how four brands captured the bedroom market with paid media
Direct-to-consumer bedding brands such as Casper, Purple and Brooklinen grew through paid media, and Casper shows the limit of that model. CNBC reported that Casper was once valued at $1.1 billion as a private business, priced its February 2020 IPO at $12 a share, and agreed in November 2021 to a $6.90 a share take-private by Durational Capital Management. The deal closed in January 2022.
Why did bedding brands rely on paid media?
Bedding brands relied on paid media because an online mattress buyer never sees the product before ordering, so every sale has to be won through an ad, a landing page and a trial offer. CNN reported that Casper started in April 2014 and went on to sell through a trial period and heavy advertising.
Other brands used different proof. Purple demonstrated its gel grid, most visibly through the raw egg drop video, and Brooklinen sold sheets through editorial content on thread count and weave. EPR's comparison of six bedding PR models sets those approaches side by side.
How does a bedding brand funnel work?
A bedding brand funnel moves a buyer from awareness to consideration to purchase, and each stage uses different paid channels. The table shows the buyer question at each stage and the channels that answer it.
The funnel breaks when spending concentrates at the bottom. A brand that buys only branded search and retargeting has little awareness to convert, so each additional customer costs more than the last.
What happened to Casper when ad-led growth stalled?
Casper reached a take-private at far below its peak valuation after years of advertising-led growth. CNBC reported that the February 2020 IPO priced at $12 a share and opened at $14.50, a valuation of about $575 million, while the company had once been valued at $1.1 billion as a private business.
Business Insider calculated the $6.90 a share deal at roughly $286 million and reported a $25.3 million net loss for the third quarter of 2021, on record quarterly revenue of $156.5 million. The company's SEC filing shows the acquisition closed on January 25, 2022, and Casper stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
How do certifications and showrooms reduce paid media risk?
Certifications and showrooms give a bedding brand proof that a buyer can check without relying on an ad. Saatva sells online and backs purchases with a small number of showrooms, and Nest Bedding runs showrooms alongside its online store.
Bedding brands should pair every paid channel with proof a buyer can verify. Three steps follow from the Casper case and the funnel above:
Name the proof the brand can document, such as a certification, a showroom, a product demonstration or years of independent coverage, and build the PR program around it first.
Spread spending across all three funnel stages so that awareness spending feeds the search and retargeting spending at the bottom.
Track which pages ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity cite when a shopper asks a category question such as "best organic mattress," and publish the missing facts on pages those assistants can read.
Disclosure: Everything-PR News, LLC and 5W Public Relations share a common ownership group. Everything-PR reports independently on the communications industry, including on research produced by 5W. Editorial decisions are made by Everything-PR's editorial team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which bedding brands built their business on paid media?
Casper is the clearest example, because it sold through a trial period and heavy advertising. Purple and Brooklinen also relied on paid and owned media, with a product demonstration and editorial content as their main proof.
What happened to Casper after its IPO?
Casper agreed in November 2021 to be taken private by Durational Capital Management at $6.90 a share. According to its SEC filing, the deal closed on January 25, 2022, and the stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
Do showrooms help online bedding brands?
Showrooms let a buyer test a mattress before ordering. Saatva and Nest Bedding both pair online sales with physical locations.
How do bedding brands get named in AI answers?
EPR's directional prompt audit found that assistants name different bedding brands depending on the category slot in the question. Certifications, years of independent coverage and physical retail presence give assistants facts they can cite.
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
