Add a BOGO to This Cause Marketing Promotion

Yesterday Tempur-Pedic, which sells mattresses, ended a month-long promotion in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. When you took a test-rest on one of their mattresses at participating retailers, and then activated online a validation code, a $10 donation was made to the cause, up to a $100,000 maximum.

Pancreatic cancer is among the deadliest. In 2010 43,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with the disease and 37,000 died (although not necessary in the year they were diagnosed). Six percent of all cancer deaths are attributable to pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is responsible for the death of actor Patrick Swayze in September 2009.

But a second element of the promotion remains in place. When you buy a limited-edition Tempur white teddy bear, seen at the left, proceeds go to the cause. The bear is stuffed with the same proprietary foam used in the Tempur-Pedic mattresses.

Cool idea but it’s something of a risk for Tempur-Pedic.

Tempur-Pedic is sold based on a chain of ideas: NASA scientists developed the basic idea > Swedish scientists improved on it > Danish quality manufacturing and know-how make the mattresses the best around.

But they aren’t inexpensive. The Tempur-Pedic mattresses alone start at around $1,100 and go up to just less than three times as much.

Given that, Tempur-Pedic risks cheapening its brand if it charges too little for the bear. Tempur-Pedic’s asking price therefore is $59. But again, $59 ain’t cheap for a something you could pick up at a garage sale for $0.50. So Tempur-Pedic takes some of the sting out of the price by offering two bears for the $59 price.

Not a bad ploy. But I think they could have added greater value by making it a BOGO: buy one, give one. Instead of delivering two bears to whoever ordered them, Tempur-Pedic could send one to hospitals that have a children’s cancer ward.

Boom! It's a triple-win.

Comments

Michael said…

Hi Paul,

Great point about the possibility of Tempu-Pedic cheapening their brand. My first thought was what the brand had to do with pancreatic cancer. I applaud the contribution to a worthy cause but there's a huge disconnect in my mind with Tempur-Pedic and pancreatic cancer.

Or am I missing something here?

12/01/2011 7:13 AM

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