Ashwin Lewis
Casper is a mattress company that has disrupted the traditional business of mattress retail by focusing on the customers' complete experience. They have successfully marketed their products to millennials through social media and offline campaigns. Casper's offline campaign began with subway and taxi top ads in New York, featuring humorous illustrations of creatures that Casper claims to provide the perfect mattress for. They have also invested in Facebook, Twitter, and web marketing, although they have had to get creative due to the high cost of advertising on these platforms. Casper has also experimented with sleep journalism through their publication Van Winkle's, which was dedicated to exploring the relationship between sleep and various aspects of life. Additionally, they have a blog called Pillow Talk that covers sleep-related topics and promotes their products. Casper's unique marketing approach has been successful in making consumers covet the experience of buying their products, rather than just the products themselves.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Marketing strategy | 4Es model of marketing: Experience, Exchange, Evangelism, Every Place |
| Sleep journalism, sleep-focused publication, unboxing videos, offline ad campaigns, subway station ads, taxi top ads, social media presence | |
| Targeting millennials and people with sleep problems | |
| $300 million content marketing universe | |
| $240 million raised, $55 million to take on the sleep industry | |
| $75 million investment from Target | |
| $500 million-plus valuation | |
| $1 million budget for Van Winkle's | |
| 339,000 Facebook followers, 37,000 Instagram followers, 65,000 Twitter followers | |
| Products | Mattresses, sheets, pillows, bedding products |
| The Dreamery: sleep pods with Casper beds, sheets, pillows, sleep masks, bathrobes, earplugs, makeup wipes |
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What You'll Learn
- Casper's marketing strategy focuses on the experience of buying a mattress, not just the product itself
- Casper's offline ad campaigns include subway and taxi top ads in New York and San Francisco
- Casper's online presence includes a blog, Pillow Talk, which covers the specifics of the mattress
- Casper's Perfect Mattress campaign features elegant ballerinas, grumpy alligators, and happy koalas, speaking to those who feel different
- Casper's sleep journalism, Van Winkle's, was set up to drive organic search traffic and build an advertising audience
Casper's marketing strategy focuses on the experience of buying a mattress, not just the product itself
Casper's marketing strategy is centred around the experience of buying a mattress, rather than just the mattress itself. The company aims to occupy consumers' minds with thoughts of sleep and the importance of a good night's rest. Casper's focus on the experience of buying a mattress, not just the mattress itself, is evident in its marketing campaigns and its innovative approach to retail.
Casper has successfully convinced young adults to care about something as mundane as a mattress company. They have achieved this through various marketing strategies, including unboxing videos, social media campaigns, and experiential retail. Casper's "Perfect Mattress" campaign, for example, featured diverse characters such as elegant ballerinas, grumpy alligators, and happy koalas, making consumers feel included and valued.
The company also launched Van Winkle's, an independent media site dedicated to exploring the relationship between sleep and various aspects of life, such as science, health, and travel. While Van Winkle's did not write about mattresses specifically, it served as a subtle form of content marketing for Casper, keeping consumers engaged and thinking about sleep. Additionally, Casper's offline ad campaigns in subway stations and on taxis in New York and San Francisco helped reach consumers beyond social media and online platforms.
Furthermore, Casper disrupted the traditional mattress retail business by offering a convenient online shopping experience. Instead of having to select a mattress in-store and go through the hassle of transporting it home, Casper allowed customers to choose a mattress online and have it delivered in a compact box right to their doorstep. This approach not only simplified the mattress-buying process but also reduced the friction associated with traditional mattress shopping.
Casper's marketing strategy also extends to experiential retail with the introduction of The Dreamery. The Dreamery offers 45-minute nap breaks in Casper-equipped sleep pods, providing customers with a relaxing and rejuvenating experience. By focusing on the experience of buying a mattress and prioritising customer convenience and engagement, Casper has successfully differentiated itself in the highly competitive mattress industry.
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Casper's offline ad campaigns include subway and taxi top ads in New York and San Francisco
The taxi top ads, on the other hand, are more straightforward, showcasing the Casper logo. This offline campaign began after the company raised its first significant round of funding, led by New Enterprise Associates. Casper's CMO, Jeff Brooks, acknowledges the impact of these offline campaigns, stating that their "subway ads played a huge role in building awareness of the Casper brand." The company chose to advertise offline due to the increasing costs of online marketing on platforms like Facebook and the competitiveness of Google search terms.
Casper's overall marketing strategy, dubbed the 4Es model, revolves around providing customers with a superior sleep and shopping experience. They focus on addressing people's sleep problems and enhancing their mattress shopping journey. By partnering with companies like West Elm and Target, Casper has expanded its physical retail presence, showcasing its products in 1,000 Target locations. Additionally, Casper has opened its own permanent showrooms and retail spaces, including The Dreamery, a sleep-inducing environment designed by Hollwich Kushner, where customers can experience Casper's products firsthand.
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Casper's online presence includes a blog, Pillow Talk, which covers the specifics of the mattress
Casper's online presence includes a blog, Pillow Talk, which covers a range of topics related to sleep and mattresses. The blog provides valuable content for visitors at every stage of the buyer's journey, from those who are simply looking for information about sleep and mattresses to those who are ready to make a purchase.
One of the key strategies of Casper's content marketing is to focus on general keywords that target people who are not necessarily actively looking to purchase a mattress but may be in the near future. For example, they create articles on topics such as "mattress bed bugs" or "how to get blood out of sheets". By targeting these search terms, Casper casts a wide net and captures a larger audience.
The Casper Blog ranks for a significant number of organic keywords, bringing in a high volume of monthly organic traffic. To further enhance the effectiveness of their content, Casper includes calls to action (CTAs) in their articles and links that redirect visitors to their product or category pages. This ensures that the content leads to potential sales.
In addition to their blog, Casper also utilizes email marketing to stay in touch with potential customers throughout their buyer's journey. They personalize their email content as much as possible, making it highly relevant to each customer. They send promotional emails to those who haven't purchased yet and surveys to those who have already made a purchase to gather feedback.
Casper's online presence and content marketing strategy have played a crucial role in the company's success, helping them rapidly make a name for themselves in the mattress industry and achieving a $1.1 billion valuation within five years of their launch in 2014.
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Casper's Perfect Mattress campaign features elegant ballerinas, grumpy alligators, and happy koalas, speaking to those who feel different
Casper has been in the business of selling mattresses and bedding products since 2014. The company has focused on people's sleep problems and their mattress-shopping problems, aiming to provide customers with a better sleep and shopping experience. Casper's marketing strategy has been to make customers covet the experience of buying, much like how Tiffany's Blue Box became almost as desired as the product inside.
Casper's "Perfect Mattress" campaign featured elegant ballerinas, grumpy alligators, and happy koalas on its posters. This inclusive approach spoke to those who felt different and helped the brand grow larger. The campaign was designed to include people from all walks of life, targeting anyone who wished to get a good night's sleep. By showcasing diverse imagery, Casper ensured that consumers felt included and valued.
The company's marketing methods extend beyond traditional advertising. In 2015, Casper launched Van Winkle's, an independent media site with a focus on sleep. The site was staffed with journalists and had a budget of about $1 million, with the sole rule being that they couldn't write about mattresses. Casper also created unboxing videos, generating a wave of similar content from proud owners showcasing their new Casper mattress.
In addition to its online presence, Casper has experimented with physical retail spaces. In 2017, Casper partnered with Target to place its mattresses and bedding products in 1,000 Target locations. Casper also opened its first permanent showroom in New York, featuring The Dreamery—a sleep-inducing environment where customers could schedule a 45-minute nap break in Casper-equipped sleep pods.
Casper's innovative marketing strategies, both online and offline, have contributed to its success in selling mattresses and creating a unique brand experience.
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Casper's sleep journalism, Van Winkle's, was set up to drive organic search traffic and build an advertising audience
Casper has been innovative in its marketing strategy, focusing on the customer's experience and sleep problems rather than just the product. The company has used social media and unboxing videos to great effect, creating a buzz around its mattress-in-a-box concept. Casper also opened The Dreamery, a space where people could experience a 45-minute nap in a Casper-equipped sleep pod, enhancing the customer experience and creating a unique retail environment.
In 2015, Casper launched Van Winkle's, an independent media site with a focus on sleep. The site was staffed by journalists and had an annual budget of $1 million. The aim was to create an editorial vertical dedicated to sleep, with the understanding that this would benefit Casper in the long run. The content was not about Casper's products but about helping people explore the world of sleep.
Despite the initial success and accolades, Van Winkle's had no clear monetization strategy, and Casper shut it down in 2017. The closure of Van Winkle's highlights the challenges of brand journalism and the difficulty of measuring its impact on brand awareness and sales. However, it is worth noting that Casper's devotion to the publication did not last long, with the editor-in-chief, Jeff Koyen, being let go in 2016.
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Frequently asked questions
Casper is not advertising to sleep without sheets. In fact, Casper sells sheets and pillows, in addition to its mattresses.
Casper's marketing strategy is to focus on the customer's experience of buying a mattress, rather than just the product itself. This includes an emphasis on convenience, with mattresses delivered straight to the customer's door in a compact box.
Casper advertises on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. They have also advertised in subway stations and on taxis in New York and San Francisco.
Van Winkle's was an independent media site focused on sleep, with an annual budget of about $1 million. It was staffed with journalists and was not allowed to write about mattresses.
The Dreamery is a Casper-equipped space with nine sleep pods where people can schedule a 45-minute nap break. It also includes a lounge area with coffee, bathrobes, earplugs, and makeup wipes.
