OUR CHALLENGE
For over 150 years, Swedish bed maker Hästens had built a robust business on the Northern European principles of superior functionality and lasting quality. The brand hit rough seas, however, when crossing the Atlantic, where the U.S. market choked on the comparatively astronomical price point of beds ranging from $5,000 to $65,000. Hastens challenged Barker DZP to reposition the brand for global growth outside its Scandinavian stronghold.

SOLUTION
The agency developed a complete inversion of Hästens’ existing strategy, focusing not on the functional benefits such as comfort and durability, but instead on the creation of a “Category of One” – developing the first and only luxury brand in the bedding category. Central to the repositioning was a “drive to web” strategy behind global print advertising, encouraging consumers to develop “connoisseurship” in the beds category just as they would in luxury automotive, fine watches, fashion and jewelry. To support the campaign, we developed the tagline, “The bed of your dreams,” reinforcing the aspirational nature of ownership.

RESULT
The bold new campaign received a standing ovation from over 200 independent Hästens dealers at the 2008 Global Sales meeting. Following the rollout of the campaign, web traffic increased over 1,200% vs. the previous campaign, and visits to the store locator indicated a miniscule $12 CPA for a product costing an average of $14,000. The campaign was so successful that manufacturing was unable to keep pace with demand, and the Vividus model, costing $65,000, was backordered 6 months. Today, Hästens continues its enjoy reputation as the world’s one and only luxury bed.