How the La-Z-Boy rebrand was Standing Up for Your Right to Sit Down
Winning Rebrand or Relaunch Gold in The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas is RPA and La-Z-Boy . Here is the award-winning case study.
Objective
La-Z-Boy® is one of the most recognized furniture brands in the category—known for their amazingly comfortable furniture—but they have faced some challenges in recent years as the furniture category has become increasingly crowded. Beyond macro-challenges, La-Z-Boy uniquely struggled with strongly held, outdated perceptions rooted in nostalgia. Many consumers thought of La-Z-Boy fondly—but only as their “grandpa’s recliner,” rather than their next shopping destination. Lastly, with the increased use of spokespeople, competitors’ advertising was starting to look a lot like La-Z-Boy’s. So after a successful, decade-long campaign, it was time for a shift, it was time for a rebranding.
By relaunching a legacy brand, we aimed to improve brand awareness, perception, and consideration. We dug into what La-Z-Boy could uniquely stand for, that would stand out in a sea of perfectly accessorized furniture. The answer was clear: cozy, sink-into, feet-up comfort.
Strategy
We utilized their new customer segmentation to identify a target audience that aligned with the brand’s core offering. We found a segment that prioritizes comfort over style—and appreciates brands with a reputation for quality. This segment has worked hard to get where they are and doesn’t mind spending a bit extra for quality and comfort that will last.
The timing couldn’t be better, since we could all use comfort more than ever. We’re living in a world that is always asking us to do more: Work longer hours. Throw Pinterest-perfect parties. Never have a pillow out of place. All that pressure was causing some serious discomfort for our audience, and it was time to push back.
So, rather than just rebrand La-Z-Boy, we started a movement. Or rather, a don’t-movement. The Long Live the Lazy™ campaign leaned into the brand’s history of providing the comfiest furniture out there and took back what it meant to be “lazy.” The campaign pushed against the category’s overly staged imagery and showed our customer enjoying their furniture the way it’s meant to be enjoyed. We invited our audience to join us on the sofa for a well-deserved lazy moment, and to kick back and recline when they feel inclined.
Execution
Launching on National Lazy Day, the first Long Live the Lazy brand spot, "We the Lazy," serves as a rallying cry, inviting hard-working individuals to join our don’t-movement and reclaim their right to be lazy. The brand assets showcase people proudly relaxing and boldly proclaiming they’re standing up for the right to sit down by leaning back and mowing the lawn tomorrow…ish. Uniquely the spot also features lived-in rooms—showing realistic ideas of the home rather than picture-perfect living rooms. Additionally, instead of focusing on price points and sales events to drive purchase intent, we prioritized storytelling. “We the Lazy” is a tongue-in-cheek manifesto driven by a clear brand narrative and characters our audience can relate to.
With a new brand tagline and creative campaign designed to encourage people to take well-earned rest, the media team delved into the La-Z-Boy custom audience segmentation. Based on their customer data, this new segment illuminated an opportunity to expand media targeting into a gender-neutral audience, capitalize on a more core age demographic, and prioritize a multiplatform media strategy. In partnership with La-Z-Boy, we analyzed where this audience indulged in their “lazy moments” and noticed something interesting: Rather than helping people relax, the ads and content on platforms often added stress, displaying perfect meals, spotless homes, and “motivational quotes.”
This insight drove the strategy for the Long Live the Lazy media campaign, focusing on partnering with platforms where people were choosing to take their moments of well-earned laziness. During these moments, relaxation was encouraged, and consumers were able to join our “don’t-movement,” standing up for their right to sit down.
To create an ownable moment with the rebrand, the campaign launched in a big way on National Lazy Day. Talk show integrations with The Today Show in the United States and Breakfast Television in Canada cemented La-Z-Boy as the true owner of National Lazy Day. La-Z-Boy® appeared on platforms where users chose to take their lazy time—such as mobile gaming with Candy Crush Saga® and Words with Friends™, and streaming services such as Hulu® and Max™—and rewarded them with in-game bonuses or commercial-free viewing. We then created deeper connections, aligning with curated content sponsorships with Apartment Therapy™, Yahoo®, and Pandora®, touting the benefits of rest and self-care. To reach our digital-heavy audiences, we maximized spend across YouTube™, Meta, and Pinterest video, even expanding into TikTok for the first time, to reach and engage with a younger demographic: our future customers.
By leaning into these environments, the Long Live the Lazy media campaign came to life authentically, in a way that resonated with our audience.
Results
The success of the holistic rebrand was clear. By leaning into comfort and authenticity through the creative messaging and media activations, La-Z-Boy’s “don’t-movement” changed perceptions and drove positive results. La-Z-Boy saw increased awareness and a +42% increase in site traffic YoY. With the media campaign driving 600M+ impressions and impacting a 25%+ increase in sales YoY. The rebrand also successfully impacted perceptions of La-Z-Boy; consumers found the brand more authentic after seeing the new campaign by +12.9 percentage points and more interesting by +5.8 percentage points. By starting a “don’t-movement” instead of just rebranding, we were able to empower future customers and reinvigorate La-Z-Boy’s brand for years to come.
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