The U.S. Olympic Committee on Wednesday announced its first sponsorship in the mattress category with Airweave, a Japanese company that makes bedding toppers.
Terms of the deal were not available, but Airweave is considered an official sponsor, and those deals are usually valued in the mid-six figures annually.
Under the terms of the deal, Airweave is providing mattress toppers to Team USA athletes in Sochi and also will provide them in Rio in '16.USOC Chief Marketer Lisa Baird said, "Their business is not established in the U.S., but they want to aggressively grow the business and the brand. In addition to financial benefits, this is a sponsorship that offers great benefits to our athletes. They¹re going to really help us with some (value in kind)."
Airweave CEO Motokuni Takaoka appeared at USA House in Sochi to announce the sponsorship Wednesday. The company also has sponsorships with several other national Olympic committees, including Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.
To assist in marketing its sponsorship of Team USA, Airweave signed endorsement deals with figure skater Gracie Gold and ice dancer Charlie White. The company estimates that it is providing 1,000 athletes in Sochi with mattress toppers during the Sochi Games.
Airweave launched in the U.S. last month. It claims that the product's breathability helps moisture generated by the body during sleep escape.
USOC Senior Dir of Business Michael O'Conor negotiated the deal.
Baird said that the USOC currently is focused on servicing its existing partners and renewing them for the 2018 and 2020 Olympics. Baird: "A lot of that is going to rest on how well we fulfill their expectations. That's where I have our team focused."
