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Tag: Mathew Joseph

  • Sleepyhead introduces innovative “Tilt” and “Play” sofas to elevate festive living spaces

    Sleepyhead introduces innovative “Tilt” and “Play” sofas to elevate festive living spaces

    Mumbai: Sleepyhead, a leading home lifestyle brand and rising star in the world of comfortable and innovative furniture solutions, introduces its latest innovations, the “Play Sofa” and “Tilt Sofa” with fun and unique campaigns. These sofas are the perfect choices to revolutionise your living space with their extraordinary flexibility and creativity. The launch showcases Sleepyhead’s commitment to innovation in the sofa category.

    As the festive and sale season approaches, Sleepyhead recognizes the surge in demand for stylish and practical furniture. The “Tilt” and “Play” sofas are meticulously designed to cater to these evolving consumer needs, offering versatility, customization, and space-saving solutions. These sofas are more than just pieces of furniture; they are invitations to reimagine and personalize living spaces, bringing a touch of playfulness and innovation to homes.

    The Tilt Sofa: Innovative transformation for versatile living

    The Tilt Sofa, a cutting-edge innovation from Sleepyhead, offers a unique feature that sets it apart in the world of furniture. Its key feature allows it to seamlessly transform from a traditional sofa to a lounge or sofa-bed structure by tilting the headboard backwards. This ingenious design not only provides proper legroom but also creates an ideal setting for various activities, from lounging during movie nights to cosy date nights with your loved one. The Tilt Sofa is the perfect solution for those who are challenged by limited living space and don’t have room for multiple recliners or massive L-shaped sofas and ottomans. It’s a versatile and space-saving addition that enhances comfort and functionality in any living area.

    Tilt’s campaign “Toggle to tilt your world”, brilliantly demonstrates the versatility of their innovative sofa through a series of split-themed videos. Each video portrays two contrasting sides of a person’s home and mood: one regular and one tilted. In a standout video, a man dressed formally sits upright on a Tilt sofa, engaged in a virtual meeting. He nods and smiles, saying, “Yes, sir! It will be done.” After the meeting, he switches to a relaxed mode, donning a hoodie and boxers, and grabs a bowl of popcorn. He reclines on the sofa’s right edge and playfully mocks his boss with, “Get it done over the weekend! Definitely Not!” This clever portrayal highlights Tilt’s sofa adaptability, effortlessly transitioning from work to relaxation.

    The Play Sofa: Your canvas for creativity

    The Play Sofa’s easy-to-detach segments enable effortless configuration changes to suit any mood or occasion. Sofa Play is a modular wonder as it can be rearranged like LEGO. With vibrant pop colours to mix and match, different arm heights, and multiple-seater options it one of a one-of-a-kind sofa in the segment and another groundbreaking innovation from Sleepyhead. So whether hosting a movie night, enjoying a cosy evening, or seeking a quick nap spot, the Play Sofa adapts effortlessly.

    To celebrate the Play Sofa’s launch, Sleepyhead is unveiling an engaging social media campaign “Just can’t stop playing”, inspired by the creativity of Lego. Friends and family can come together to customize this Lego-like sofa, reflecting their unique personalities and moods. Each sofa segment can be customised with the same or different colours, allowing individuals to personalise their sofa as they see fit.

    Sleepyhead CEO and co-founder Mathew Joseph,  expressed his enthusiasm for the innovative ‘Play’ and ‘Tilt’ Sofas, stating, “These sofas truly set us apart in the category, reflecting our commitment to delivering furniture solutions that cater to evolving customer lifestyles. The launch is perfectly timed for the festive season, a peak period for marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, where consumers seek versatile, stylish, and functional furniture. These sofas’ remarkable flexibility and ability to transform into half beds offer unprecedented customization and practicality, enhancing living spaces just in time for celebrations.”

    Sleepyhead fractional chief marketing officer Deepti Karthik emphasised, “Sleepyhead’s new ad campaigns, especially the one inspired by Lego for our Play Sofa, are more than just advertisements; they’re a celebration of fun and creativity. We firmly believe that furniture should encompass not only comfort but also the essence of being cool and customizable. Our Play Sofa perfectly embodies this belief, and our ad campaigns echo the same spirit. It’s about redefining your space with a playful touch and a sprinkle of innovation. We invite you to join us in making your living room the trendiest and most enjoyable place to be!”

    The campaigns highlight the intrinsic playfulness of the festive season in India, embodied by Sleepyhead’s versatile Play and Tilt Sofas, which offer unparalleled customization and practicality. This launch aligns perfectly with the upcoming festive and sale season, allowing customers to enhance their living spaces just in time for celebrations. Moreover, the brand has recently ventured into the omnichannel segment and is constantly expanding its furniture and furnishing portfolio. Recent additions include motorized recliners, dohars, headboard cushions, and an extended range of bedsheet designs, providing a wide array of quality home products.

  • FreshToHome has grown 4x since 2019: CEO Shan Kadavil

    FreshToHome has grown 4x since 2019: CEO Shan Kadavil

    Shan Kadavil’s bio on a networking platform reads ‘Farmer, Fisherman & Entrepreneur’.  In his own words, his journey to co-founding FreshToHome stemmed simply from a desire to find safe, hygienic fish to consume. That desire turned into passion, which in turn set him off on a mission to source seafood which is free of chemicals & antibiotic residue. To do so, Kadavil and team had to disrupt the traditional ways in which sourcing and distribution of seafood & meat happens in India and re-invent the food supply chain from scratch, by disengaging with the middle men and providing value to the farmers and fishermen.

    Thus, was born FreshToHome- an AI-based online marketplace that directly connects consumers with the fishermen and farmers. Today the platform has transformed into arguably the world’s largest vertically integrated e-commerce company in the fish and meat space, delivering to nearly two million customers in ten cities in India and all of UAE. The brand is now making forays into other fresh food categories such as fruits, vegetables and dairy.

    An entrepreneur who jump-started many technology companies and start-ups in India and the US, Kadavil has been named twice in the Exhibit magazine’s “100 Top Tech Indians” list, and won the Economic Times “Most Promising Entrepreneur of 2019” award, among others. Founder, chairman of tech startup, Dbaux Technologies, Kadavil holds a number of patents in the areas of Big Data & Cloud Computing.

    Kadavil is also credited with having built the first and largest Studio outside the US for Zynga- a leader in social gaming and maker of popular games such as Farmville, CityVille & Mafia Wars- in his previous role as the country manager & India founder of the company.

    As he himself jokingly once said, Kadavil literally went from making virtual tomatoes and potatoes on Farmville to actually farming fresh vegetables, poultry and fishes from fishermen.

    IndianTelevision’s Anupama Sajeet caught up with the multi-functional leader for a freewheeling conversation on being one of the early movers in the online seafood & meat delivery space in India, the challenges it entailed and on the road ahead for the e-tailer…

    Edited excerpts:

    On the brand’s claim of ‘zero chemicals & antibiotic-residue free’ on its fish & meat products

    The key to success in the fish and meat category is quality products and the fastest time from source to end consumer. A typical fish supply chain in India has over three middlemen which takes at least three to four days to reach the end-user. FreshToHome’s AI & IoT-tech-enabled platform ensures that the sellers are able to source without middlemen and the product reaches the end consumer within 24 to 36 hours.

    Additionally, the platform guarantees that an around-the-clock cold chain keeps the products within a range of zero to four degrees. The prompt delivery to the customer’s doorstep is possible through our state-of-the-art facilities and hubs in all regions and our convoy of vehicles that deliver around 23,000 tons of fish and meat per year.

    Apart from this, we have numerous checks during the process, including for standard chemicals, antibiotics, and preservatives. FreshToHome has reputed third-party lab certification that we provide on our website and app, which our customers are free to download. With this, we are able to validate that the products our customers are purchasing have been tested for over 120 antibiotics and other chemicals.

    On the marketing strategy behind the recent TVC campaign & revamped logo

    With our first campaign titled “Apne aap se, ya app se” we reference the wet market and nudge consumers to move online and buy from the FreshToHome app for a better experience. The film aims to highlight the predicament faced by ‘non-app’ users. There are three films created, which show the comparison with the wet market in a split screen treatment, depicting our three product categories- chicken, fish & meat- with super-quick delivery, cleaned, cut, and ready-to-cook. Most importantly, it shows how the consumer can save time and effort spent in the conventional ways of buying and thereafter cleaning, cooking it. We have also revamped our brand imagery (logo, look and feel) to be more youthful and fresh, bringing to life its core of fresh, chemical free food.

    On the brand’s media mix for advertising

    Being a digitally native brand, our media will be primarily digital. Post pandemic, coinciding with our campaign launch, our media mix has included TV, OTT, outdoor and print in a big way, as we want to deliver a larger thematic message by creating awareness of the benefits of shifting to buying meat and seafood online.

    On ‘the pandemic effect’ and the difference in numbers- pre & post Covid

    The growth of the platform has been rapid during the pandemic- the number of orders and registered users have gone up. While, in the first wave we witnessed a growth of 1.5 times, we have registered a growth of 2.5 times now.

    During the first wave, we were less prepared and there were a lot of issues in settling down operationally. We spent a lot of energy figuring out how to amplify human capital. The lack of resources was a problem but we have now hired 40 per cent extra manpower. In the last three to four months, we have employed 3000-4000 people. This rapid growth has happened on our platform directly or indirectly. And that kind of growth prepared us for the second wave. Earlier where we had one factory in each city, we now have two to three factories. We have grown four times from 2019 to the present. Currently, we are getting 2.2 to 2.3 million orders per month.

    On the shift in consumer behaviour towards online & company’s plan post-pandemic

    Online space is going to become much more competitive and saturated with every passing day. Companies like us will not be able to ignore the importance of this medium if they want to stand out among the competition and provide value to their consumers. Businesses with agility and creativity should work together to ensure the collective survival of this ecosystem.

    The industry has continued to reach out to micro-influencers for awareness about safety and hygiene among their potential consumers. It is imperative to adopt marketing strategies directed towards building a direct bond with their customers by focusing on digital methods.

    Talking particularly about FreshToHome and FTH Daily, COVID-19 transformed the fish and meat purchasing behaviour of consumers dramatically. Due to safety concerns, consumers made the habit-forming shift to e-commerce and we saw online demand for our products going up manifolds last year, thanks to the safety guarantee of “100 per cent Fresh and zero per cent chemicals”.

    On features, that sets FreshToHome apart from other established e-tailers

    The key differentiator of FreshToHome is our direct sourcing approach. For a competitor, who buys from vendors in the city, this is a hard task to do. Our ‘Farm to Fork’ feature and our AI-backed US patent called “Virtual Commodities exchange” is primarily what helps us stand apart. So, we get the info on consumer demand and then we match this with supply information from farmers. With the help of this, the time delay between taking the product and reaching the consumer is reduced.

    Secondly, there are no chances of wastage. The wastage in the supply chain of fish is about 15 per cent. The time cut-off in the supply chain, which is a minimum of 0 to 24 hours, makes us extremely competitive. Then there’s our sourcing strength. Most players may go to five to six harbours, but we go to nearly 500 fishermen and 125 harbours. This has the advantage of being marginalized in cost and not overpriced.

    Also, we use external labs to get certifications like ‘Free of ammonia’ and ‘No preservatives and antibiotic residue’. We are an honest brand and we are vocal about it.

    On ensuring quality, while expanding the products portfolio beyond meat

    When Mathew Joseph (co-founder) and I met, he had a company called ‘SeaToHome’. The reason behind starting ‘FreshToHome’ was to expand our categories to everything “fresh”- that was the vision. Since then, we realised that fish itself has been a complex challenge of hygiene but we are slowly and steadily building against that. It took us four years before we got our commodity on the exchange platform correctly. Then, to build the cold chain and supply chain- the whole process took us five to six years to develop.

    Now that the infrastructure has been developed, we are expanding our categories to fruits, vegetables and dairy. We have already expanded our daily delivery service- FTH Daily in 2019, which specialises in delivering milk, groceries, fruits, vegetables, and daily essentials, in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune.

    On challenges faced while expanding regionally

    The challenge has always been to change an inherent consumer behaviour to shift their purchase of meat and seafood through our app, instead of going out and buying it themselves. This is a gradual shift where we are continuing to educate consumers about the benefits of buying meat and seafood from FreshToHome.

    On plans for international expansion

    We are already one of the largest players in the UAE and now plan to expand to all GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, specifically in Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar.

  • Duroflex Mattresses talks about importance of sleep this exam season

    Duroflex Mattresses talks about importance of sleep this exam season

    MUMBAI: This exam season, Duroflex Mattresses is urging parents to pay more attention to the sleep habits of their children who are preparing for exams. The campaign #sleeptoperform, released on World Sleep Day, shines light on the exhaustion kids face while writing exams because of lack of sleep. Anil Kumble, former captain of the India cricket team has lent voice to the campaign.

    Speaking about the campaign, Duroflex Mattresses director marketing Mathew Joseph said, “At Duroflex we are constantly researching on the importance of sleep and creating awareness about it. Today sleep is the first we thing we sacrifice to make more time in the day.  Our internal research showed that, almost 80% of students turn up highly exhausted to write their exam because of not getting adequate sleep in the nights leading up to the exam. Through our Sleep to Perform campaign we want parents to help their kids prioritise sleep as part of exam preparation. Truly is it the easiest revision. We couldn’t think of a more credible voice than Anil Kumble to champion our cause.”

    Happy Mcgarrybowen senior creative director Naren Kaushik M said, “Parents take every precaution to ensure their kids are well prepared to take their board exams. From their diet, study time table to leisure activities; all daily activities are keenly monitored. But in the anticipation of performance in exams, sometimes they tend to overlook the most important aspect of the lot – complete sleep. We wanted to bring attention to this part of a student’s preparation for the exams as Duroflex has always believed in preparing for tomorrow, tonight.”

    “As a parent to two kids who are currently going through exam season, I totally understand how important it is to support our children during this stressful period.  As a sportsperson and coach, I truly stand by the power of sleep to energise the mind and help focus. I urge all parents out there to understand the importance of sleep for the better performance and happiness of our children, this exam season. Let them rest before the test”, said Kumble.

    Duroflex is a pioneer in sleep technology solutions for over five decades. With the Sleep to Perform campaign, Duroflex aims to raise awareness about the importance of a good night’s sleep amongst adults and children alike, especially during this exam season.

  • Duroflex launches a unique yawn sleep song

    Duroflex launches a unique yawn sleep song

    MUMBAI: This World Sleep Day, Duroflex and Happy mcgarrybowen launched a very different product that helps aid better sleep, The Duroflex Sleep Song. 

    Conceptualised and composed by Happy Mcgarrybowen, the Duroflex Sleep Song is an audio track specially composed to gently soothe the listener into a deep sleep.

    DuroflexOfficial

    World Sleep Day is an annual celebration of sleep and a day to reflect on the importance of sleep for a healthy life. “We are a highly sleep deprived society and don’t consider sleep a priority for good health. As a brand, we are committed to raising awareness about the importance of sleep. Our products aid better sleep and The Duroflex Sleep Song is just another offering from us to help everyone sleep better. Track it free to download and we urge you to share it with people who deserve better sleep,” says Duroflex director of marketing Mathew Joseph.

    Happy mcgarrybowen senior creative director Naren Kaushik Mudrakartha adds, “The key ingredient of the track is all kinds of yawns – because they are so contagious. While the bed of the track had a soothing arrangement, the yawns were built in to make anyone who heard it sleepy. And thus was born The Duroflex Sleep Song, a first for any brand. The best part was that we knew the track went viral quickly because we started receiving it as a forward from friends within a couple of hours of launching it.”

  • Duroflex launches sleep marathon with Milind Soman

    Duroflex launches sleep marathon with Milind Soman

    MUMBAI: We are living in the time of the gig culture where staying up all night to meet project deadlines is celebrated. However, long term effects of lack of sleep are hardly discussed. Keeping this in mind, Happy mcgarrybowen, the creative agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has conceptualised the #7HourMarathon campaign for Duroflex.

    The campaign launched when Milind Soman rolled out a tweet saying how he planned on doing a 7-hour-marathon every day. But little did his followers know, the marathon he was talking about was seven hours of continuous sleep. This digital stunt was initiated to bring attention to the cycle of disrupted sleep that has taken over this generation.

    Seeing the response, a subsequent video was released a day later where Soman clarified the confusion on #7HourMarathon and discussed the importance of good sleeping habits.

    The campaign was conceptualised by Happy mcgarrybowen and executed in collaboration with Isobar, SKREEM, and Greenroom.

    Duroflex director of marketing Mathew Joseph says, “As a company, we have a strong lineage in this industry and understand the importance of sleep. We really wanted to raise awareness around the importance of sleep. In Milind Soman, we found a credible voice to drive this message across. The #7HourMaratahon initiative was a great conversation starter to get people to make a very important lifestyle change. We believe in energising India.”

    Most of the audience they spoke to consumed about 2.5-3 hours of social media on an average every day, making it evident that social media must be the activation area.

    While talking about looming sleep crisis and the need to commit to seven hours of sleep, Soman mentions, “Having been involved in sports all my life, I understand the importance of sleep. Sleep is essential for the body and mind and restful sleep is one of the foundations of good health. Recharging and rejuvenating body and mind sufficiently every night is important for better quality of life. My own health resolution this year has been to sleep more and better.”

    The tweet got picked up and shared by multiple media channels generating a range of reactions from awe to confusion. While some applauded Soman on pushing his limits, others expressed blatant confusion deeming it an unachievable task. This bag of mixed reactions instantly blew up the campaign making it trend at fifth position on Twitter nationally.