In today’s world, waking life can be a nightmare. From minor annoyances to genuinely uncomfortable moments with family, coworkers or strangers, being awake comes with countless jump scares. Sleep, by contrast, is nature’s great escape. A blissful, quiet oasis … at least it’s meant to be. This insight is the root of Casper’s first major brand campaign in 4 years: “Daymares.”
Developed by creative agency Orchard, the campaign leans all the way into common, uncomfortable daytime moments, amplifying them with a horror film flourish to create a blend of humor, sophistication, and emotional truth.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been in front of consumers with major brand work, and we wanted a partner who could create something that felt memorable and relatable,” said Torrie Belknap, VP of Marketing at Casper. “Orchard deeply understood the message we wanted to bring to life and translated it into something that not only reinforces what’s special about Casper, but does so in our own, unique way.”
The tagline for the campaign, “Goodnight, Day,” succinctly reminds us what Casper offers – a night guaranteed to end well, no matter what happened during your day.
“We learned that for a lot of people, sleep has become unnecessarily complicated. The category is full of gadgets and products that promise more control, but often just add more stress,” said Kirstie Maryott, Head of Strategy, at Orchard. “We saw an opportunity to flip that. Casper makes getting great sleep simple, and the one part of your day you can actually rely on. So we brought that to life by contrasting the unpredictability of the day with the certainty of a great night’s sleep you get on a Casper.”
Each of the campaign’s three launch spots highlights a unique Daymare.
In one, “Birthday Boy,” a man endures an awkward birthday celebration at a theme restaurant that takes a strange turn when he looks up to find the restaurant’s mascot staring him down. The tension dissolves as the scene cuts to him resting peacefully in bed on his Casper mattress.
In “Crowded,” a woman is uncomfortably pushed to the back of a packed elevator as an alarm blares, heightening the claustrophobia. The chaos gives way to calm as she’s shown at rest on her Casper Snow Max mattress.
In “Poor Connection,” a businessman struggles through a frozen video call, repeatedly asking if anyone can hear him. The stress cuts to silence as he’s shown asleep, supported by Casper’s Zoned Support™ system.
“Sleep is such an integral and restorative part of our lives, and yet our value of sleep is rarely ever matched by our concern for what we sleep on. Casper’s products deliver the best version of a night’s rest,” said David Kolbusz, Orchard Chief Creative Officer. “We brought this campaign to life by juxtaposing the horrors of the day – all the microaggressions to the major transgressions – with the womblike comfort of a Casper-furnished bedroom.”
Defined by comfort, durability, and quality, the brand has long been a staple in the sleep space. The campaign aims to reestablish Casper as the leader in superior sleep, pushing it back to the center of culture after a hiatus from any major brand campaigns. The campaign will live across OTT and digital, and marks Orchard’s first work for Casper.
