General, page-561

posted July 18 2019 by Kristina Monllos

A year ago, Tuft & Needle, one of the first DTC mattress brands on the market, was in talks to
merge with Serta Simmons Bedding (SSB). Now, 10 months after finalizing that merger, Tuft &
Needle’s co-founders are helping SSB shake up its product lines, ramp up direct channels and,
of course, change the company’s approach to marketing.


“They are going to need to advertise the way that we do,” said J.T. Marino, co-founder of Tuft &
Needle and now chief strategy officer for SSB, adding that SSB’s marketing was typically
focused on attracting retailers to its brands rather than selling directly to consumers.
“It might be controversial for retailers to see Serta advertising for itself, but that’s going to create
demand and foot traffic into those retail stores.”

It’s unclear when exactly SSB will implement that marketing change but, according to Marino,
it will happen soon after the company rolls out rebuilt websites and updated product lines
across the SSB’s brands.

Much of what the Tuft & Needle co-founders are charged with bringing to SSB is that direct-to-
consumer model to the company’s brands. Since the merger, Marino has been working to
educate SSB on the importance of the direct channel and why the company, which has been
reliant on big mattress retailers, needs a direct line with its consumers. Still, getting the
company to make that a priority has been difficult. It’s early days, so it’s unclear how this
change will play out, but the company will look at how its new approach will help grow the brands.



https://digiday.com/marketing/one-year-merger-tuft-needle-bringing-dtc-approach-serta-simmons/