Establishing a Scalable Brand-Performance Engine for Long-Term Growth
Simba is a leading UK e-commerce mattress and sleep-technology brand, approaching £100m in annual turnover. Prior to engaging MFN, Simba’s growth model had been shaped predominantly by social platforms, where short-term performance indicators such as CTR & CAC were used as the primary measures of success. While this approach delivered rapid expansion during Simba’s early years, it also created structural limitations. A focus on near-term optimisation constrained the brand’s ability to scale sustainably, and channels with proven long-term effects, particularly TV, were consistently deprioritised due to concerns around cost efficiency, attribution clarity and perceived risk.
At the same time, Simba operated in one of the UK’s most competitive broadcast advertising categories. Mattress brands had built large share-of-voice advantages, often supported by significantly larger budgets and established positions in linear and BVOD environments. Entering this space required not only a shift in channel strategy but also a clear and confident commercial narrative that could be understood across all levels of Simba’s organisation.
MFN was appointed to address a fundamental challenge: how to build a scalable brand investment framework that complements Simba’s performance capabilities, while ensuring that every pound invested is measurable, accountable and aligned with the company’s commercial objectives.
A Strategic Shift in Measurement and Investment
The first step was to redesign Simba’s approach to evaluating effectiveness. MFN introduced attribution and testing methodologies that demonstrated how TV could generate incremental revenue in a manner consistent with performance KPIs. This began with a controlled £50k test, intentionally modest yet analytically robust, designed to validate TV’s role in driving sales, improving efficiency and creating lift across other digital channels.
The results provided clear evidence of positive incremental contribution, enabling MFN to build confidence among senior stakeholder. With a shared measurement framework in place, we progressed to a more structured multi-phase approach, integrating brand airtime into the strategy to broaden reach, support mental availability and enhance long-term sales performance.
Unlocking Competitive Advantage Through Bespoke Media Value
With growing organisational alignment behind the strategy, MFN worked collaboratively with media owners to develop bespoke AV trading models tailored to Simba’s objectives. These delivered circa 50% enhanced value versus typical market rates, enabling Simba to achieve share-of-voice levels far beyond what their spend would traditionally support.
This efficiency unlocked a transformative behavioural shift: Simba committed their entire annual AV budget upfront for the first time. This provided preferential pricing, guaranteed access to high-quality inventory, and a strategic foothold in a category previously dominated by higher-spending competitors.
Commercial Outcomes
The impact of the new brand-performance framework was substantial and tangible:
- +122% growth in New Sales Revenue
- +163% improvement in ROAS year-on-year
- +8 percentage point increase in Brand Awareness
- Achieved a Top 20 UK advertiser position in delivered AV impressions (Q4 2024 – Samba TV measurement), despite deploying only 10% of the budgets typically associated with that ranking
These results validated both the strategic approach and the organisational investment in long-term, scalable growth channels.
A Rigorous Measurement Ecosystem
All outcomes were supported by a comprehensive measurement structure, including:
- TV attribution modelling
- Brand lift studies
- Weekly GA analysis and reporting for operational decision-making
This ensured transparency across all internal stakeholders, established trust in the investment model, and enabled precise optimisation of future activity.
A New Growth Architecture for Simba
MFN’s partnership with Simba delivered more than channel diversification; it created a measurable, scalable brand-performance system that now sits at the core of Simba’s growth strategy. By aligning attribution methodology, investment planning and media value, MFN enabled Simba to compete effectively in a crowded market and to unlock the long-term advantages associated with sustained brand building.
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