Q1) How big a threat is the ‘direct to consumer’ mattress is to the traditional ‘Big

Mattress’?

Answer: With the market being dominated by the traditional channels of sales for matters,
the ‘direct to consumer’ channel of mattress doesn’t seem to be of any threat. As people are
used to the conventional way of buying mattress.
Although this doesn’t take way the strides of the ‘direct to consumer’ market. The first in
this industry have done well to emerge in the industry. With relatively lower prices being
offered and providing an ease for customers, the direct to customer industry was doing well.
With their lower price point and delivery style they will be able to appeal to the group of
people from the ages 22-30. In this group specifically people who have just finished
university, are focused on their careers and have not looking for a permanent residence.
Apart from that, since mattress have a working life of about 7 years, people would want to
invest their time and test the mattress at the traditional stores before buying one. Although
Casper offered a 100 day trial period but returning a mattress sounds very troublesome
Hence no, ‘direct to consumer’ mattress don’t pose a threat to ‘Big Mattress’.

Q2) How was Casper able to differentiate itself from other 'direct to consumer' firms?
Why was it able to pass by direct to consumer pioneer Tuft and Needle?

Answer: Casper communication strategy is what stands out and was pivotal in helping
Casper differentiate it from the other firms in the ‘direct to consumer’ market. They used
channels like podcast, radio, posters at subway stations etc to connect with their target
consumers. Which is mainly why they are able to push ahead of Tuft and Needle. Apart from
that they used the press wisely. Their strategy was not just to sell the mattress, but they also
wanted to sell their story. Their story also is very simple. Casper just wants to sell the ‘same
mattress to everyone’. Which mean they business model is not too complex. This helps
them stand out as well and also that they offered free shipping, the 100 day trial policy and
most importantly the mattress could be delivered in a box. The simplicity of the process and
their story helped them stand out. People complained that buying mattress the
conventional way was ‘the worst buying experience in the world’ hence Casper just made it
simple.

Q3) Evaluate Casper's promotional strategy from launch to September 2015. Did the initial
focus on 'earned,' rather than paid media make sense? Why or why not?

Answer: Their initial strategy of earning the talkability of the brand worked. Before direct to
consumer market of mattress, buying mattress was a hefty task and people despised it. Now
when this new concept was introduced, it created talkability about the consumers. Now
Casper comes it, offers 100 day trial, Free delivery and quality mattress. They did not
position themselves as the cheap and affordable mattress like the one at Ikea, instead they
said quality mattress at 1/3 the price and now they wanted people to talk about how good
and cheap the mattress was. This way they were able to avoid the tag of ‘budget mattress.
And initially when they got the people to talk and understand the story of Casper they then
went for other media avenues to capitalize on the talkability they are created or earned
before. Through their early use of media such a podcasts and talk shows etc they wanted to
speak directly to the audience which was successful.
Q4) What is the appropriate mission for Casper communications? To Chief Creative
Officer, Luke Sherman, 'its all about brand love.' To CEO Philip Krim, its 'sales performance
in the short term.'

Answer: I believe that Casper should stick to the ‘it’s all about brand love’. As the brand is
new into the market, it will need some brand loyalty to penetrate the market. It will need
the talkability and word of mouth. Casper is trying to change the traditional system of
mattress sales and if it focusses on sales then it will lose that connection with people. Casper
is better of telling its ‘Story’ to people. Casper’s USP is that its buying process is very simple.
People don’t have to go through the hectic routine. Everything can be done online. But to be
able to communicate that well with the customers it will need a connection with its
consumers.

Q5) With ambitions to establish itself as the 'Nike of sleep,' what messages and media mix
would you recommend to Casper for the next phase? In particular, should Casper begin to
use television as a medium or not?

Answer: Nike is of sleep is a faulty comparison. The functionality of Nike products are very
different from that of mattress and their life cycle is also short. However, if referring to the
brand image of Nike then I feel that that’s not quite achievable by Casper. Nikes are widely
worn and are known for their superior functionality. However, Casper’s Mattress only fulfils
the basic functionality and doesn’t not feature the superior feature of a high-end mattress.

Regarding the communication and marketing strategy. I think that Casper should stick to
their current strategy but expand to more cities to grab those markets. They should focus on
getting their ‘story out in the market of other cities.

Apart from they could partner with a restaurant or diner and introduce breakfast in bed.
Where they could open a flagship breakfast diner and people could come in a breakfast
served in bed to put forward their story, similar to their photoshoot where they showed a
couple on their mattress. Or they could place their mattress at aesthetic locations across the
city and people can simply come in and lie there and get a feel of their mattress.

Lastly, Casper should not begin advertising on the TV. They should focus on the current
channels. TV ads are more for the masses are suitable for conventional mattress brands but
not Casper. Casper needs to connect with its consumers directly and build trust with them.