The National Sleep Foundation and home fashions manufacturer Ellery Homestyles will launch a major social media marketing campaign and retail merchandising effort to promote Ellery’s Sound Asleep curtain line, the Official Room-Darkening Curtain of the National Sleep Foundation.
The social media campaign will include a consumer sweepstakes in which entrants will have a chance to win a room make-over using Sound Asleep curtains. Ellery also is creating special Pinterest boards, retail website banners and promoting the campaign on its company website as well as on the Sound Asleep micro site.
“Controlling light is very important to getting quality sleep,” explains David Cloud, chief executive officer of the National Sleep Foundation. “Light can interfere with your sleep cycles by signaling your brain that you should be awake, so creating a dark bedroom is one of the most practical ways to reap the benefits of sleep. The National Sleep Foundation recommends keeping your room dark until you get the sleep your body needs. Room darkening curtains are a key to following that recommendation.”
The two-year-old Sound Asleep collection was selected as the official room-darkening curtain of the National Sleep Foundation due to its innovative, thermal-lined construction that helps create an optimal sleep environment by darkening the room. Developed to address the National Sleep Foundation’s recommendations for sleep health, Sound Asleep curtains’ room darkening construction reduces penetrating light through the use of proprietary fabric-backing technology, thereby creating the dark environment necessary to achieve a better night’s sleep.
Cloud says the Sound Asleep curtains address a critical consumer need. “The NSF’s 2012 Bedroom Poll revealed that 35% of Americans don’t use any curtains or shades in their bedrooms, so we have our work with Sound Asleep cut out for us,” he asserts, adding “At the same time, however, 73% of Americans say a dark bedroom is important to getting a good night’s sleep.
Budd Goldman, founder and chief executive officer of Ellery Homestyles, explains that the company identified a niche in the marketplace for room-darkening curtains, and developed the Sound Asleep collection to fill this unmet consumer need.
The Sound Asleep curtain collection is a unique marriage of fashion, function and design according to Susan Lazor, director of brand management for Ellery Homestyles. “Blocking light is the main benefit, but the technology provides noise-reducing and energy-efficient advantages as well,” she explains. “Reducing outside noise also helps promote a better night’s sleep, and the thermal properties of Sound Asleep curtains actually enhance the energy efficiency of a home, saving consumers money by reducing heat loss through the window.
“A soft thermal coating is applied to the curtain fabric to create the room darkening qualities in the finished panel,” Lazor continues. “Sound Asleep curtains are constructed of a versatile chenille fabric in a tonal texture that is designed to enhance the bedroom with the natural look of flowing curtains and to coordinate with any décor.”
Lazor says consumer reaction to the line has been overwhelmingly positive. “They love the fabric and the colors, and can see for themselves the immediate benefits of the room-darkening feature,” she comments. “As we continue to expand the placement and marketing efforts on retailers’ web sites, more and more people are becoming aware of the Sound Asleep brand. Ellery will be working with key retailers on our promotional marketing events to coincide with the NSF’s Sleep Awareness Week in March 2014.”
Another important aspect of the Sound Asleep line is consumer education: As part of their partnership, the National Sleep Foundation and Ellery Homestyles are reaching a wide consumer audience with critical information about the importance of better sleep. With every package, the informational brochure ‘Controlling Light for Better Sleep’ is provided to consumers, explaining about the importance of proper sleep, and how to create a proper bedroom environment to promote deep restful slumber.
Visit www.sleepfoundation.org, www.elleryhomestyles.com, www.soundasleepcurtains.com.
