British bed retailer Dreams has appointed Iris to handle its advertising and marketing account – estimated to be worth up to £20m in billings – with a brief to evolve and relaunch the brand for the post-pandemic era.
The company picked Iris after a three-month three-way pitch against McCann UK and Dentsu Mcgarry Bowen, handled by management consultant Hamilton Associates International.
The business was previously handled by Uncommon Creative Studio, which first scooped the brief in 2019 from then incumbent M&C Saatchi.
Last October, Uncommon launched the company’s first brand campaign since 2015, under the strapline “Sleep Like Log”, voiced by Hollywood actor John Goodman and featuring a CGI wooden stump. It is not known what triggered the review.
Havas Media Group has handled the media planning and buying account since 2019.
The brand previously held a strategic partnership with Team GB and ParalympicsGB, as their official sleep partner and was also a key sponsor of the now-defunct Big Brother series on Channel 4.
Dreams chief marketing officer Jo Martin said: “This is a really exciting time for Dreams and we have the momentum to evolve and relaunch for the post-pandemic era.
“We were looking for a strategic and creative agency to help us on that journey and we couldn’t think of a better partner for us in the long term than Iris; they have a strong pedigree in retail – British retail in particular – and they really grasped our vision and ambition, perfectly capturing the direction we want to take our business in in their pitch.”
Iris CMO and managing partner Amy Bryson added: “We are absolutely delighted to be appointed as Dreams’ new agency; it’s exciting to begin bringing our ideas to fruition alongside the Dreams team.
“We’re awash with ideas on how to bring the brand into a new era, and to grow market share by truly putting the customer at the centre of everything they do.”
The company opened its first store in 1985 in Uxbridge and now has over 200 outlets nationwide. It also has its own purpose-designed mattress factory, and employs around 1,500 people.
The appointment comes just weeks after the Cheil-owned agency scooped the SSE account; its other clients include Amazon, Abrdn, Adidas, Barclays, Nectar, PayPal, Pizza Hut and Samsung.
Related stories
Cheil rolls out Samsung growth model to global clients
SSE brings in Iris to fuel strategy for net zero energy
Abrdn ‘Power of Investment’: Much more than a typo
Iris Worldwide to rebrand ‘rather than playing it safe’
ITV Creative social media chief takes top role at Cheil
Dreams brief goes to Perfect Storm
