Marketing
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Simmons Company
setName: label: See more items in
content: The Simmons Company Records
unitdate: label: Date
content: undated
label: Date
content: 1896-1990s
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0731, Series 2
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Series 2: Marketing, 1896-1990s, undated.

Subseries 2.1: Catalogs, 1896-1956, 1970s, 1980, undated - The earliest catalogs are from the Northwestern Wire Mattress Company. Catalogs from the regional distributors of Simmons, as well as from England and Canada.


Subseries 2.2: Price Lists, 1939, 1940, 1952-1957 - Institutional and divisional price lists for Simmons products.

 
Subseries C: Records of Marketing, 1920s-1930s, 1950s, 1970s-1990s, undated [bulk dates] - This subseries reflects the business materials used to market Simmons mattresses to consumer groups and merchandisers including artwork for advertisements, mattress labels, television and radio commercial scripts, and pamphlets aimed at consumers. 

 
Subseries 2.3: Advertisements, 1920s-1990s, undated - A nearly complete continuum of Simmons advertising. The scrapbooks were dismantled to ensure proper preservation. They have been kept intact and the pages numbered to ensure order. The contents of the scrapbooks, in many cases, are duplicated both in the loose advertising and in other scrapbooks. A few of the scrapbooks were completely dismantled and integrated into the loose advertising. There is no record of the original order of these scrapbooks.


Sub-subseries 2.3.1: Consumer Advertisements, 1920s-1990s, undated  - Advertising pamphlets, mailers, local advertisements, and national advertising campaigns. Competitors' advertisements are included in this sub-subseries.


Sub-subseries 2.3.2: Trade Advertisements, 1920s-1980s, undated - The trade advertisements are aimed at the bedding industry and related home furnishings publications. Literature for hospitals, hotels, and interior decorators is found here. Some trade advertising is located in scrapbooks with the consumer advertising; an effort has been made to note these occurrences in this finding aid.

 
Subseries 2.2: Sales Kits, 1931, 1933, 1946, 1950s-1998, undated - These kits were mailed or presented by Simmons sales force members to dealers/merchandisers. The materials feature Simmons products, upcoming promotions, and advertisements that could be customized for each store's location. **Please note, the Sales Kits, Sales Force Materials, and Dealer Materials, in some instances, are interchangeable. Similar items can be found in each subseries.  It is therefore wise to look in all three areas to find comprehensive information.

 
Subseries 2.3: Point of Purchase Aids, 1960s-1990s, undated - Items placed at the store to be used in conjunction with Simmons products. These include counter cards, informational cards and pamphlets, and display material. 

 
Subseries 2.4: Sales Force Materials, 1923-1927, 1931, 1937-1939, 1940s-1980s, undated - Materials aimed at the sales force featuring Simmons products, upcoming promotions, goals and objectives in selling the products, and correspondence. Sometimes these materials could also be shown to dealers/merchandisers. The "All-American Annual Trip" materials are found here, featuring the winners (the top sellers), travel itineraries, and commemorative posters.

 
Subseries 2.5: Dealer Materials, 1920s-1980s, 1990, 1998, undated - Materials aimed specifically at the dealer/merchandiser of Simmons products. These items feature Simmons products, upcoming promotions, and advertisements that could be customized for each store's location. Many contain promotion and publicity items designed to help the dealer/merchandiser sell Simmons products.

 
Subseries 2.6: Marketing Studies and Research, 1933, 1939-1949, 1986-1989 - Simmons used marketing studies to customize advertising and further promote products to the proper demographic.  A study done in Danbury, CT, Simmons "Mattress Buyers: Their Homes and Occupations" (1933), and the "Magazine Interview Promotion" (1936) contain photographs of the mattress buyers and their homes, personal information, and reasons why they chose to buy a Simmons mattress.

 
Subseries 2.7: World's Fair Materials, circa. 1964-1965 - Simmons participated in the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. This subseries reflects their preparation and participation mainly through artwork and photographs. Most of the preparation was probably done years prior to the Fair taking place. 

 
Subseries 2.8: Olympic Materials, 1978-1980 - Simmons was an official sponsor of the XIII Olympic Winter Games in 1980 which took place in Lake Placid, NY. Official Olympic sponsor materials make up the bulk of this subseries. Olympic Games related advertisements can be found in subseries 2.4.1 and Series 2.6.

 
Subseries 2.9: Audio/Visual Materials, 1940s-1990s - Film, video, filmstrips, and audio materials featuring sales force training, commercials, and point-of-purchase videos for the consumer to view in the store. **The materials are currently arranged by medium. This arrangement will change; please see the audio-visual archivist.


Sub-subseries 2.9.1: Videos, 1940s-1970s, 1983-1990s, undated - Training videos for sales force, in-store videos, television appearances on MSNBC and QVC, and commercial compilations.


Sub-subseries 2.9.2: Films, 1970s, 1980, undated - Commercials, films sent to dealers featuring upcoming promotions.


Sub-subseries 2.9.3: Filmstrips, 1963-1964, undated - Informational strips on sleep research, strips directed at sales force training, and a factory tour.


Sub-subseries 2.9.4: Audio, 1963, 1965, 1976-1979, 1991, undated - Cathy Rigby's fitness program LP, sales force training, radio commercials, and sales meeting recordings. Audiocassette and reel-to-reel.