The world’s ready for Napchat, Marketing & Advertising News, ET BrandEquity

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The world’s ready for Napchat, Marketing & Advertising News, ET BrandEquity


<p>Image used for representative purpose (Getty Images)</p>
Image used for representative purpose (Getty Images)

Mujhe neend na aaye neend na aaye
Mujhe chain na aaye chain na aaye

(Translation – I am unable to sleep
I am unable to have peace )

Remember that chartbusting song from the 90s blockbuster featuring Madhuri Dixit and Aamir Khan?

Fast forward to the 2020s and this song has gained a whole new level of relevance, capturing the ongoing reality of today’s times at a global level.

According to a World Economic Forum (WEF) report from 2019, around 62 per cent of adults feel that they are not getting enough sleep. Stress, tight work or school schedules, incorrect food choices at the wrong time, never-ending commutes: all of these convert adults into sleep-deprived zombies, a far cry from that happy-glowing-with-first-love state in which Madhuri and Aamir sang that memorable song. The consequences of sleep deprivation are evident in the form of increasingly prevalent health issues, which range from diabetes to high blood pressure to heart disease.

All of us are currently accustomed to having a standing refrigerator in our office.

Now imagine a refrigerator-like-pod: almost like another refrigerator in your office, but one that keeps you fresh, rather than your vegetables. Enter a brand called Giraffenap from Japan.

Giraffenap has created a unique standing nap-pod which you can walk into and have a twenty minute nap. Research done by Hokkaido University and Taiwan’s National Cheng Kung University has found that standing naps done right can be just as effective as lying down. So Giraffenap has created a specially designed standing nap booth with support for the head, the feet and the back while standing. Besides controls that adjust to your height for an optimal nap posture there are features like sound proofing, conveniently adjustable light levels, air purification and air conditioning. Basically a power outlet for people, where any sleep deprived person can energise and refresh their tired bodies and brains in a mere twenty minutes – while recharging their battery drained phones at the same time.

Massage chairs have started appearing at airport lounges and are popular among travellers waiting for their flights. In India’s railway stations and bus stands it is a fairly common sight to see weary passengers whiling away their waiting hours lying down.

This is a huge opportunity for someone to create the Indian version of Giraffenap where travellers can get a refreshing nap and then head to the cafeteria for some refreshments. And branding it in a way that resonates , like ‘sona sona’— a play on the words ‘gold gold’ and ‘sleep sleep’. After all, health is wealth and sleep is golden!

In Vietnam, where I have lived for the last eight years, given long commutes in places like Ho Chi Minh City, it is a standard practice for people to have a folded mattress and a pillow under their work desk. They roll it out after lunch and nap for 20 to 30 minutes in an effort to drive post lunch productivity. I have always wondered if there can be a whole new category waiting to be created here.

Given that it is all about burying your head in the sand or in a pillow to rest like an ostrich, there is another unique brand creating relevant products in this nap in a snap category- Ostrichpillow of Spain.

In India we are all used to the concept of a monkey cap. Warding off the winter cold by covering the head, the ears and the neck at the same time, the monkey cap is the original 3-in-1 cold protector that does the work of a woollen hat, ear plugs and a warm scarf all together in one strange but quaint looking package.

Take the same cocooning concept with an aim to create the comfort of a bed around your head. Ostrichpillow is furthering the concept of napping anywhere, not only with this original bed-around-your-head design, but also extensions which provide unmatched napping experiences on crowded planes.

Another huge opportunity for an Indian adaptation of this is for crowded local trains in places like Mumbai, which could come with options for napping while standing or seated.

Even for car companies’ tom-tomming features ranging from seat upholstery to interiors – adding built in napping devices in the back seat in partnership with brands like Ostrichpillow can provide an interesting differentiator.

After all, who wouldn’t like to grab a few restful winks on the never-ending traffic-infested commutes that have now become routine for all of us?

Even ride-hailing companies, that are continuously seeking ways to charge a premium, could equip their cars with personalised, hygienic, specially designed rest pillows, along with bottles of water and other back-seat conveniences.

Nowadays there are TED talks on how sleep is a super power and the ill-effects of sleep deprivation.

Hence, it’s time for Napchat – a category powered by brands like Ostrichpillow and Giraffenap that enable and empower people to nap anywhere safely, conveniently and restfully: so people can be at their best mentally and physically. Not haggard, tired and brain-fogged but fresh and charming just like Madhuri Dixit and Aamir Khan in that chartbusting song.

Time to wake up to this concept!

The trick to writing about love for Valentine’s Day

Love is hard to write about and yet each year, a multitude of brands push out Valentine’s Day campaigns celebrating that ‘many-splendoured thing’. What is it like to sell brands riding on the emotion of love, year after year? As a copywriter who has had to churn out more than his fair share of Valentine’s Day trope, Satbir Singh, founder and CCO, Thinkstr, describes a copywriter’s fate with the approach of Valentine’s Week each year.

  • Published On Feb 16, 2024 at 08:26 AM IST

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