• by Les Luchter , Staff Writer, June 22, 2023

“Sleep is the foundation of all health,” Mattress Firm senior vice president of marketing Sam Bennett tells Pharma & Health Insider as the company rolls out its summer ad campaign, “The Right Mattress Matters.”

The Fallon-created campaign comes a month after mattress maker and retailer Tempur Sealy agreed to a $4 billion purchase of Mattress Firm, the category’s largest retailer. The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024.

For Mattress Firm, meanwhile, it’s full speed ahead on its push to equate better sleep with better mattresses  -- a push that’s been building steam via both advertising and branded content since Bennett joined the company from Barnes & Noble in 2020.

First came “Junk Sleep,” a Droga5-created campaign in 2021 that humorously focused on how wacky behavior -- such as pouring your coffee creamer on the table instead of into your coffee cup -- could be caused by having a bad mattress.

“We were in a time where on top of the pandemic, people were struggling in their sleep and it was impacting every part of their life,” recalls Bennett. “So we decided to put a name to that, and let people know that we understood the challenges they were going through.”

While “Junk Sleep” focused on the negatives of bad sleep, the new “The Right Mattress Matters” focuses on the positives of good sleep, again humorously.

Six TV spots show people having revelatory moments thanks to having a good night’s sleep.

In one spot, a waking woman realizes “Oh, the book club that wants me to move to the woods is a cult.” In a third spot, a baseball manager tells his pitcher, “Everything’s so clear now. You’re having an off day because you need a creative outlet. You ever try watercolors?”

Explaining the differences between “Junk Sleep” and “The Right Mattress Matters,” Bennett says that “People very often think about optimization of their life in eating better or working out more…So first you have to help people realize that junk sleep is just as bad, if not worse, than junk food.”

The new spots end inside a Mattress Firm store with two of the retailer’s heavily trained “sleep experts” telling viewers that “The right mattress matters. We’ll find yours," while the 1959 instrumental hit “Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny plays in the background.

Bennett says the song is a nostalgic “Easter egg” for people who remember it and, for others, “still a really great vibe and energy for the campaign.”

The ad campaign is a just part of Mattress Firm’s marketing push. We are also committed to helping you you get better sleep even once you’ve purchased a mattress from Mattress Firm," she adds. “All of our branded content is supplemental to this idea.”

Sleep.com, which Mattress Firm launched in 2020, functions as a “24/7 sleep expert,” which consumers can use “if you have a question on any sort of sleep disruptor, or any challenge you may have,” she says.

Sleep Uncovered, an annual study done with SleepScore Labs (known for its sleep tracking app), began last year. That first study, which focused on sleep behavior coming out of the pandemic, found that Americans have particular challenges with sleeping and parenting, “not as much for the kids, but more so for the adults.”

The podcast “Chasing Sleep” done in partnership with IHeartMedia and complete with Mattress Firm ads, recently started its second season. Hosted by husband-and-wife actors Katie Lowes (who played Quinn in ABC’s “Scandal”) and Adam Shapiro (Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever”), the shows feature guest experts delving into the impact of sleep on different aspects of life, such as love, aging and creativity (this week’s drop).

Halfway through this season’s eight episodes, Bennett reports the podcast has already garnered over 100,000 downloads. “There is just so much interest around sleep,” she says.

“Our purpose statement is to help people sleep well so they can live well….Sleep and wellness is the end goal and having the right mattress is the enabler.”