Campaign Review: The Battle Of The Mattress Brands

As part of the Campaign Review, Mumbrella invites industry creatives and strategists to share their thoughts on the latest ad campaigns.

Brand: Little Dream

Company: Insomniac

Agency: Akselo

ADVERTISING

Judgment. This ad is fun, relevant and engaging.

Campaign Edge Executive Creative Director Dee Madigan gave the film a 9/10 and said:

One positive aspect of the rise of online mattress manufacturers is that Forty Winks has had to stop advertising in retail as well as pointless "brand" advertising or buzzwords that just force a resume (look at this fiasco).

And yes, I've seen zombies before, but I don't care. In addition to the excellent production, this is a genuine, fun and entertaining idea based on current information about problems and solutions. It also features strong branding, includes some product information, and positions Forty Winks as sleep experts.

This ad works really well on many levels, but still feels simple and memorable. The idea can easily be broken down into public external graphics and shorter videos. And because negativity is hard to see, it will attract people's attention.

Very good work.

Abby Dubin-Rodin, Senior Director of Strategy at Special Australia, rated it 9/10 and said:

Good afternoon! It's me. I suffer from insomnia. I can't blame my mattress because it's clearly my 9 month old's fault, but after a few sleepless nights he's really starting to understand why the CIA uses sleep deprivation as a torture method.

After the absolute boom of DTC mattress brands in the US, the sleep technology revolution has started in Australia over the last 10 years and mattress manufacturers have followed suit. And as someone who has had to buy several mattresses over the past seven years, the "traditional guys" like Forty Winks haven't done a particularly good job.

This company tips the balance in their favor. While physical mattress retailers are generally considered old-fashioned and mainstream brands don't need to be more culturally savvy, The Unslept offers a fantastic insight into how our strange sleep problems manifest and the fact that they turn us into zombies.

I thought it was inspired by the creative touches of classic horror and zombie movies. Romero's Unslept characters give viewers a great opportunity to identify with your Unslept archetype, increasing the relevance of the video. And the rich cast of post-apocalyptic (sleepy apocalypse?) leaders we know from the start and turn to for wisdom, advice, and a good night's sleep make Forty Winx a really smart hero.

I finally understand how difficult it is to promote mattresses without setting a price. But while everyone has a budget, it can be stretched a bit once you realize you're one of those insomniacs (and it's your mattress, not your baby's fault). It's a good move to understand how this gives the brand some price flexibility.

I like this company. Mattresses are a tough category. Traps are ingrained, they can be hyper-functional, and people are often unconvinced by them. So what you know has worked must be reliable. But after years of shopping for DTC mattresses online, being a millennial and being easily distracted by the soothing pink background and sans serif font, I'll actually consider going to a mattress store when the Forty Winks bedMatch team is here to help me . Select it.

Trademark: Ecosa

Company. "Live while you sleep well"

Agency: Bullfrog

Judgment. It's always nice to see a music commercial, but this one might be even better.

Dee rated it 6.5 out of 10 and said:

It is much more difficult to focus on the positive side of sleep in order to sell your brand and not be limited to working with categories. I like the idea that you can create a better world by sleeping better, and I think it's a very good place, but it could be better. The production and music are excellent.

​​​​​​While it can be difficult to convince a customer to stick with a product, your product presentation is not necessarily effective branding. In fact, it can have the opposite effect. In this case, it tells the viewer that this is an ad and there is nothing funny in the first 15 seconds (unlike other zombie ads).

The choreography and jokes in the second half are much better and are used in a 30 second commercial which is much better than a 60 second commercial. (And note to agencies: stop sending 60-second spots to commercial media when you're actually showing 30 or less). It's also difficult to get a musical idea to work outdoors or in static mode, and unfortunately it's often too sloppy.

30 seconds gives a 7/10 and 60 seconds gives a 6/10.

Abby gave it a 5/10 and said:

See details above for a 9 month old who I think is a very good sleeper, but I'm definitely not a good sleeper yet. I heard it's good! The girl in this ad looks happy.

I think this is the next version of The Unslept. All our poor insomniacs finally found a good mattress and woke up in a new world of music movies where they can sleep well.

Interesting fact about me. I love musicals. The Hamilton soundtrack has been one of my top 5 albums on Spotify four years in a row (that's bragging rights). I love theater, exaggeration, jazz hands. The problem with musicals, though, is that the joy and musicality are high because there's always drama. There is tension. This is Alexander Hamilton's fight.

Even though I'm instantly drawn to all things musical and I'm always humming "Kevin's a Creeeep," I find that I miss the excitement that restful sleep gives us.

Ecosa is trying to solve a very big problem: the fact that when we don't sleep well, we actually become the worst version of ourselves. Our patience wears thin, we drive our loved ones crazy, and we definitely don't react well when we get a ticket.

But mattresses are an expensive and relatively smart purchase, and even if we don't sleep well, we tend to underestimate how bad it really is until we fall asleep or have physical therapy because of it. When we automatically wake up in a world where the problem never arose, the brand has no chance of being the hero that takes us from insomnia to a good night's sleep.

There's a line at the end that I really like. Dream life is just around the corner, sleep on the Ecoz because I think it's starting to increase the tension. We are not living in our dream world for many reasons, except of course the wrong mattress. But when we contextualize the impact of evil on your life today, the benefits of Ecosa and what its dormant world may bring you tomorrow seem much more compelling.

As Lauren McNamara said.

If you're a creative or senior strategist interested in taking part in an upcoming campaign review, email Lauren at lmcnamara@mumbrella.com.au.

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