The sleep aid market is notoriously crowded, featuring a variety of over-the-counter products such as pills, powders, supplements, tonics, and teas. This saturation makes it challenging for any brand, including Unisom, to stand out. More than a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep (no wonder there are 13.3 million mentions of sleep struggles on social media over the past year), and yet sleep brands—including Unisom—were notably absent from the conversation. It was clear that Unisom wasn’t dominating the sleep discourse. Competing against numerous options for sleep solutions and having limited awareness, we recognized the need for a campaign that would shift the narrative surrounding sleep aids.
Our goal was to break out of the pack by conveying a simple message: good sleep is magical, and Unisom helps you achieve it. We wanted to avoid the over saturation of the category filled with overt marketing messages, by preserving the media appeal and engagement potential of the content. The campaign aimed to elevate Unisom’s visibility and relevance in a crowded category, generating substantial buzz around the brand’s message of the “Magic of Sleep.” We sought to not only increase brand visibility but also to resonate emotionally with consumers who yearn for a good night’s sleep.
In the 13 months leading up to our campaign, with under 50,000 mentions on social media, Unisom lacked ownership in the sleep aid conversation.
A third of consumers face sleep challenges but only 38% of those consumers recognized Unisom as a viable solution. This insight underscored an opportunity for Unisom to break through the noise and position itself as a trusted authority in the sleep category. Our strategy was to attach ourselves to a culturally relevant moment in order to increase brand relevance because when you impact culture, you impact sales.
We found the creative opportunity of our dreams when the Met Gala announced their theme for 2024 — ”Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”. This moment in culture was our chance to inject Unisom into the broader conversation surrounding the magic of sleep.
To maximize engagement on a limited budget, we needed a tight narrative that would showcase the brand in a fresh and engaging context throughout Met Gala week and fashion’s biggest night.
To realize this vision, we collaborated with Christian Siriano, whose reputation as a longstanding designer for the Met Gala ensured Unisom was woven into the fabric of fashion’s biggest night. Siriano created 20 high-fashion, sleep-inspired gowns in Unisom’s twilight palette, worn by models as they fell asleep at NYC’s most iconic landmarks in a head-turning stunt. We also documented Siriano’s creative process, capturing inspiration, sketches, and fittings to amplify the campaign’s allure. The models were microinfluencers who created additional content at the event, further expanding the campaign’s reach.
By capitalizing on cultural moments, such as the Met Gala's "Sleeping Beauties" theme, we made Unisom relevant in the broader conversation surrounding sleep.
Can a one-off fashion activation for a sleep-aid brand drive real brand results? Our proof of
success lies in the metrics. Campaign performance exceeded all major benchmarks, with wins
to celebrate within each individual channel:
It’s clear this big risk paid off and appearing in such an unexpected place with content people wanted to engage with generated tangible results.
