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Casper
Strategy + Design
Helping the disruptors of mattress buying stand for more.
4 days.
10 teams.
4 judges (2 Casper reps, 2 industry vets).
10 minutes to pitch.
Casper came to the Brandcenter wanting to experiment with a sprint model of problem solving to tackle the brand's next hurdle.
Note: This work was chosen as the winner of that sprint competition.
The Background
Since its founding almost five years ago, Casper has quickly disrupted the mattress industry and changed the way thousands of people buy their beds. But with a slew of look alike brands emerging seemingly every day, Casper knew they had to become more than just another mattress-in-a-box company, even if they were the leader in the space.
Their Ask:
How might Casper become a sleep company, not just a mattress company? What product, service, experience, or platform could differentiate Casper as the world’s most beloved sleep company?
Approach:
With only four days to work, we knew that establishing our strategic direction early on was crucial.
After probing concepts like sleep + travel, data-driven sleep, and cumulative sleep (i.e. the role of naps), we decided to narrow our focus to a new audience for Casper: New Parents.
Methodology:
To find out as much as we could in a short amount of time, we hustled to conduct:
New Parent Interviews
Childhood Sleep Consultant Interview
Analysis of the Baby Mattress Market
Learnings
1. New Parents are the ideal audience for Casper to connect with next.
Sleep is never more of a priority than in the homes of new parents with their newborn baby. They are seeking more sleep-related information and are more receptive to good advice from sources they trust than ever before.
What’s more, the sleep cycles of both newborns and their parents are in a state of flux - a perfect opportunity for the whole family to start developing good sleep habits and for Casper, a brand that many parents already trust for themselves, to help them do it.
2. The baby mattress market, much like the full-size mattress market before it, is ripe for disruption.
At the moment, there is no clear market leader within the baby mattress space (RIP Babies R Us). In fact, the top five rated baby mattresses on Amazon are all made by different brands.
Also, “Big Mattress,” (think Sealy, Serta, Sleepnumber, etc. - familiar brands that are known for their expertise in comfort and technology with adult-size mattresses) has virtually no presence in the baby mattress space.
Lastly, our interviews revealed that the majority of baby mattress research and purchasing is done online, which aligns well with Casper’s current D2C business model.
Our Solution:
What is zzZebra?
A new line of Casper products for the next generation of great sleepers.
We believe the key to developing great sleep habits is to start before bad ones have the chance to creep in. And we know that if we can help the next generation become great sleepers, parents sleep better too.
Just like zebras, families sleep best in a herd.
Introducing The Stripe
Casper's first ever baby mattress.
Designed to last as newborns grow, The Stripe is two-sided with two different levels of firmness.
One side is extra firm to optimize sleep for newborns and reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
The flip side is softer and more plush, making the mattress less springy and, thus, more difficult to be used like a trampoline as toddlers try to climb over the walls of their crib.
Design Specs
Additional Products
We updated Casper's current cotton products to fit visually with the zzZebra line.
We also introduced two new products, the zzZebra body pillow and the zzZebra travel mat to address two basic needs we uncovered in our research: the fact that expecting mother's don't sleep well, while newborns can sleep just about anywhere.
Packaging
The classic Casper convenience of doorstep delivery isn't going anywhere...it's just showing up in a slightly smaller box.
Sounds to Snooze to
A new podcast is a quick win with
sleep-deprived parents.
Casper can establish itself as a thought leader in sleep with new parents, whether they own a Casper mattress themselves or not.
Hospital Partnership
To introduce The Stripe to newborns and new parents alike, Casper can partner with major hospitals in key markets to replace maternity ward baby mattresses with The Stripe, thus ensuring that the newest generation can experience great sleep from day one.
The Team
Paige Rollins, XD
Luke Colombo, CBM
(Sparse, I know).
We were allowed up to 7 members on our team, but Paige and I decided to take an unconventional route, believing that a more nimble team setup would be beneficial.
My Role
Strategic Direction
New Parent Interviews
Childhood Sleep Consultant Interview
Baby Mattress Market Analysis
Baby Mattress Pricing Model
Website and Social Copywriting
Absolutely none of the Visual Design (go check out Paige's work, she's rad.)
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