Simmons Issues Nationwide "Wake-Up Call": 1999 National Consumer Campaign Helps Americans Achieve Smarter and Safer Sleep Routines

Furniture World Magazine

Let's say... you know the ramifications of losing just an hour of sleep; or you know how to manage your sleep schedule while traveling; or you understand the importance of maintaining maximum alertness while on the road -- chances are you've "awakened" to Simmons Company's 1999 consumer campaign. Designed to encourage consumers to "re-evaluate" their overall sleep habits, Simmons' program is a three-tiered, educational campaign that emphasizes the importance of achieving quality sleep by practicing sound sleep routines - the cornerstone of Simmons' "Better Sleep Through Science " positioning. The initiative enlists the expertise of Simmons' exclusive partner, Dr. James B. Maas, best-selling author of Power Sleep, and will kick-off in April with daylight-saving time and culminate in June with National Safety Month. "Better Sleep through Science means more than developing the best products on the market. It has to be reinforced with healthy sleep regimens on the part of the end users," said Don Hofmann, vice president of advertising for Simmons Company. "With our consumer public relations initiatives, Simmons seeks to empower consumers beyond the purchase so that their sleep routines complement their sleep surfaces and maximize their potential for achieving quality sleep." Supporting each component of the comprehensive campaign is a sleep guide co-authored by Simmons and Dr. Maas entitled " Wake- Up Call: A Guide to Getting a Good Night's Sleep," which educates readers on how to achieve quality sleep. Available free by calling 1-877-4U2- (482-7378), the guide includes Dr. Maas' Golden Rules of Sleep and sleep strategies, sleep tips for travelers and a quick and easy sleep quiz to determine sleep deprivation. I. Springing Forward -- A Perfect "Time" to "Change" Using daylight-saving time as the springboard for Simmons' 1999 consumer public relations efforts, Simmons positioned Dr. Maas for a variety of media interviews to alert consumers to the consequences of losing an hour of sleep, as well as offer solutions for managing effective sleep schedules year-round. Starting on Monday, April 5 -- the first weekday after the springtime change -- Dr. Maas conducted interviews on local television morning shows nationwide to deliver quality sleep messages. To ensure Simmons' Better Sleep Through Science/quality of sleep message saturates all audiences, the daylight-saving time kick-off also includes: An element to hit radio listeners during morning drive-time, A press kit distribution to major newspapers nationwide to help educate their readers on the importance of the issue and ways to maximize their sleep hours.