Case Study: From Product Supplier to Wellness Ally

Challenge:

I met Nollapelli under its original name, Auratek. Allison Howard, the founder, is an an engineer with a background in material science. Her bedding company promotes skin health during sleep with revolutionary fabric engineered to regulate temperature, moisture, and friction. Allison asked me for help connecting with their direct-to-consumer and hospitality audiences.

Approach:

My research uncovered why people had difficulty grasping Auratek's value proposition. The incorporation of "tech" within the brand name acted as a significant obstacle for both consumers and business partners, who had been conditioned to value “natural” sleep environments. They didn’t connect a positive purchasing or sleep experience with the name; 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 unnecessary and disconnected from their own brand identities.

Results:

The founder needed to knock down some preliminary barriers before it could begin to be seen as an attractive option. I led 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, starting with a new name. “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. 

Through the re-branding process, the company’s “technology” differentiator gave way to something effortless and essential. Within two rounds, the new company name was approved, revitalizing the team and unleashing marketing energy within a company that could finally proclaim who and what it was.

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.

Women's Health Healthy Sleep Award Winner

Sleep Foundation Best Cooling Sheets

Tuck.com Best Luxury Sheet

"We were going down a path that just wasn't working, but made total sense to us.
Tasha completely unstuck my thinking. The work I did with her took us from
frustrated to revitalized. I immediately began making real progress on my vision."
- Allison Howard, Founder

Photo credits: Nollapelli