Introducing Bedding as Skincare

Nollapelli (formerly Auratek Textiles) wanted to change the way people think about bedding and its relationship to skin health. The company wanted to secure external support and investment, and to clarify its position as the first and best-in-class.

Nollapelli promotes skin health during sleep with revolutionary fabric engineered to regulate temperature, moisture, and friction. Its flagship product is sheet sets. We defined its target audiences and the decision-makers within them through persona work, competitive analysis, and product offerings research. Through our research, we discovered that people were having difficulty comprehending Auratek's value proposition. The incorporation of "tech" within the brand name acted as a significant obstacle for both consumers and B2B partners, who had been conditioned to value “natural” sleep environments. They didn’t connect a positive purchasing or sleep experience with the name, and the company had to work far too hard to overcome initial reservations and confusion. It was also working against popular misconceptions about synthetic fabrics and the traditional concepts of thread count (which is often held up as an indicator of “softness.”) People didn’t want innovative sheets. They wanted access to a luxurious rest experience and a straightforward path to health. They wanted to reclaim their bed as a place of rest and healing. For hotels and spas, technology felt hard to understand and didn’t give them anything compelling to offer their own customers. Novel approaches were intriguing, but technology couldn’t be the centerpiece. The company needed to knock down some preliminary identity barriers before it could begin to educate. We led the organization through a process designed to take its identity from a product supplier to a wellness ally, helping it gain traction with consumers, clients, and strategic partners. Through the re-naming process, the company’s “technology” differentiator gave way to something effortless and essential. Within two rounds, the new company name was approved, revitalizing the client’s team and unleashing marketing energy within a company that could finally proclaim who and what it was. “Nollapelli” -- a word both easy to pronounce and available as a top level domain -- incorporates a word fragment meaning "love" and signals “pellis,” the Latin word for skin. Now the company could confidently promote itself to both commercial and consumer markets. A new logo and color palette followed. Lastly, we coached leadership through the pitch process, providing insight and helping position pitch decks.

With its new name and positioning, Nollapelli secured valuable relationships with key partners, a significant investment, and top-shelf industry advisors. Nollapelli successfully entered the B2B marketplace, forging partnerships with luxury hospitality brands like Fairmont Century Plaza and Bryte. Nollapelli was the Women's Health 2022 Healthy Sleep Award Winner.