A Morning with Sleep Country’s Christine Magee!

Given that November 19^th is Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, and that Vancouver is currently the most entrepreneurial city in Canada, it was fitting that Christine Magee, Co-founder and President of Sleep Country, addressed the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs yesterday.  Her brand’s success, she says, is largely a result of focusing on three key pillars:

1. Top-of-mind awareness (we can all sing the jingle in our sleep)
2. In-store experience (navigated by Sleep Experts)
3. The delivery experience (emphasizing care and detail in your home)

Magee is literally the personification of Sleep Country and she spoke about the importance of personal branding.  She emphasized that branding, be it personal or commercial, is less about what you do and more about how you do it.

When I asked her if there were any key consumer insights that had impacted the brand strategy, Magee pointed to the importance of Sleep Country being local as well their charitable and community involvement (for example, used mattresses are picked up and donated.)

I think, however, that the Company has nailed one of the key pain points in buying a mattress: have I bought the right one?  Between Sleep Country’s hands-on education plus a comfort guarantee, they know that consumers are looking for the peace of mind that not only is their money well spent but that they have everything they need to get a good sleep.  Consider one-in-ten adults suffers from sleep problems – imagine how elevated the perceived importance of a new mattress might be…

Twenty years and 200 stores later, Sleep Country continues to thrive.