The Challenge

In the lead-up to the highly anticipated Friends reunion, global media attention was at saturation point. The brief was to secure meaningful, top-tier visibility for MyHeritage within a crowded entertainment cycle — without competing directly with promotional coverage or celebrity commentary.

The objective was to position the brand as a credible authority on ancestral discovery by introducing a story that added genuine context and value to the cultural moment.

Strategic Approach

Working closely with the MyHeritage research team, a data-led discovery was identified: Matthew Perry and Courteney Cox were revealed to be 11th cousins.

Rather than distributing the finding widely, the strategy centred on precision and placement. The story was positioned as a single, high-impact exclusive — designed to land at the exact moment global interest peaked, ensuring authority rather than dilution.

Campaign Execution

The discovery was offered as an exclusive to CNN just hours before the reunion aired. This timing ensured the story entered the media ecosystem at the point of maximum attention, framed as a standalone piece of cultural context rather than a reactive add-on.

By securing both feature coverage and interview placement on a global news platform, MyHeritage was positioned as the definitive source behind the discovery. Subsequent outlets followed CNN’s lead, citing the brand directly as the origin of the research.

Impact & Global Pickup

The CNN exclusive acted as a catalyst for widespread international syndication. Within 24 hours, the story travelled across major global outlets including BBC, Reuters, Rolling Stone, and Daily Mail.

By anchoring the narrative at the top of the media hierarchy, the campaign ensured consistent attribution, authority, and scale across markets.