Few young companies have bet more heavily on Olympic sports as a marketing vehicle than Airweave, a Japanese mattress-top manufacturer founded in 2007. Company CEO and President Motokuni Takaoka firmly believes results on the medal stand translate to sales, so Airweave is back for more at Rio this summer after one-third of Sochi’s medal winners slept on its mattress pads via sponsorships of Team USA as well as the national organizing committees for France, Germany, Japan and others in 2014.
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We hope that everyday consumers will be influenced by these incredible athletes and will add Airweave to their sleep environment and wellness regimen.”
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Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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On Airweave’s focus on Olympic sports: Every two years, the best athletes in the world come together to perform at their best without compromise. It is an honor to be chosen by athletes who pursue the best products to ensure their well-being and commitment to their skill.
On the stakes for 2016: This Olympic year is extremely important to market our existing athlete assets and Olympic partnerships. Our incredible ambassadors — Ryan Lochte, Bubba Watson, and Meryl Davis and Charlie White — will be part of our strategies and activations throughout this year. Our partnership with the [U.S. Olympic Committee] will be a major part of our message and intensified branding approach that we know will increase Airweave’s awareness to the consumer.
On the company’s layering approach, doing deals with national Olympic committees but also sport-specific groups and individual athletes: Supporting Olympians and sports governing bodies helps us talk about Airweave more broadly in our potential markets. Airweave commissions ongoing sleep studies to make improvements on mattresses and toppers, leveraging research development to make the best use of our proprietary material and technology.
On the role of sports in Airweave’s long-term marketing plans: We have supported athletes since we started the company over eight years ago. We target them because their bodies are extremely sensitive to change in their regimen and therefore recovery and performance. It’s easy to educate our consumer on the benefits of Airweave from the way our products help these athletes … enhance their performance
