It starts with a great product that solves a problem. But we’ve also done a lot of heavy lifting in promoting the Kickstarter. No Kickstarter program is successful without a marketing strategy behind it.
Is there anything better than a good night’s sleep? Is there anything worse than a bad night’s sleep? We live our lives in pursuit of that ever elusive solid sleep routine, going to all kinds of lengths to get it. For some of us that means a dependence on melatonin (What? No, YOU’RE an addict, Stephen), and for others that means spending thousands of dollars on a “quality mattress” which is just the worst because there are so many more fun things you can buy with $5,000. Like a lot of melatonin.
The sleep and mattress industry is ripe for disruption and like many successful startups that have come before, Purple has recognized the potential to change the mattress industry and offer consumers the best sleep of their lives at an affordable price.
Purple co-founders Tony and Terry Pearce hold 34 advanced cushioning patents, sixteen of which have been used in creating Purple products so far. The Purple Mattress Kickstarter launched one year ago, raising $171,000 with the help of this viral video:
Since then, the company has grown from 30 to 340 employees and moved into a 574,000 square-foot manufacturing building.The Kickstarter campaign for the Purple Pillow went live at 7:30 am on September 22, exactly one year after the Purple Mattress Kickstarter launched, and was fully funded by 10:30 am. As I write this, the campaign has raised $1,758,505 from 12,571 backers. And the campaign still has four days left.
Of their enormous Kickstarter success, Director of Communications Dan Bischoff says, “It starts with a great product that solves a problem. But we’ve also done a lot of heavy lifting in promoting the Kickstarter. No Kickstarter program is successful without a marketing strategy behind it.” Much of that strategy focuses on making viewers and potential customer laugh.
“We make it a priority to be funny, honest, and personable,” Senior Marketing Specialist Savannah Turk says. “It’s important to us that everyone with a Purple product feels like they’re part of the family. And we just love making people laugh so we’re excited when we can do that through our marketing.” That emphasis on humor is evident in the clever Purple Pillow video that follows in the footsteps of the Purple Mattress video that has millions of views.
“Our fans have made a huge impact on the success of this Kickstarter,” says Turk. “We are lucky to have customers who are excited enough about Purple to give us a chance when we introduce a different, new technology, and then to share that with their friends and families. They are our biggest advocates and defenders.”On September 29, the Purple team announced the appointment of Sam Bernards, former Walmart director, as their new CEO. “I joined Purple because I wanted to be a part of a company that has the ability to solve the very real pain of uncomfortable sleep for millions — and soon billions — of people,” says Bernards. “At a time when the bed industry is just beginning to experience a renaissance, I am thrilled to be a part of Purple’s role in transforming the quality and comfort of people’s lives.” With Bernards leading the company, co-founders Terry and Tony Pearce will be able to focus on research and development. Tony Pearce says, “Sam has deep experience in the retail and supply chain sector and will move the company forward with the speed required to capitalize on the opportunities in front of us.”
The Purple team plans to launch four new products by the end of this year. “You spend one third of your life sleeping, but it’s something that until recently has been largely ignored by innovators,” Turk says. “We hope to address that with these upcoming products.”
