelling program that transformed Homebase’s proprietary workforce data into timely economic narratives tied to live climate and cultural events.
By analyzing real-time business activity during winter storms, wildfires, and regional disruptions, the team delivered localized and national insights reporters could immediately use. Outreach was timed to breaking news cycles, with tailored data cuts for both top-tier business media and regional outlets. On the flip side, the team was able to tap into mainstream cultural milestones like the Taylor Swift Eras Tour or the Super Bowl host city to show economic impact in regions where major cultural events were taking place.
This positioned Homebase as a credible source for understanding the direct economic impact of major events on small businesses.
Results
- Coverage secured in top-tier outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Business Insider, driven by rapid response economic storytelling Multiple climate-related news cycles were successfully converted into earned media opportunities, improving regional visibility expanded through localized outreach, including coverage in Kansas City Business Journal tied to January cold snap workforce impacts
- Positioned Homebase as a recurring source for small business economic insight, tied to both economic trend reports and major moments impacting Americans
- National and local audiences reached simultaneously through geographically tailored data narratives that scaled across markets
