History

In 1978, key leaders of the bedding industry’s International Sleep Products Association (ISPA), which was then called the National Association of Bedding Manufacturers, had the wisdom to put down their gauntlets and create a generic marketing program with the goal to educate consumers about the importance of a new mattress. In 1985, the Better Sleep Council established May as Better Sleep Month.

The BSC’s Better Sleep Month was originally centered around a media blitz using a national spokesperson to do TV and radio spots. Better Sleep Month began before the Internet, so the emphasis was on getting people to write in and request a copy of The Guide to Better Sleep (now the Better Sleep Guide).

In its early years, the campaign won Silver Anvil and Thoth awards for public relations program excellence.

The Better Sleep Council has grown over the years into the nation’s preeminent resource on sleep and bedding.