The Pillow Company
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| Private | |
| Industry | Pillows |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Michael J. Lindell |
| Headquarters | Chaska, Minnesota, United States |
Number of employees | 1,500 |
| Website | www.mypillow.com |
My Pillow, Inc. is a pillow manufacturing company based in Chaska, Minnesota, United States.[1] The company was founded in 2004 by Michael J. Lindell, who invented and patented MyPillow, an open-cell, poly-foam pillow design. My Pillow has sold over 41 million pillows, due mostly to My Pillow’s TV infomercials.[2][3] The company started with five employees in 2004 and had 1,500 employees as of 2017.[4]
- 1History
- 2Operations
History[edit]
Origin[edit]
My Pillow was founded by Minnesota native Michael J. Lindell.[5][6] For years he researched pillows and sleep disorders and experimented with fillers and fabrics before creating and patenting MyPillow, an open-cell, poly-foam pillow design.[7] To help fund the development of the pillow, Lindell sold four bars he owned in Carver County, Minnesota, and mortgaged his house.[1][4] At first, Lindell hand-sewed the pillows himself and handled all the sales and distribution with help from his family.[4]
The first MyPillow was sold in 2005 at a kiosk in Eden Prairie Center, a mall in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.[4] For the next six years, the company struggled, selling at mall kiosks, state fairs, and trade shows.[8]
Promotion[edit]
The company's success took off after launching an infomercial in October 2011.[9] The thirty-minute show was shot in one day in front of a live studio audience and cost $500,000 to produce and launch.[10] As of September 2013, the infomercial was still running an average of 200 times per day on local and national networks. Since it first aired, My Pillow has sold more than 30 million pillows and grown from 50 employees to over 1,500.[3][10][11]
In July 2015, Lindell and My Pillow sponsored an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for the world's largest pillow fight at a St. Paul Saints baseball game. The fight featured 6,261 participants, beating a previous record of 4,201.[12]
In May 2018, Lindell and My Pillow again broke the Guinness World Record for the world's largest pillow fight, this time at the evangelistic PULSE Movement event held at the U.S. Bank Stadium, after Lindell led over 45,000 people in prayer. [13][14][15]
In late March 2018, student activists from the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, including David Hogg, called for a boycott of advertisers on the television show The Ingraham Angle on Fox News Channel, after host Laura Ingraham made disparaging comments about David Hogg.[16] Dozens of advertisers subsequently vowed to no longer pay for advertising on The Ingraham Angle, but My Pillow continued to advertise on the show and increased their advertising buy on The Ingraham Angle by 625% during the first week in April 2018.
In addition to its pillow line, My Pillow now offers a variety of sleep products such as mattresses, mattress covers, sheets, and animal beds.[17]
Operations[edit]
My Pillow’s headquarters, call center and customer service center are located in Chaska, Minnesota.[1] The company’s 70,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Shakopee produces approximately 25,000 pillows per day.[11][18] All products are marketed as 'proudly American made'.[19]
Retail[edit]
My Pillow Company Net Worth
My Pillow opened its first retail store in Burnsville, Minnesota, in 2012 and, as of 2017, had grown to 17 locations in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.[20] My Pillow products are also offered on QVC, at major retailers, trade shows, and from the My Pillow website.[9][21]
Design and technology[edit]
My Pillow products are a patented design, involving a mix of different-sized pieces of open-cell poly-foam. Lindell claims to have tested 94 different foams before deciding on the right one.[4] The pieces are chopped to specification by a machine Lindell developed based on a piece of farm equipment. The mix also contains a resin that enables the foam to retain much of its shape when molded to the user's preference. The pillows are non-allergenic, dust mite-resistant, washable, and dryable.[4]
Awards and recognition[edit]
In 2013, QVC awarded My Pillow its Q-Star Award for Product Concept of the Year.[22]
Charitable work[edit]
A portion of MyPillow proceeds go toward the Lindell Foundation, a charity that assists addicts, veterans, cancer patients, and other people in need.[18][23] In March 2015, My Pillow donated pillows to the Sandra J. Schulze American Cancer Society Hope Lodge facilities, which houses patients and their caregivers when traveling for treatment.[24][25]
Lawsuits and settlement[edit]
In April 2016, a class action lawsuit was proposed for the pillows being falsely advertised, among the complaints being that Lindell is marketed as a 'Sleep Expert,' despite having no board certification or special training in sleep medicine.[26] The Better Business Bureau has received 220 complaints regarding the company from 2013-2016.[27]
In November 2017, the lawsuit, which challenged the appropriateness of the marketing, packaging, and sale of MyPillow products, including health claims about the product, buy one get one promotions, and the use of third party endorsements and logos, was settled.[28]
On November 1, 2016, My Pillow agreed to pay $1 million ($995,000 in civil penalties and $100,000 to California charities benefiting the homeless and victims of domestic violence) to settle a false advertising lawsuit brought in Alameda County Superior Court by Alameda County and eight other California counties.[29] The lawsuit challenged the company's marketing claims, which asserted without proof that its pillows could treat symptoms of fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea, cerebral palsy, acid reflux, and other conditions.[29] As part of the settlement, the company was banned 'from making claims in California that its pillows can cure or treat diseases and their symptoms without a human trial to back up the statements.'[29]
Ratings and reviews[edit]
In January 2017, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) announced it had revoked the accreditation for MyPillow and had lowered their rating from an A+ to an F[30] based upon numerous consumer complaints. The main issue addressed by the BBB was the constant use of their buy one, get one free offer. The BBB's Code of Advertising requires that offers or discounts must be made for a limited time, or the deal becomes the normal price of the product.[31]
References[edit]
- ^ abcMichael J Lindell, 'MyPillow HQ moves to Chaska,'Chaska Herald, June 16, 2015.
- ^Rothman, David. 'The story of the My Pillow king'. CBSN. CBSN. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^ abWells, Jane. 'How this entrepreneur went from a crack addict to a self-made multimillionaire'. CNBC. CNBC LLC. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
- ^ abcdefJohn Vomhof Jr., 'My Pillow soars after informercial,'Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, June 22, 2012.
- ^Penelope Green, 'The Pillow Cure,'The New York Times, February 11, 2015.
- ^C.J., 'Case of the Missing Pillows,'Star Tribune, January 16, 2010.
- ^Nick Mason, 'My Pillow receives three-month reprieve,'Chaska Herald, July 17, 2012.
- ^Laura Baverman, 'Dangers of sudden success sink in for MyPillow founder on eve of new infomercial,'Upstart Business Journal, December 16, 2013.
- ^ abSam Black, 'My Pillow moving 200 jobs to Shakopee, opening retail stores,'Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, August 23, 2012.
- ^ abJohn Ewoldt, 'Sales stay plump for Chanhassen-based MyPillow,'Star Tribune, September 15, 2013.
- ^ ab'The Man Behind The Passion Of MyPillow,'CBS Minnesota, December 25, 2013.
- ^'Saint Paul Saints hold world's largest pillow fight'. Burlington Free Press. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^'Largest pillow fight'. Guinness World Records. Guinness World Records Limited. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^'PULSE Events'. PULSE. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
- ^'Twin Cities Pulse Event'. Michael J Lindell. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
- ^'Ad Prices On Fox's 'The Ingraham Angle' Fall In The Wake Of Advertiser Boycott'. www.forbes.com.
- ^'MyPillow Mattress'. www.mypillow.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ ab'My Pillow' founder opens up about addiction,'Salvation Army Website, December 29, 2015.
- ^J.W. Najarian, 'Michael J. Lindell Inventor of My Pillow and Founder of the Lindell Foundation,'On Purpose Magazine, April 6, 2012.
- ^“Places to Buy,”My Pillow Website, retrieved January 14, 2016.
- ^'The Preposterous Success Story of America's Pillow King'. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Bloomberg L.P.
- ^Nichole Dobo, 'Pillow business earns QVC award,'The News Journal, February 20, 2014.
- ^J.W. Najarian, 'MyPillow and Orange County Choppers Unveil Custom Motorcycle at Mall of America,'On Purpose Magazine, April 6, 2012.
- ^Hannah Tran, 'Large Pillow Donation Brings Comfort to Hope Lodge,'ABC6 News, March 4, 2015.
- ^Jeff Hansel, 'Pillow donation brings comfort to cancer patients,'PostBulletin.com, March 5, 2015.
- ^Tassin, Paul (April 11, 2016). 'My Pillow Class Action Says Pillows Are Falsely Advertised'. Top Class Actions. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
- ^'BBB Business Profile - My Pillow, Inc'.
- ^Bucher, Anne (28 November 2017). 'MyPillow BOGO Class Action Settlement'. Top Class Actions. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ abcFilipa A. Ioannou. 'MyPillow maker to pay $1 million in false advertising settlement'. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^''My Pillow' downgraded to an F rating by Better Business Bureau'. WTHR. 4 January 2017.
- ^'BBB revokes MyPillow accreditation'. ABC 10. KXTV. 2017-01-02. Retrieved 2017-01-03.