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Comfort Solutions Campaign: "Saggy Puppy, Good; Saggy Mattress, Bad"
August 29,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Advertising on August 30, 2011
Bedding vendor Comfort Solutions has launched an in-store campaign to focus on the stability and durability its line offers people of all sizes, especially plus-size sleepers.
According to Owen Shoemaker, senior vice president of marketing and product development, the new "Saggy Puppy Good, Saggy Mattress Bad" campaign reflects the company's intention to attract and appeal to heavier consumers who are looking for increased support but want to be less obvious about it in the shopping process.
"Considering the more than 134 million American adults who are either overweight or obese--coupled with the U.S. media's continued emphasis on the relationship between weight, health and sleep quality--it's no surprise that our research validates that increasing numbers of overweight people are looking for products that better address their needs," Shoemaker said.
The campaign, which Shoemaker said may be developed into a series of comical retail TV spots, stars a wrinkly-faced puppy named "Dozer," who is meant to conjure thoughts of sagging as endearing in a puppy, but unacceptable in a mattress.
The in-store initiative also will include stuffed plushies of the Dozer character as giveaways, gifts with purchase or for use in other Extended Life programs.
Headboard and banner signage developed for the campaign reinforce the company's positioning of the line as "The Ultimate No-Sag Mattress," which carries a 25-year warranty covering an unprecedented half-inch or less of normal wear.
The POP program also strongly promotes Extended Life's heavy-gauge, foam-encased, wrapped coil design for both pressure support and conformance, as well as the lines foundation, which Comfort Solutions says is up to five times as strong as the industry standard.
A new, three-piece Extended Life modelfirst shown in Las Vegas earlier this monthfeatures a detached pillow layer atop the mattress to provide increased comfort to sleepers of all sizes.
"Our entire focus with Extended Life has been to eliminate as much pressure as possible for larger body types and to deliver a level of performance for any-size sleeper that is far better and longer-lasting than offered by other products," Shoemaker said. "Since we introduced the line in 2009, our experience has been that retailers report virtually no returns or customer complaints about body impressions or sagging."
To more actively demonstrate the exceptional performance of Extended Life products directly to shoppers, Comfort Solutions said retail displays may also include actual test samples that show the beds strength and durability after 25 years' simulated use with a 350-pound rollator.
Shoemaker noted that early retailer responses to the "Saggy Puppy" campaign indicate it has tremendous potential to drive more sales of Extended Life products by using humor, warmth and the nearly universal appeal of puppies like Dozer.
Comfort Solutions, Willowbrook, Ill., has 10 domestic and 30 international licensees.