Thanks to a clever branding campaign – which cohesively included product development, unconventional distribution, and print advertising – Casper Mattress is the first of its product category to achieve a level of cultural cache, positioning itself to become the go-to choice for any millennial in the market. How’d they do it? It started with product design. Conventional mattresses look something like this:

With all of the recesses and overlapping patterns, the design is ornate – certainly nothing like anything you would see in an Apple showroom. Casper, on the other hand, is very cleanly designed, with only a grey border reminiscent of an Urban Outfitter chambray shirt and a little tag on the side that calls to mind that other branding powerhouse, Toms shoes.

In addition to creating an aesthetically relevant product, Casper has launched an eye-catching advertising campaign, which is presently featured in a number of NYC subway cars. With a series of ads that take over whatever car they’re stationed in, they create a funny, panoramic view of the many types of people for whom Casper is the perfect bed. Not only is each advertisement cute if not clever, they’re executed in a hand-drawn style that speaks to the bespoke, personal connection that consumers increasingly look for in brands.

Whereas the staid, conventional mattress industry has always been dominated by commission-driven salespeople, Casper’s unique, e-commerce model is the more affordable, egalitarian alternative – delivering every size mattress right to your door in the same unassuming box.

This universality and simplicity cuts through the costly and time consuming decision-making process, and is far more in line with the quick and easy consumer purchasing experience people have come to expect. With so many options out there, today, no one is going to subject themselves to a pushy salesperson. And in the case of mattresses, Casper has fixed that problem, delivering its well-made brand straight to your bedroom.