Wonder where the mattress business is headed? Let’s check in with our friends in the vodka category and see what clues we can find. Vodka? Yes, vodka. 

Now I must admit that I don’t have first-hand knowledge in this category. For me, single-malt Scotch is the way to go when something stronger than sweet tea is called for. But I was struck by several points in a recent Wall Street Journal column on trends in vodka-ville. 

It seems that while sales of high-priced vodka continue to grow, “just about anyone can — and is — getting into the vodka marketing game,” the Journal said. That sounds just like the bedding industry, where competition continues to grow as more and more companies roll out new products. 

It’s not enough, the column said, to assert claims of superior taste, since discerning differences between vodka brands is tough. That rings true in the bedding field as well, where consumers have a tough time sorting out the various product claims. 

The vodka houses are turning to marketing to help their products stand out in the premium field. And some have come up with an interesting angle: “green” marketing. 

The new 360 Vodka, for instance, touts a natural story. The bottle is made from recycled glass, and the label from recycled paper. The still that actually makes the vodka captures the carbon dioxide that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere. 

Then there’s Square One Organic Vodka, whose name says it all, and Ocean Vodka, whose name needs a little explanation. That Hawaiian brand takes organic vodka and cuts it with desalinated seawater, the Journal said. 

Here, too, the bedding industry tracks right along. A number of bedding companies are touting the natural components of their mattresses, ranging from organic cotton to special wool to natural latex. Frankly, those kinds of messages are a … natural. We believe more bedding companies will be moving in that direction. 

There can be no doubt that a Low Carbon Footprint Mattress is coming. And so, perhaps, is a Completely Recycled (and very carefully cleaned) Mattress. How about an Earth Bed, made from all-natural ingredients? Or an Ocean Bed, made with chambers of water? Oops, we’ve already invented that. 

Anyway, you get the idea. Let’s raise our glass and toast those crafty vodka marketers. They want to sell more of their good stuff. 

And so do we in the bedding industry.