Kingsdown introduces new logo, tools
Will appeal to the “the New Mattress Consumer”
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, June 20, 2007
MEBANE, N.C. — In a bold brand repositioning, Top 10 bedding producer Kingsdown has introduced a new corporate logo and identity designed to make a fresh, clean statement and appeal to new generations of consumers.
New Kingsdown logo is featured on retail display panel.
The new logo says: “Kingsdown. Over 100 Years of Sleep Innovation.” It replaces various logos and crests that the company has used for several years. The goal is to build on the heritage of the company while moving beyond the heraldry and taking aim at what the company calls “the New Mattress Consumer.”
That consumer, said Jim Ross, vice president of marketing, is more likely to be from Gen X or Gen Y, and she is looking for companies that create memorable experiences with their brands.
Those younger consumers, between the ages of 22 and 42, are a rising force in the market as the stalwart Baby Boom generation moves closer to retirement age. They are more likely than Boomers to increase their luxury spending and to pay premium prices for home furnishings, Ross said. They are also more likely to be in the market for new bedding.
Brands on the rise with those younger consumers, he said, include Apple, BMW, Target and Crate & Barrel, companies that those consumers view as modern and progressive.
In an effort to keep its brand fresh and to appeal to those younger consumers, Kingsdown aimed with its brand repositioning to “create a fresh, clean, modern and credible look that resonates with the target consumer,” Ross said.
The new logo symbolizes the effort. The modern Gotham type face makes a clean and straightforward statement about Kingsdown. Gone are the lions and crests that gave the past logos a royal aura, but didn’t represent the clean, understated look favored by today’s younger consumers, Ross said. He noted the powerful simplicity of logos like those for Apple, Target and Crate & Barrel, which are clean and unadorned but immediately recognizable by today’s discriminating consumers.
Eric Hinshaw, Kingsdown’s CEO, described the new logo as “cleaner and more upbeat.”
Kingsdown is applying the clean look embodied in its new logo to all of its brand “touch points,” from brochures to product labels to retail display panels. As it does, it is connecting with younger consumers’ desire to seek out companies that are fresh, modern, credible, authoritative and relevant, Ross said.
He said Kingsdown is well positioned to appeal to those consumers, with its established position as a leader in sleep science, research and technology. The company’s focus on its scientifically based selling system has helped set it apart from other companies in the bedding marketplace.
The tag line on the new logo, “Over 100 Years of Sleep Innovation,” speaks to the credibility that Kingsdown has in the market, Ross said.
Kingsdown sees an opportunity to establish itself on the “modern” end of the style range as opposed to the more traditional arena where most major bedding brands are positioned today, he said. He said it is important for bedding brands to stand out with consumers, who see considerable “industry sameness” in the market.
The company’s new direction is already getting good reviews with retailers and with consumers. Retailers visiting the company’s research and development center in Mebane, N.C., have commented on the company’s new look. “What’s really encouraging,” Ross said, “is that we have had comments like, ‘This is the Apple of mattresses. Everything is so clean.’” Comments like those show that Kingsdown is on target with its new positioning, according to Ross.
He noted that Kingsdown is not abandoning the Baby Boomers, the generation that has driven home furnishings sales for decades. For one thing, he said, the Boomers like to identify with the Gen X mindset. They don’t want to be pigeon-holed as, say, a “traditional” 50 year old. Instead, they see themselves as “still in the know” and more progressive than old-fashioned.
Kingsdown’s marketing to Gen X and Gen Y also appeals to the Boomers, Ross said. And the company’s new flagship BodyDiagnostics line, embodying the clean new look of the new corporate identify, continues to have strong appeal for the Boomers, he said.
Kingsdown President and COO Pat Flippin put it this way: “Moving to a more straightforward, scientific approach will have great appeal to the Gen X consumer. And us Baby Boomers who don’t want to admit we’re getting older will love the fresh look of the BodyDiagnostics line.”
