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Mattress source Bemco still likes newspapers

Offers retailers comprehensive ad kit

David Perry -- Furniture Today, April 24, 2009

DES PLAINES, Ill. — Don't write those obituaries about newspapers just yet, says Daryl Tarbutton. Retailers shouldn't underestimate the ongoing power of newspaper ads, he suggests.

Bemco President Daryl Tarbutton shows the promotional materials his group offers to its dealers.

The president of bedding source Bemco Associates contends that newspaper ads remain vital for bedding retailers, and says his company continues to emphasize that with a comprehensive ad kit for Bemco dealers.

"Newspaper ads are still critical for furniture and bedding stores," Tarbutton said. "While newspapers are having some problems, surveys say that retailers are not transferring that newspaper money to the Internet."

He noted that a recent survey by Furniture/Today found that 79% of the retailers surveyed use newspapers to advertise, channeling 35% of their advertising budgets to that medium.

Tarbutton also tracks furniture and bedding stores' advertising practices, and he finds that newspaper ads remain vibrant. Newspaper ad inserts "are still very strong," he said, and regular newspaper ads are also key elements of many retailers' ad programs.

The Bemco newspaper ad kit for 2009 features a full complement of promotional themes, ranging from a Bemco Posture sleep set sale to a Memorial Day sale, and from a premium mattress sale to a "king for the price of a queen" sale.

The ads are provided on a CD in Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator with pre-prepared fonts and complete artwork. According to the company, "The kits support Bemco retailer success with dynamic, effective promotional tools that maximize each sale opportunity."

The newspaper ad kits have been a tradition at Bemco since 2000.

"The key to the kit's continuing effectiveness is that it provides Bemco retailers with monthly ads for an entire year of continuous advertising exposure to create a strong market presence," Tarbutton said.

In tough times, he continued, some bedding retailers cut back on their ad budgets and thus reduce their presence in the marketplace - a big mistake.

"Continuity is the most important thing in bedding advertising," Tarbutton said. "Retailers need to run some type of ad. Even if they are running smaller ads, or not running as many inserts, they need to stay in front of the consumer. Retailers need to keep advertising. They need some type of continuous ad program."

That continuity is important, according to Tarbutton, because consumers need new bedding every day. "Even in this economy," he said, "bedding is sold everyday, and our ad kit helps steer those sales to Bemco retailers through a highly effective promotional medium."

Tarbutton is counting on Bemco's ad kit, and other dealer materials, to help the company's retail partners grow their business this year.

"I'm hopeful there will be some kind of rebound later this year," he said. "Summer and fall are the key seasons for bedding. I'm hopeful that business will pick up by then."

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Bemco offers newspaper ad kit

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