OkiOki
Laying the competition to rest.
A Challenge In A Box.
Powerhouse furniture company, Noble House, came to Brand Knew looking to effectively penetrate an already vastly saturated market. The mattress-in-a-box industry, with successful brands like Casper, Purple, and Leesa, is dauntingly crowded for start-ups wanting a piece of this valuable pie. But Noble House’s decades of experience in the furniture industry gave them a leg up on the competition. This infrastructure, coupled with Brand Knew’s creative suite across branding, web design, product development, marketing approach, paid media strategy, and social marketing approach, put an emerging OkiOki brand in the position to lay the competition to rest.
OkiOki > Counting Sheep.
The goal was simple: create a brand robust enough to compete with the already established juggernauts of the mattress space. First step? Name said brand. We researched various countries and the different ways in which sleep was part of each culture, and we stumbled upon an interesting consideration. New Zealand is one of the only countries in the world where sheep outnumber humans. And while counting sheep remains a storied bedtime practice, we continued digging to see if there was more to uncover. In the native language of New Zealand’s indigenous people, the Māori word for “rest and relaxation” is OkiOki. This word immediately shined through as a fun, playful, memorable word that would sway in people’s minds like a pleasant dream. With just two syllables, we developed a brand identity that was simple, easily recognizable, and interesting.
OkiOki > Counting Sheep.
The goal was simple: create a brand robust enough to compete with the already established juggernauts of the mattress space. First step? Name said brand. We researched various countries and the different ways in which sleep was part of each culture, and we stumbled upon an interesting consideration. New Zealand is one of the only countries in the world where sheep outnumber humans. And while counting sheep remains a storied bedtime practice, we continued digging to see if there was more to uncover. In the native language of New Zealand’s indigenous people, the Māori word for “rest and relaxation” is OkiOki. This word immediately shined through as a fun, playful, memorable word that would sway in people’s minds like a pleasant dream. With just two syllables, we developed a brand identity that was simple, easily recognizable, and interesting.
A Mattress For Everyone, Is A Mattress For No One.
Brand Knew then performed an extensive competitive analysis. This was a significant undertaking because of how saturated the market is. Based on strong, existing relationships, infrastructure, and manufacturing facilities, we worked with Noble House to ensure that OkiOki mattresses could enter the market at a lower price than most of its competitors. But we knew that competitive pricing alone would not make for a successful brand. Casper, Purple, and Leesa all claim to offer the best mattress… just one perfect mattress. But how could one mattress be right for everyone? Humans are wildly different from one another and have unique sleep needs based on preferences and health considerations. We decided to offer a variety of mattress types, ranging in firmness and construction. All mattresses feature high-quality foams, motion-isolating properties, cooling layers, while pricing well under the competition, at just $550 for a high-quality, Queen size mattress.
Not Your Nama’s Bedtime Story.
Brand Knew identified an opportunity in what was missing from the core messaging of its key competitors’ marketing language. There was no transparency in their offerings. Brand Knew set forth to craft a fresh marketing approach based on two core tenets. First, consumers should not have to compromise on comfort and quality simply because of cost. OkiOki’s competitors were selling standardized offerings marketed as independently engineered products. Second, OkiOki would be positioned as bringing honesty and transparency to the mattress industry – showing customers what true affordability and quality look like.
Not Your Nama’s Bedtime Story.
Brand Knew identified an opportunity in what was missing from the core messaging of its key competitors’ marketing language. There was no transparency in their offerings. Brand Knew set forth to craft a fresh marketing approach based on two core tenets. First, consumers should not have to compromise on comfort and quality simply because of cost. OkiOki’s competitors were selling standardized offerings marketed as independently engineered products. Second, OkiOki would be positioned as bringing honesty and transparency to the mattress industry – showing customers what true affordability and quality look like.
Got Your Back.
With specific marketing objectives in place, and a plan to broadcast OkiOki’s message across all viable touchpoints, Brand Knew began building a comprehensive website with a goal of educating, exciting, and converting prospects into customers. The product pages were customized to provide additional product-specific content, recommendations, reviews, and specifications as well as a better user experience when selecting products and upsell add-ons. The cart was also optimized to slide in, allowing the user to stay on an existing page, while continuing to shop. Additionally, the window was built to provide recommendations and important notices, such as shipping times. The checkout pop-up page was updated with a custom design to match the rest of the site and provide helpful information and notifications. After months of development, design, and QA testing, Brand Knew built a data-driven sleep quiz to analyze each customer’s needs and offer a personalized recommendation based on their specific sleep preferences.
Spreading The ZZZ’s.
Beyond simply driving sales, Brand Knew sought to establish OkiOki as the “anti-mattress” mattress brand; one that, in the name of transparency, would reveal aspects of the mattress industry that our competitors prefer to keep quiet. Revealing one company’s wildly high per mattress margin, or another’s lavish advertising budget costs that were being tacked onto consumers, served as provocative anchors to make consumers think and to develop trust across social media and other digital channels.
The well-known marketing expression, “sharing the right message, with the right consumer, at the right time” rings true in our approach with OkiOki, as we’ve leveraged data from third-party providers and demand-side platforms to hone in on how to precisely reach consumers near the moments of intent to purchase mattresses.
Don’t Doze On Data.
Armed with an audience of millions of relevant prospects, Brand Knew thoughtfully constructed a comprehensive paid media funnel. After exposing consumers to broad appeal ads that evoked our tenets of transparency and price competitiveness, engaged users were served a steady drip campaign of various types of content, designed to persuade them towards next steps — a product page view, an add-to-cart, a purchase. This content includes blog posts, infographics, dynamic product ads, static and animated banners, and dynamic retargeting mailers that are sent to prospective customers’ homes after they have taken purchase-oriented action on the website.
The principal advertising challenge for OkiOki was positioning our data collection and consumer research such that we could scale efforts without losing the efficiency of our advertising budget. Using advanced data modeling, and iterative testing of new platforms and tactics, we uncovered new audiences at a cost far less than targeting traditional “buyer personas” online.
Though we are still building on the vision that will ultimately put OkiOki at the forefront of the mattress industry, the success and momentum we’ve had to date, indicate a significant growth opportunity for the brand.
Don’t Doze On Data.
Armed with an audience of millions of relevant prospects, Brand Knew thoughtfully constructed a comprehensive paid media funnel. After exposing consumers to broad appeal ads that evoked our tenets of transparency and price competitiveness, engaged users were served a steady drip campaign of various types of content, designed to persuade them towards next steps — a product page view, an add-to-cart, a purchase. This content includes blog posts, infographics, dynamic product ads, static and animated banners, and dynamic retargeting mailers that are sent to prospective customers’ homes after they have taken purchase-oriented action on the website.
The principal advertising challenge for OkiOki was positioning our data collection and consumer research such that we could scale efforts without losing the efficiency of our advertising budget. Using advanced data modeling, and iterative testing of new platforms and tactics, we uncovered new audiences at a cost far less than targeting traditional “buyer personas” online.
Though we are still building on the vision that will ultimately put OkiOki at the forefront of the mattress industry, the success and momentum we’ve had to date, indicate a significant growth opportunity for the brand.
The Snuggle Is Real.
Brand Knew continued the broad rollout by developing a social strategy bold enough to warrant attention in a crowded marketplace. The goal was to make OkiOki come to life through a thought-provoking and engaging narrative across social media. Brand Knew developed a strategy hinged on 3 core pillars — unmatched customer service, a bold voice, unafraid to call out the competition, and a finger on the pulse of all relevant social conversation and trends. The OkiOki social accounts respond to every user across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This attentive dedication to our customers does not go unnoticed by the community and has fostered notable goodwill for the brand. There is a purpose behind each reply — OkiOki has a mattress for everyone, because we can relate to each of our customers individually.
A Strong Foundation.
Once we found success in our mattresses, we took what felt like the appropriate next step into additional sleep-related products. With our furniture, we used the same approach: high-quality products at an affordable price. Above all else, we knew we could not skimp on materials and craftsmanship, yet we had the advantage on cost due to Noble House’s existing infrastructure and relationships in the manufacturing space. Initially, we expanded the OkiOki product line to include foundations. Next, we launched a successful Mid-Century bedroom furniture collection. By offering furniture-specific bundles, we substantially drove up our average order value resulting in a sales spike and returning customers eager for new OkiOki products.
A Strong Foundation.
Once we found success in our mattresses, we took what felt like the appropriate next step into additional sleep-related products. With our furniture, we used the same approach: high-quality products at an affordable price. Above all else, we knew we could not skimp on materials and craftsmanship, yet we had the advantage on cost due to Noble House’s existing infrastructure and relationships in the manufacturing space. Initially, we expanded the OkiOki product line to include foundations. Next, we launched a successful Mid-Century bedroom furniture collection. By offering furniture-specific bundles, we substantially drove up our average order value resulting in a sales spike and returning customers eager for new OkiOki products.
Rest Easy.
It is our unique positioning, brazen attitude, and dedication to customers that has made OkiOki a standout among competitors. The positive response to OkiOki has been staggering. Not only have the products outperformed projections, but brand awareness continues to grow exponentially. Brand Knew continues to solidify OkiOki as the mattress company for “everyone,” while strategically optimizing and expanding the company’s product lines to cater to an ever-evolving space. Noble House and Brand Knew will not rest until we’ve put the competition to bed.
