• by Aaron Baar , July 23, 2013

Mattresses, like cars and televisions, are one of those highly considered purchases that consumers only make once every several years. 

Following on the heels of campaigns from Tempur-Pedic and ComforPedic, the Sleep Number company has launched a social media advocacy campaign to tout its DualTemp Layer, a temperature balancing layer that can be added to any mattress. 

“One of [Sleep Number’s] biggest challenges, is getting targeted consumers into the store,” Sue Frech, founder and CEO of Social Media Link, the agency behind the effort, tells Marketing Daily. "They wanted us to create an online-to-offline campaign."

Using Social Media Link’s Smiley360 platform, the company enlisted 500 influencers (affluent women, ages 30-54 who enjoy sharing their opinions on social media networks) to head to their nearest Sleep Number store (one of the factors in selecting the women was proximity to a store and interest in buying a new mattress), try out the product and write a review on the Social Media Link’s Web site. (The review was then pushed out to the women’s social networks.) 

“Being able to find that  [target] consumer, get them to talk about a product and amplify it is what we do,” Frech says. (In return for their participation, the reviewers were given a Sleep Number foam pillow.)

The ongoing 12-week campaign is the third time the agency and company have worked together. In a similar effort last year, the campaign generated nearly 3,000 product posts, 7,000 overall product reviews and a 23% lift in voice for the brand, according to the agency. Frech did not disclose data for the current campaign.