Dan Schecter and his colleagues at Carpenter Co. want to have a conversation with consumers.
No pressure. No hard–core sales pitch. Just log onto www.sleepbetter.org to join a rapidly growing online community devoted to sharing information about sleep and having some fun while doing it.
New media—represented by SleepBetter.org and the host of social media tools to which it’s linked—and Schecter seem to have been made for each other.
Celebrity connections: Dan Schecter (left) leads Carpenter Co.’s ‘Sleep Better Dream Bigger’ marketing campaign, which makes use of well–known personalities such as singer Jewel to spread its message.
Even years ago, when his creative energy was focused on hamburger and deli meat rather than foam and fiber fill, Schecter decided that talking directly and honestly with consumers was the best way to market products—even if you work for a supplier company.
Schecter began his career at Keystone Foods, a major supplier of beef and chicken products to the fast–food industry. When the company wanted to add deli meats to its product line, they charged him with the project.
“It was a great training ground,” he says. “I was working to create a whole new market segment and it was my first shot at structuring an organization and talking directly to consumers. I learned that our customers were not the be–all and end–all. It was their customers that really mattered. I learned how to create demand and that adding value to a product was the only way to go.”
In 1976, Schecter was recruited by Sara Lee Corp. to develop a market for its low–sodium, low–fat foods. There, he was able to build on the lessons learned at Keystone Foods.
“Sara Lee is a very sophisticated outfit and working there allowed me to add value in a heart–healthy environment and create demand in a very big way,” he says.
Looking for new opportunities, Schecter left his post as division sales manager at Sara Lee in 1989 to take a job as vice president of sales at Pacific Coast Feather Co., a Seattle–based producer of down pillows, comforters, feather beds and other sleep products. The shift from deli to down was an easy one.
“I quickly learned that the pillow business is like the food business,” Schecter says. “These are products that everyone needs and has an emotional connection to.”
In 1999, Schecter became vice president of sales for Richmond, Va.–based Carpenter Co., the world’s largest maker of polyurethane foam and a leading processor of polyester fiber. The company provides components for various uses in the bedding industry and markets pillows, pads and toppers through its consumer division.
“We make products that enrich people’s lives and I’m evangelical about this,” he says. “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not excited.”
Much of Schecter’s current enthusiasm is for the “Sleep Better Dream Bigger” campaign that Carpenter launched in 2009. The effort began the company’s focus on social media, using SleepBetter.org, Facebook, YouTube and other outlets.
“With new media, the game is to build communities and be visible to consumers in a noninvasive, educational way,” Schecter says. “These online communities are like an ecosystem. They live and grow on their own.”
Many campaign components incorporate celebrities such as singer Jewel and actress Betty White to carry Carpenter’s “less stress through better rest” message. The company also has had success with catchy award–winning videos— “Paranormal Pillow” and “2 Guys 600 Pillows”—that quickly went viral with millions of views.
Entertaining campaign messages have a core theme.
“They all have a common thread that informs people about the importance of getting a good night’s sleep,” Schecter says. And people are getting the message.
“Our ‘likes’ on Facebook will soon eclipse 37,000,” Schecter says. “I get emails all the time thanking me for the information we provide. It gives me a great deal of personal satisfaction to know that we’re helping people get a better night’s sleep.”
Golf matters Weekend mornings are devoted to golf, a game that Schecter says he plays badly but still loves. He’s active in First Tee, an organization that introduces the game to underprivileged children, and Schecter identifies closely with the kids. “I came from a very poor family and had to work for everything. I turned out alright, but there are many others who don’t,” he says. “Golf teaches values that are important for success. You have to play by the rules; you have to count all the strokes, so you can’t lie; and you have to be respectful of the environment and the people around you.”
Spreading sunshine In addition to First Tee, Schecter and his wife, Barbara, work in other ways to improve the lives of the less fortunate in their community. Through the Sunshine Society, they spend time with hospitalized children, some terminally ill. Working through the River Bend Community Group, he says, allows them to help underprivileged families who are dealing with some sort of tragedy. Both commitments, Schecter adds, are fueled by his conviction that, “There but for the grace of God go I.”
Treasured possessions Proof that beauty is in the eye of the beholder comes from Schecter’s two most treasured possessions: “On the wall in my study I have a clay mask that my son made when he was 5 years old. It’s the ugliest thing you’ll ever see, but I love it,” Schecter says. “Right next to it is a rock my nephew gave me in 1983. It’s a great rock!”
Downtime Schecter has a long and varied list of ways to unwind. Top hobbies: game fishing off Key West, Fla., attending the opera at the Carpenter Center in Richmond and traveling to New York and Washington, D.C., for theater.
Bio in brief
Name Dan Schecter
Company Carpenter Co.
Title Vice president of sales and marketing for consumer products
Location Richmond, Va.
Education Schecter earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Alaska.
Family He and his wife, Barbara, have been married for 31 years and have one son.
| Name | Dan Schecter |
| Company | Carpenter Co. |
| Title | Vice president of sales and marketing for consumer products |
| Location | Richmond, Va. |
| Education | Schecter earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Alaska. |
| Family | He and his wife, Barbara, have been married for 31 years and have one son. |
