Challenge

Mattress Firm’s current brand purpose is to be “America’s trusted authority on sleep”. Their business model has always been simple and effective, but it’s not meeting the needs and expectations of consumers as much as their competitors are able to.

With the introduction of contemporary DTC mattress brands like Casper and Purple, how can Mattress Firm compete?

Mattress Firm’s history is evocative of these three attributes:

Neighborly.

Sage.

Trailblazer.

For the past 36 years, their business model has always been simple and effective. Dedicated to meeting consumers’ unique needs through expert mattress matching, transforming you into America’s largest specialty mattress store.

Mattress Firm was the first company allowing people to lay on mattresses inside the store, dedicated to fitting customers to the perfect mattress for them.

Research.

We analyzed their current brand identity, conducted a competitive audit, and explored current brand perceptions and general sleep attitudes through in-depth customer journeys in order to understand how we could better position Mattress Firm within the industry.

Competitive Arena.

Here we see where brands fall in terms of a DTC vs brick-and-mortar model, organized by premium versus low-tier sleep offerings. There’s been an influx of DTC brands over the last few years, providing a lot of options for people looking to buy a mattress.

Various nationwide Mattress Firm locations. At a glance, they are stark, brutalist, barren, and not evocative of restful sleep.

Findings.

Their brick-and-mortar experience and brand communication create a significant disconnect with consumers, and they must pinpoint a more specific target audience to resonate with.

Their online presence features an absence of visual language and strategic continuity, from their landing page to their partner Sleep.com

 

The aforementioned observations were reflected in customer journeys. Their brick-and-mortar experiences felt off-putting, lackluster, and even vulnerable.

 

The Problem

What was once a trailblazing neighborly sage…

is now:

Drab.

Uncoordinated.

(and sometimes) Witty.

Goal.

We do not want Mattress Firm to simply try to compete with newer DTC brands, but rather allow them to lean into and completely reimagine the individualized, experiential component of the brand that was once novel in the arena.

 

New Brand Promise.

“The Mattress Firm team prides ourselves on not just knowing mattresses but knowing our customers. We understand that getting a good night's sleep can be difficult, but your sleep health and wellness should never take a back seat. Sleep is more than just a great mattress: it's an experience. We are dedicated to helping you build your personal sleep haven, wherever
it may be!”

Transforming them from this drab, uncoordinated, witty mattress store…

into the empathetic, vivacious savant that Mattress Firm has the potential to be — one who people trust with getting their best night’s sleep.

 

Audience

With a new, clearer message for the brand, who is primed to receive it?

American millennials are now entering their prime nesting years, discovering the value in dedicating time and money to their personal wellness as a result of the pandemic. We want Mattress Firm to be the brand chosen to accompany young adults as they settle into these important years, now and into the future.

 

Activations.

New in-store experience

A layout showcasing new offerings for cultivating a more holistic sleep experience, and private sleep pods for trying out mattresses in comfort rather than out in the open.

New Website Experience.

The newly designed website will display a seamless marrying of both the Mattress Firm website and Sleep.com. Additionally, a new color palette will communicate comfort, while bringing a fresh look to the monotone mattress landscape. Inspired by the sunrise after a restful night’s sleep, calming deep blues will be accompanied by vibrant pops of peach, orange, and magenta.

Sleep Accessories.


Mattress Firm has always offered sleep accessories in addition to their mattress offerings, so we updated them to coincide with the new identity, along with a few new items recommended for consumers based on their sleep profile from the Sleep Experts.

Partnership with Fitbit.

Finally, we identified potential for a future activation through a partnership with Fitbit, implementing biological and sleep behavioral tracking data to store customer sleep profiles and keep track of sleep health.

 

What if we take this rebranding of Mattress Firm’s positioning further?

 

Re-name.

This new direction speaks to the audience and allows Mattress Firm to successfully fulfill its vision, purpose, and brand promise. Although, we noticed that the name creates a disconnect — “Mattress Firm” doesn’t associate well with a new sleep haven vision. It pigeon-holes them into a product category and does not speak to the goals of the brand.

They need a name that emphasizes the importance of being well-rested for an overall better lifestyle and expresses that this is the company to help make that happen.

A new change will communicate the brand’s promise of helping consumers build their personal sleep haven and dedication to delivering the best night of sleep they've ever had.

Doze. 

Why Doze? This name is all-encompassing of a sleep haven, communicates rest and ease, and a better night’s sleep to their consumers.

Mattress Firm already owns the trademarking rights to this name.

Because you can’t do, if you don’t doze.

What would this new vision look like?

There is a huge hole in the market for premium brick-and-mortar stores that Mattress Firm ( Doze ) is primed to fill. The white space we’ve identified creates the potential for an elevated in-store experience.

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