Ryan Partnership Selected to Launch "Zzz's by Ashley," Ashley Furniture's New Sleep Stores

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Nov 6, 2012) - Ashley Furniture has chosen integrated marketing agency Ryan Partnership, part of the Hyper Marketing Inc. (HMI) network, to launch its new "Zzz's by Ashley" stores, it was announced today. Reviewed favorably by furniture industry trades and blogs, and described as innovative and creative with a "wow" factor, Zzz's by Ashley is a new series of bedding stores across the country designed to turn the dreaded task of shopping for a mattress into an interactive spa-like experience. 

"We are excited by the opportunity to work with Ashley Furniture to launch their new brand in the marketplace. We share their passion for innovation and look forward to introducing a new concept," said Zain Raj, CEO of Hyper Marketing Inc. "With Ryan's integrated marketing capabilities, we'll be able to provide Ashley with an unrivaled level of strategic planning and execution designed to launch this new venture successfully."

Ryan Partnership will be responsible for a full suite of services ranging from development of brand strategy and media planning to execution of all plan components including television, radio, print, web site, social media and promotion. Planning kicks off immediately, with work scheduled to break in early 2013.

"Ryan's integrated capabilities -- from strategy to brand positioning to creative -- complemented our needs across multiple platforms, and we were impressed by their ability to build business driving marketing platforms," said Graeme Gordon, Vice President Marketing of Zzz's by Ashley. "Together we're looking forward to delivering innovative marketing solutions to make mattress shopping an enjoyable experience for consumers."

Zzz's by Ashley stores and the accompanying digital experiences will be designed to provide a better type of mattress-shopping experience, with a system that makes selecting a mattress informative and easy to understand. When people visit a store, they will first enter a friendly seating area with signature scents and sounds. They are free to store their personal belongings in a safe place, slip on a pair of sandals and tour the store with a tablet to learn more about the company's products.

The new initiative, which has been in the works for several years, will operate along similar lines used by the Ashley Furniture HomeStores, with both licensees and corporate-owned stores. The sleep shops will average about 4,500 square feet each, and will offer a wide selection of mattresses and sleep accessories.

"We look forward to launching Zzz's by Ashley. The company's forward-thinking outlook on the retail landscape is impressive, and together we hope to seamlessly blend together product, store and marketing to create engaging experiences for Zzz's customers across the country -- from online to off," said Mark Modesto, CEO of Ryan Partnership.

About Ryan Partnership
Ryan Partnership is the second largest integrated marketing agency in the U.S. providing digital, data, direct, promotion, shopper and retail merchandising. The company's creative professionals combine sound strategic research and business acumen to create meaningful ideas that motivate purchase and loyalty to its clients' products, services and among target customers.

Ryan Partnership is part of Hyper Marketing Inc. For more information, visit www.ryanpartnership.com

About Hyper Marketing Inc.
Hyper Marketing is the largest independent marketing-services network in North America. The company has 1,200 employees in 23 offices, with expertise in digital, direct, data, promotions, shopper marketing, Hispanic, and media buying and planning. HMI focuses on driving transactions by responding to changing consumer behavior in a hyper-connected world. HMI companies partner with CMO's of many of the world's best known brands including AT&T, Dell, eBay, Kellogg's, Office Depot, The Home Depot and Unilever to develop integrated programs that deliver profitable results. For more information visit www.hypermarketinginc.com.

About Ashley Furniture
Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc. is the largest furniture manufacturer in the world. Established in 1945, Ashley offers one of the industry's largest product assortments to retail partners in 123 countries. From design through fulfillment, we continuously strive to provide the best product at the best prices accompanied by the best service in the industry. For more information on Ashley Furniture and its products, visit www.ashleyfurniture.com.