Company: Mattress Firm, Houston, TX
Company Description: Mattress Firm has made it easy to get a great night’s sleep by providing our customers an expertly curated collection of quality mattresses from the best brands. Today, with more than 2,400 neighborhood stores, we strive to match every customer with their perfect mattress at the perfect price. Our Sleep Experts help more than 3 million people a year find the right solution for their sleep needs.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Internal Communications - 100 or More Employees
 Nomination Title: Mattress Firm Launches New BEDpost Intranet
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated PR campaign or program, or written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- Optional: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 6 words used.
See attached PDF for supporting materials.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
We launched our new intranet, the BEDpost, on May 16, 2022. An employee-focused communications and engagement campaign began in February and continued through the site’s launch. We consider the launch of the new BEDpost a milestone and not the finish line. Even now, we continue a steady drumbeat of communications to keep associates informed and to solicit feedback on how we can make the site better.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 243 words used.
It started with a communications audit that revealed our intranet, the BEDpost, was a go-to resource for associates—but it needed help. Information was outdated; it was department-focused instead of employee-focused; not very engaging; and looked old-fashioned. Associates also shared they were overwhelmed with emails and desired a one-stop-shop for the information and resources they needed to do their jobs effectively.
The audit solidified what we already knew: it was time to rethink, redesign and relaunch the BEDpost. This presented an opportunity to realign with our key stakeholders and hit “reset” on how we communicate with frontline associates. So, we forged ahead with this purpose in mind: the intranet will become the single source of truth for company information to boost communication effectiveness and engagement opportunities.
We conducted an RFP, selected a new intranet platform and began building our new digital workplace of the future. While we built, we kicked off our communications and engagement campaign, which played out in four phases:
- Identify and train BEDpost champions to create compelling content on the new platform and serve as ambassadors among their coworkers.
- A crowdsourcing campaign to name the new BEDpost. By giving associates ownership over the intranet’s name, we hoped they’d feel more invested in its success.
- A pre-launch countdown, teasing key features of the new intranet that associates told us they wanted during the communications audit.
- Post-launch resources to get associates familiar with the platform, including an online scavenger hunt and quick guides.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
Summer selling season starts on Memorial Day weekend—kicking off a busy time for Sleep Experts, our 6,500 associates who help people sleep well so they live well. We had to launch before then, giving us just 15 weeks to rethink, rebuild and relaunch the site.
Step one for our small but mighty team? Train 100 stakeholders, dubbed “BEDpost champions,” to create and maintain compelling content on the new platform. Through 14 trainings, five open office hours, many calls and a Content Best Practices guide, we did it. Most importantly, we encouraged champions to think outside of their departmental boxes and create content from the employee’s perspective.
Then, we focused on building anticipation and engagement. A crowdsourcing campaign to name the new intranet did just that. In a surprising turn of events, associates voted to keep the prior intranet’s name—the BEDpost—as the new intranet’s name!
One week from launch, a daily homepage and computer wallpaper countdown with punchy copy and silly stock photography highlighted different features of the new intranet—features associates asked for during the communications audit.
On launch day, associates completed an online scavenger hunt and read a series of quick guides to get familiar with the new site. We also met with different departments to showcase the BEDpost’s functionality.
Notably, we’ve since transitioned a weekly sales email to a sales hub on the BEDpost, giving Sleep Experts real-time sale updates. We continue to publish BEDpost tips and are planning improvements following a recent BEDpost survey.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2021. Even if your initiative started before 2021, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2021 only (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
The BEDpost relaunch communications and engagement campaign across multiple channels ensured that every associate could engage. For example:
- Daily intranet homepage countdown and changes to in-store computer desktop wallpaper
- A crowdsourcing campaign asked associates to name our new intranet and vote for their favorites
- Weekly newsletters teased the new site’s launch
- Virtual roadshow with company leadership and departments to showcase the new site
- An online scavenger hunt
- A hub on the new BEDpost with quick guides highlighting the site’s features and functionality
- Opportunities to win company fame and fortune, plus gift cards
Engagement was high across all tactics and we’re seeing a positive impact on communications:
- The crowdsourcing campaign is our most engaged communications campaign to date: 3,600+ potential intranet names were submitted by over 1,000 associates, and over 3,400 associates voted for their favorite intranet name in the final round of voting.
- A 19% increase in visits vs. the old site during week one.
- 91% of our workforce visited the site during week one—a feat for a mostly frontline workforce.
- A 10% decrease in emails in the six months after the BEDpost’s launch versus the prior six months.
- In 2022, news stories averaged 667 views. Plus, 76% have “likes” and 51% have comments. Our prior platform lacked effective reporting, so we do not have a benchmark for comparison.
- Created a “Current Sale Details” hub and transitioned the weekly "Sale Update" email to the BEDpost. These are consistently the most popular pages on the BEDpost!
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