Sheela Foam’s rebranded Kurlon eyes brand buzz with ICC T20 World Cup

The brand’s CEO and Ogilvy’s Piyush Pandey walk us through the new identity and what it means for Kurlon.

In August 2023, Sheela Foam, the parent company of mattress brand Sleepwell acquired a 94.66 percent stake in Kurlon Enterprises Ltd, a 60-year-old brand that happened to be a close competitor, for Rs 2,150 crore. Nine months later, the brand has unveiled a new identity with a revamped logo and an all-new tagline.

The rebranding campaign has been conceptualised and created by Ogilvy India, spearheaded by the agency’s chief creative officer Piyush Pandey. The brand has introduced two new ad films through the campaign, both unveiling a new logo, and the new tagline Life Banegi Hula Hula.

Nilesh Mazumdar, who is the CEO of Sheela Foam, says that the rebranding is aimed at reaching out to modern cohorts of consumers, in millennials and Gen Z. He says, “Kurlon pioneered the modern mattress market in India. And while the brand has a very strong connection with the baby boomer generation, we are seeing millennial and Gen Z consumers getting into this category. So, we wanted to make the already popular brand a little more contemporary and modern, while retaining its legacy.”

All about the rebrand

The new logo retains the colours red and white from the original, which as per Mazumdar is to sustain the long-standing visual connection the logo has with the audience. As for the new tagline, Piyush Pandey opines that the inspiration for a ‘hula-hula’ Kurlon jingle stems from hula-hoop.

“I’ve always believed that great ideas come from life. Here, we have a great brand with a proposition of a perfectly balanced mattress. And a perfectly balanced mattress translates into a healthier body. A hula-hoop is a good representation of that, and that is where the thought came from,” he says.

Both the ad films show protagonists up and dancing on their beds to the tunes of the new ‘Hula Hula’ jingle. And with the kind of dance moves presented in the films, you’d assume the actors are celebrating a good night’s sleep. 

As per Mazumdar, the idea is to weave a connection between a quality mattress and a healthier lifestyle, especially in a time when beds and mattresses are no longer used merely for sleeping. He points out that consumers, especially after Covid, spend more time in their beds often chatting or playing games.

“We wanted to have a fresh take on the category. Every brand is either using a celebrity or a sleep-led campaign, which is not the only thing mattresses are used for. The new campaign therefore is a creative rendition of our idea of presenting mattresses as venues for comfort, joy, and a healthy lifestyle.”

One of the ad films does feature Bollywood actor Manoj Pahwa, although the brand has chosen to fully focus on the product with the campaign, instead of picking a more popular star to drive awareness. “The mattress is the celebrity of the campaign,” says Pandey. “Kurlon is the protagonist, which excites people to do fun things in bed such as dancing.”

The brand is banking on the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for advertising, starting with the highly anticipated India versus Pakistan match on 9th June. The campaign will carry on for 5 weeks across TV, Digital and below-the-line (BTL) touchpoints including a total revamp of Kurlon’s retail presence.

Separating Kurlon from Sleepwell

Before Sheela Foam acquired Kurlon, it was a direct competitor to Sleepwell, Sheela Foam’s mattress brand. Initially, there were speculations about a potential merger between the two brands. However, the two operate separately and have their own key markets, as per Mazumdar.

“Both the brands are equally strong. They have their own consumer franchise, with Sleepwell being strong in North and West, whereas Kurlon is more popular in South and East. We are very clear that in the consumer’s mind, both brands will have independent identities. So, the marketing program and the positioning strategy for both brands will be very different. They may straddle similar price points, but in the consumer’s mind the positioning will be different, and so will be the communication strategy.”

There is also a differentiator between the two brands from the product point of view. Kurlon, as per Mazumdar, was the first brand to introduce coir mattresses, which are made of natural coir, a type of fibre extracted from coconut husks. Sleepwell, on the other hand, is popular for its foam-made build.

The brand is, however, anticipating an overlap of product and tech in both brands. 

“Our next launches will feature more developed products. The material of manufacturing, and technology will be present in both the brands. The positioning will differ, as we proceed.”

Knowing the category

The category itself stands at an estimate of around Rs 15000 crore with 50 percent of it being unorganised, as per Mazumdar. The Kurlon acquisition from Sheela Foam was a step in the direction of consolidation of the category, which Mazumdar opines is important for the category to grow as a whole. 

“More than half of the category is unorganised, and that excludes cotton mattresses. The modern mattress is extremely fragmented. There is a large number of regional players in the mix, which is why it is the right time for the leaders in the market to drive the consolidation and make sure the category expands.”

Distribution footprint

In terms of distribution, Sheela Foam is currently looking at ways to adjoin the retail footprint of both Kurlon and Sleepwell. “Kurlon has conventionally been serviced directly to consumers, while Sleepwell goes through distributors. Today, Sleepwell sells largely through exclusive brand outlets and Kurlon sells through multi-brand outlets. When both of them come together, it will provide an opportunity to expand that footprint.”

The brand is now aiming to sell Kurlon through 3000-4000 outlets across the country.