The Client
Tuft & Needle (T&N) pioneered the disruption of the mattress industry with the first ‘bed in a box.’ Manufactured entirely in the USA, Tuft & Needle has proven that a high quality sleep experience doesn’t have to be high priced.
The Opportunity
T&N enlisted the help of Decibel Blue to publicize the brand’s first-of-a-kind Amazon brick and mortar shopping experience at their retail location launch in downtown Seattle.
Selling products through Amazon Prime, the store featured same-day, two-hour delivery, Amazon Echo shopping assistants, interactive Amazon customer reviews available on bedside tablets and one-click Amazon mobile checkout via barcodes positioned next to each Tuft & Needle product.
The goal for Decibel Blue was to generate awareness about this revolutionary shopping experience and get the public excited about the new retail location.
The Strategy
Decibel Blue devised a three-pronged strategy for reaching the wide array of stakeholders who would, hopefully, be interested in the story. Throughout the five-month planning and execution period, we crafted and distributed over 150 tailored media alerts, announcements and follow-ups.
The first phase of the campaign targeted national media, including an embargo of the pre-launch news, months before the official store opening. Next, Decibel Blue developed an exclusive preview event where local influencers, news, business and retail journalists got to experience Tuft & Needle’s brand and products first hand.
Finally, came attracting consumers to the grand opening. Decibel Blue coordinated product giveaways and partnerships with beloved local vendors as well as a charity program where 100 percent of in-store sales that day benefitted Team Rubicon, a Seattle-based disaster response veterans organization.
The Result
The response to the initial announcement was off the charts with coverage from, among others, CNBC, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Mashable and The Washington Post.
The local media and influencer event was a “who’s who” of over 27 tastemakers from Martha Stewart Living, NPR, The Seattle Times, Seattle Post, Seattleite, Gray Magazine, Alaska Airlines Magazine and many more.
In total, the announcement and retail opening generated approximately 352 million earned media impressions and 81,000 impressions from social influencers. The grand opening event was also a massive success resulting in over 150 attendees.
“Since working with the team at Decibel Blue, they have helped us elevate our PR efforts and brand awareness nationwide. I appreciate working with a company whose values are aligned with ours and are overall just a pleasure to work with on a day-to-day basis. Decibel Blue has been an incredible resource for our lean internal team and I trust them to represent our brand.”
– Brooke Medansky, Public Relations, Tuft & Needle