New ads bolster 'It's a Sealy' effort
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, May 19, 2003
Trinity, N.C. — Sealy has unveiled the latest evolution of its "It's a Sealy" television ad campaign, which humorously portrays what would happen if Sealy, with its expertise in delivering a good night's sleep on its mattresses, made products in other categories.
Three new local retailer spots and one new national brand advertisement were created by Mullen in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The ads show that Sealy non-mattress products would be so comfortable that people would be unable to stay awake while using them. Previous ads in the series, introduced as a test last year, have received praise and helped to drive consumer traffic to stores, according to Sealy officials.
"This campaign works well at both the national brand and local retail level," said Mark Hobson, Sealy's corporate vice president of marketing. "This is a truly customizable campaign that allows our retailers to leverage the quality and appeal of the 'It's a Sealy' ads to effectively deliver their own promotional store message."
The new brand spot, "Barber Shop," runs nationally through this year. It humorously illustrates how bad a haircut can be if the customer falls asleep in the barber's chair after learning "It's a Sealy." The spot is airing on early morning network programs and high-profile cable channels, as well as during the U.S. Open Tennis Championships and Wimbledon.
The new 20-second retail ads feature various characters in humorous situations falling asleep unexpectedly on Sealy mattresses while visiting a store, with a transition into a retailer's 10-second promotional tag.
"Changes in consumer shopping behavior support our efforts to help Sealy retailers discover the power of television in attracting consumers to their stores," said David Evans, Sealy's vice president of marketing. "Market research shows TV advertising is now the leading source for consumers deciding where to shop for a mattress, tied with newspaper inserts and circulars, which have historically been the most influential promotional media."
Customers came into stores talking about the earlier commercial, Sealy officials said. Some sleep specialty chains and furniture stores that ran tagged versions of the Sealy spot in place of their own television creative achieved sales increases of 25% to 35% vs. the prior year, according to the company.
