Dive Brief:
- Sleepwear brand Lunya launched a Valentine's Day campaign featuring real couples sharing intimate moments in the bedroom with the tagline "good in bed," according to details shared with Marketing Dive by the company.
- The effort includes a pop-up shop at The Grove in Los Angeles through Feb. 28, an interactive "Dream Sensation" activation, gift guides, blog posts highlighting four diverse couples and Instagram poll ads.
- A 30-second video ad is running on connected TV. In the spot, text on the bottom of the frame promotes the sleepwear as being "good for trying new things in the bedroom," and shows a couple meditating, reading the newspaper and trying to kiss while a baby and toddler play in the bed. Lunya founder Ashley Merrill stars in the video alongside her husband.
Dive Insight:
The theme around the new Valentine's Day effort positions the brand as relatable to the average woman, who may connect with the ad's message of redefining what takes place in bedrooms. The creative strategy is relatively safe, but represents a stark departure from Lunya's campaign for Valentine's Day 2018, when the brand linked a red silk pajama set to "The Handmaid's Tale." That year, the sleepwear brand aimed to capitalize on popularity around Hulu's popular drama based on Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of the same name.
Sleepwear and lingerie is a popular category around Valentine's Day, and Lunya is trying to get its message in front of potential shoppers as the February holiday approaches. The new video ad plays on the classic line "good in bed" and shows how Lunya's sleepwear products are fun for romance, but also for more practical everyday intimacies that couples share in bed, such as snuggling with children or meditating.
In-person activations and a pop-up shop extend the campaign's reach and will likely deepen consumers' engagement with the sleepwear brand, while potentially driving sales as shoppers at The Grove interact with Lunya's activation and browse products.
As it did for its 2018 campaign, Lunya is making heavy use of Instagram for this year's effort. However, its approach to the social media platform has evolved significantly. This year, Lunya has a series of poll ads that ask users to chime in on their habits as couples, including whether they prefer to keep the bathroom door open or closed and if date night features snacks in bed or drinks on the town.
Two years ago, the company tried to drum up earned media by encouraging users to "join the resistance" — a reference to characters fighting the show's oppressive society that forces some women to become the property and sexual slaves of wealthy families in a dystopian future. While the TV show raises meaningful questions about women's identity in a society where they are subjugated, Lunya's message and use of scantily clad women in its ads were a poor match with the serious themes of the show, something Instagrammers were quick to point out.
This year, the brand is trying to stay away from controversy by driving engagement with content that is fun, relatable and interactive.
