In-House Branding Team Strengthens Pleasant Mattress

October 12, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

The full-service department engineers the brand DNA, manages all external product design, and has developed a full suite of design tools – including a photo studio with 3D modeling capabilities – to offer its retail partners an even more robust selection of marketing materials to support sales at retail and speed to market.

Under the leadership of Chief Brand Officer Niki Weber, a seasoned branding executive with agency, start-up and client-side experience working with brands such as Adidas, DC Shoes, Gatorade, VISA and MINI, the team has developed the marketing materials that support the family of brands for its retailers ranging from value-priced to luxury offerings. Most recently, the team was instrumental in the rebranding effort of Pleasant’s flagship McRoskey Mattress brand as well as its newly revamped AirFlex brand, which is designed around the concept of understated luxury that appeals to young consumers who want high-quality, hand-crafted beds made with natural materials.

Each of these brand launches were supported by a reimagined approach to in-house brand development including a strategy to set the tone, carefully crafted external product design, and expert art direction. Photo-realistic virtual room settings, 3D modeling and in-house photography enabled the company to provide its retail partners with sales materials – both in-store and online – at a much faster speed, allowing retailers to expedite ROI in the placements.

“Niki has helped build a world-class marketing and branding team that first created branding packages for our collections and is now expanding into helping our retail partners sell more,” said Rion Morgenstern, CEO of Pleasant Mattress. “When we decided to make an investment to build this team, we knew we needed exceptional professionals who could provide outstanding results. I believe we are the only independent manufacturer in the country with a team this deep and experienced.”

In addition to Weber, the department includes: Shad Lambert, digital marketing director, who has more than 20-years of experience working for companies like Beats By Dre, MTV and Red Bull; Vicente Montelongo, design director, who has a diverse background working with digital agencies, creative studios, and media brands along with brands such as Anheauser-Busch, AirBnB, Red Bull, Xbox, and Samsung and Vice; and Alondra Ibarra, digital content manager, who joined the team in 2019 as a production assistant. Ibarra brings versatility to her role assisting with product photography and design projects. She also helped form and execute the social media and content strategies for Chattam & Wells, Airflex and McRoskey brands.

“Even though I’m not from within the bedding industry, I immediately saw that mattresses were this undiscovered gem and so much more than simply a mattress. When well executed a mattress will deliver quality and peaceful sleep and contributes to well-being and optimal health. There is an opportunity to leverage the brand story about the quality of the mattresses and the craftsmanship that makes them so distinctive,” Weber said. “Being passionate about creating brands, the team thrives on digging deep to discover their true nature. In doing so, not only are we seeing measurable growth because of our efforts, but our dealers are able to offer products that resonate with all their customers, which helps to expand their customer base.”