L&P launches revamped Virgin Mattress campaign

The campaign is accompanied by a contest and social media event

David Perry -- Furniture Today, September 8, 2010

Virgin Mattress logo

CARTHAGE, Mo. — Innerspring supplier Leggett & Platt is bringing back a revamped version of its Virgin Mattress campaign to tout its new VertiCoil Edge innerspring line.

The new campaign offers a toned-down version of the humor in the original campaign, which L&P launched in May but then pulled from the market due to some sharp criticism the company received. The new campaign has edgy humor but is not as controversial as the earlier campaign, officials said.

L&P is launching a national contest and social media campaign centered on The Virgin Mattress theme.

Visitors to L&P's The Virgin Mattress YouTube Channel can compete to win a new mattress made with VertiCoil Edge innersprings, the newest innersprings introduced by L&P. The contest runs from Sept. 7 through Oct. 11. To participate in the contest, visitors must upload a video response to The Virgin Mattress Contest video, sharing why they deserve a new mattress.

That contest is part of a social media campaign L&P has created to connect with consumers. The producer will air a series of webisodes that follows a couple in their quest to fight off an arch enemy and save the family mattress store from financial ruin. The videos go live the day the contest winner is announced, Oct. 13, the company said.

"We want to be the first to bring this kind of media to the mattress industry," said Mark Quinn, vice president of marketing for the residential furnishings segment of L&P "The Virgin Mattress campaign is back, this time with new characters and new videos that take a fun look at a couple's efforts to redeem their family mattress business. Humorous customers, sleazy salespeople and crazy bedroom stories are all incorporated into a tale that will make consumers think twice about their current mattress."

Contestants will be judged on creativity and their need for a new mattress. The winner will receive a new mattress made with L&P's VertiCoil Edge innersprings, valued at approximately $1,300, the company said.

"We're happy to award a consumer with his or her own new virgin mattress," Quinn said. "Consumers already know that a good night's sleep can improve their quality of life. We want them to also understand the role the mattress plays in their sleep, and thus their life. Life happens in the bedroom, and consumers often don't replace their mattress as frequently as they should."

L&P will support the contest and promote the webisodes through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. A Virgin Mattress-related free iPhone application will be available for download later this year.

Rules of The Virgin Mattress Contest can be found at TheVirginMattress.com.