• by Larissa Faw , May 22, 2015

For the first time since 2011, mattress brand Serta is reintroducing its iconic spokes-animals the Counting Sheep in a new campaign titled "It’s Over." 

Developed by lead creative agency Doner, the campaign is Serta's biggest effort to support the Perfect Sleeper mattress and includes advertising, social promotion, and public relations. Serta spent $13.54 million on advertising last year, down from $20.38 million in 2013, according to Kantar Media. 

“We know a good night sleep is essential to our target audience, as she packs a lot into her day, but often wakes up feeling anything but refreshed,” said Andrew Gross, Serta senior vice president of marketing. “We felt this was the perfect time to bring back the loveable Counting Sheep to illustrate how the Perfect Sleeper mattress addresses the five most common sleep problems so people don’t have to count sheep again. By combining humor with an innovative product story, the campaign further distinguishes our position in the category and extends our brand promise of comfort.” 

One 30-second launch spot, for instance, titled “We Need to Talk,” opens in a bedroom with the Counting Sheep earnestly jumping over a small wooden fence at the foot of a couple’s bed.

It appears as if the Counting Sheep have successfully put the man and woman to sleep when suddenly, the couple sits up with the woman saying to the stunned flock, “we need to talk.” She reluctantly admits that they have a new Serta Perfect Sleeper and have actually been “fake counting” them for months.  

Executives are targeting moms, believing they drive mattress purchases, say agency executives. As such, the content will appear everywhere that moms consume media with over 2.7 billion impressions including video, content, digital, mobile, social and search --  doubling on air-days. 

Doner worked with notable director John Hamburg, known for Along Came Polly and I Love You Man, as well as with animation director Peter Peake from Aardman. "The beautifully odd combination of John's unique approach to the humor and Aardman's award-winning animation skills helped to capture and bring the exact vision we had to life," says Ken Spera, SVP, creative director, Doner. 

The MDC-owned agency has worked with Serta for 15 years.