Sit 'n Sleep ad campaign puts spotlight on dust mites
David Perry, Bedding editor -- Furniture Today, November 16, 2009
GARDENA, Calif. — Bedding veteran Larry Miller, boldly venturing where few dare to tread, is making the yucky dust mite the villain in a new marketing direction for the leading bedding specialty retailer.
Miller, president of Sit 'n Sleep, a 22-unit sleep shop chain based here, has been talking about dust mites directly and powerfully in commercials and in media interviews. His aim is not to turn consumers off with his blunt talk, but rather to educate them about the insidious impact that dust mites can have in sleep sets.
Miller, a fixture in the company's ads for years, tries a new approach with the dust mites, one designed to encourage consumers to replace their beds after eight years of use. Like the dust mite strategy, the “Replace Every 8” message is a novel one in the industry.
“Just because you can keep a mattress forever doesn't mean you should,” Miller says in one of the commercials. “After eight years, a mattress loses most of its support and cushioning.”
Then Miller brings in dust mites. “And something else happens,” he continues, pulling on a gas mask. The mattress can double in weight due to sweat, dead skin and dust mites, he says, making a sound of disgust.
“To find out how old your mattress is, check the mattress tag,” Miller continues. “If it's over eight, it's time to replace.”
He ends with a call to action to buy a new bed from Sit 'n Sleep: “Say hello to savings and say goodbye to dust mites.”
Bedding observers say the marketing direction is unusual in that it directly addresses a negative: Dust mites. While dust mites are known to cause a number of problems for sleepers, including allergic reactions, few retailers discuss them in their advertising or marketing.
But Miller believes that negative issues can be addressed if consumers are offered solutions to the negatives that are raised. And a new bed, in his view, is the perfect solution to old, dust mite-laced beds.
“Your mattress is the perfect place for dust mites and their good friends, bacteria, to reside,” Sit 'n Sleep says on its Web site. “Yep, you heard right. Millions of dust mites can live in a single old mattress alone. Your body heat and dead skin cells provide dust mites with the perfect home, one that keeps them warm and well fed. Dust mites feed on the skin cells your body sheds at night and their droppings are a major source of discomfort for allergy sufferers. While you may be saving money by putting off buying a new mattress, sleeping on one that is infested with dust mites and other allergens can cause you to lose sleep and productivity during the day.”
But relief is just a new mattress away, the company says: “After purchasing a new mattress, many who suffer from night-time allergies and congestion feel instantly relieved, not only from an allergy-free night's sleep, but from being able to enjoy their waking hours free from the burden of exhaustion.”
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