Search for Cases

Case Details

Case Code: MKTG385
Case Length: 16 Pages 
Period: 2013 - 2019   
Pub Date: 2018
Teaching Note: Available
Price:Rs.400
Organization : Casper
Industry : Mattress
Countries : US
Themes: Experiential Marketing/Viral Marketing/Brand Management
Case Studies  
Business Strategy
Marketing
Finance
Human Resource Management
IT and Systems
Operations
Economics
Leadership & Entrepreneurship

Casper: Employing Innovative Marketing Strategies to Engage Consumers

 
<<Previous Page

EXCERPTS

A UNIQUE OPERATING MODEL

Casper started the sale of its mattress in April 2014. The mattress was available in six sizes, priced between US$550 and US$1,150. Consumers had to order it only through the company’s website. The mattress was compressed into a slick striped box, the size of a mini fridge, and was shipped directly to customers via UPS (Refer to Exhibit I for an image of the Casper box). Employing an adorable little tool offered by Casper, the customer cut open the box and the mattress unfurled and expanded to its full size. “Thanks to using some very premium materials, the beds bounce back into their old form within a matter of seconds,” remarked Krim, who was also the CEO of Casper...

 
Marketing Case Studies | Case Study in Management, Operations, Strategies, Business Environment, Case Studies
or
Marketing Case Studies | Case Study in Management, Operations, Strategies, Business Environment, Case Studies
or
PayPal (9 USD)

GENERATING BUZZ

In the initial months, demand for the mattress far outstripped the supply. This resulted in customers having to wait beyond a month for the delivery of their Casper mattress. Casper purchased air mattresses on Amazon.com and gave them as gifts to these customers. This additional care generated a huge positive buzz for the company.

A FRESH APPROACH

In 2015, Casper put up ads on the New York subway and on top of taxis. Some of the subway station ads humorously portrayed different kinds of creatures for whom Casper said it offered the perfect mattress (Refer to Exhibit III for an image of one of Casper’s ads on the New York Subway). For instance, an ad starring dinosaurs stated that Casper was “the perfect mattress for paleos,” and an ad depicting a squirrel and pigeon eating pizza claimed that Casper’s was “the perfect mattress for locals.” ..

USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Casper garnered considerable attention because of posts about it on social media by some high-profile individuals. These posts included a tweet by Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher (Kutcher), who was one of the investors in Casper. Kutcher tweeted a photo of a Casper box placed on a doorstep, resulting in 174 retweets and 690 favorites ..

LAUNCH OF NEW PRODUCTS

In November 2015, Casper launched a pillow and sheets. The pillow was available in two sizes, priced at US$75 and US$85. It was the outcome of 16 months of effort. To develop the pillow, the company procured dozens of well-reviewed pillows, ripped them apart, and experimented with the materials...
 

CREATING EXPERIENCES

Casper created several opportunities for consumers to experience its products. On Labor Day 2015, Casper took several young owners of the company’s mattresses for a boat ride around the Statue of Liberty on a boat named Good Ship Casper. The boat was equipped with the company’s mattress. The guests drank wine, bounced around the mattress, used Casper-branded handkerchiefs, and posted their photos on Instagram. Explaining why the company organized the event, Krim said, “If one person we take on this boat tells a dozen of their friends about it, that’s an amazing [return on investment].” .
 

LIMITS TO GROWTH?

Casper’s sales increased from US$100 million in 2015 to more than US$200 million in 2016 and to a further US$300 million in 2017. Its employee strength increased from 75 (as of June 2015) to 150 (as of June 2016) and to over 300 employees (as of August 2017). , , By August 2017, the company had expanded to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, France, and the U.K. As of August 2017, in several U.S. cities, Casper frequently delivered a mattress within 90 minutes of its being ordered..
 

EXHIBITS

Exhibit I: The Casper Box
Exhibit II: Casper’s Message about Filming the Unboxing of the Mattress
Exhibit III: One of Casper’s Ads on the New York Subway
Exhibit IV: Ashton Kutcher’s Tweet
Exhibit V: Kylie Jenner’s Post on Instagram
Exhibit VI: One of Casper’s Tweets.
Exhibit VII: Casper’s Facebook Post.
Exhibit VIII: The Napmobile.
Exhibit IX: A View of the Permanent Store.
Exhibit X: One of the Birdhouses.
Exhibit XI: The Nap Pods in the Dreamery.