Tempur-Pedic isn’t pulling any punches with its newest partnership.
The mattress manufacturer has partnered up with former professional mixed martial artist and actor Georges St-Pierre, who will bring his celebrity appeal to a refresh of the company’s existing “A Tempur for Every Body” campaign this fall. The work brings awareness to individuals with disabilities and challenges representation of them in the media.
“The campaign highlights that products should be made for every body, regardless of shape, size or ability,” explains Adele di Paola, director of marketing for Tempur Sealy Canada, which owns the brand.
The campaign initially launched in October 2020, said di Paola, but spun out of a partnership with Hockey Canada and Tempur-Pedic’s sponsorship of the national men’s para hockey team.
The business has sponsored the team for two years, and earlier this year, it released a micro-documentary called “Rest is a Weapon” that features three para hockey athletes and their journey to the Paralympic Games.
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“The intention was to highlight those athletes and bring greater awareness to the sport of sledge hockey,” explains di Paola.
St-Pierre, meanwhile, became involved in the campaign after reaching out to Tempur-Pedic to buy one of their Ergo Smart Base products.
“We got into a conversation and he ended up looking more into the brand. I sent him our micro-documentary and he thought these men were totally incredible and wanted to be part of the campaign,” says di Paola. “When we talked about collaborating with him, his stipulation was that he had to do something with the team.”
The new work is built around the premise that “being able-bodied doesn’t make you an athlete,” she explains.
“The men on the parahockey team are just as strong, dedicated and determined as GSP, and they don’t create limits for themselves,” says di Paola. “This is what we want to capture in this campaign with Georges.”
Later this month, Tempur-Pedic plans to get the national para hockey team and the mixed martial artist on the ice together, and have them run through a workout. The footage of that workout will be part of a new push that the company intends to launch in September during the Paralympic Games.
“We want to make a product for everybody, and this campaign is a great extension of who we are and what we stand for,” says di Paola.
