Not to be contrary, but traditional mattress branding and advertisements over the past few decades have been kind of a snooze. Perhaps rightfully so, since the product they are selling is a good night’s sleep, or perhaps because the market had it wrong and was focused on selling a commodity to large retailers who would then try to sell this product to consumers. The new boom in made-to-order and bed-in-a-box brands, however, is shaking up this sleepy industry in a way that all other industries should take notice of.
They are building personable brands that resonate directly with consumers, along with a better, more practical product that people are actually excited about. There can be a lot learned about brand development, boosting brand visibility and marketing from this now competitive industry, and those who are leading it.
The Eve Marketing Strategy
A mattress is certainly about much more than something to sleep on, which is a concept that Eve Sleep embraces and has been the platform from which to grow their incredibly personable and relatable brand. Instead of focusing on sleep and never wanting to get out of bed, Eve focused rather on waking up refreshed, energetic, and ready to take on the world, coining their slogan “every great day starts the night before.”
Like their slogan, the company itself is sunny and energetic, which comes across in the packaging and products alike; the iconic yellow on every Eve product makes you think of sunshine and good mornings, and the box in which it arrives playfully declares “wakey wakey” and offers numerous quotes and facts about sleep and living a purposeful, driven life. At the end of the day, we don’t live to sleep, we sleep in order to live better, and a better night’s sleep will help us achieve all that we want to do with our lives one day at a time.
It seems that this fresh approach is working out quite well for Eve, with 45,260 mattresses sold to date and they are currently operational in 12 countries. They sell only 6 products: the mattress (which varies only in size), the topper, the pillow, the sheets, the duvet, and the protector. The minimal product approach is based on a “only the best will do” philosophy; they believe that they have perfected their designs, and it can’t get any better than perfect now can it? Boasting the “world’s most comfortable mattress” on their homepage might be a tall claim to some, but many voices are singing their praise in the form of reviews and social media posts that help this bold claim ring true. They have even been featured in CoolBrands® 2016/2017, which is a list of the most coveted brands in the UK.
The Eve Difference
Although Eve isn’t the only bed-in-a-box retailer on the scene, they still lead the market for a few very good reasons. Competing with the likes of Simba, Casper, and Leesa, Eve still holds an incredible foothold, not only because of a fantastic product, but because of a well-built brand that people recognize and love. Luke Hakes, director at Octopus Ventures technology fund, credits a lot of this success to Eve being the first on the scene, creating a “noise” that will make it difficult for “some players in Europe […] to get mindshare and market share” (Financial Times). Hakes told the Financial Times that he does believe that there is room in the market for newcomers, but that they will be facing stark competition with Eve.
Although the early bird usually gets the worm, what makes Eve stand out above the rest goes beyond being the first to the party. They will continue to gain market share and remain a large competitor simply because they are loved. With an extensive social media following and continued backing by investors, it looks as if upwards is the only way for Eve Sleep.
