DTC brand Hostage Tape is aiming to connect with couples who have sleep issues with its first ever campaign.
Its campaign, which is targeting millennial couples between the ages of 30-40, ad showcases mouth taping’s benefits as it highlights mouth taping as a simple solution for better sleep, tackling snoring and sleep apnea. The brand’s campaign aligns with the goal to help those “held hostage” by sleep problems, emphasizing emotional and relationship dynamics.
Aside from YouTube and Meta, the advertisement will be available on CTV later this year. The Hostage Tape campaign aims to emulate the viral success of Liquid Death and Dr. Squatch in a humorous way that resonates with its audience in an attempt to mimic these successes.
Hostage Tape founder Alex Neist explained that before the brand’s current campaign, most of their creative content was in a more informal, user-generated style, rather than high-production studio content. Neist highlighted that in today’s digital landscape, authentic, UGC-style content resonates better with audiences, especially on platforms like Facebook and other social channels where they spend their marketing dollars. He emphasized that while iPhone-created content connects well with consumers, studio-quality productions tend not to perform as effectively on social media.
However, with plans to enter retail next year, Neist acknowledged the need to expand into more traditional channels, such as connected TV, to reach a broader audience like brands like Manscaped and Liquid Death did.
“We wanted to take that style knowing that the next level was going on TV. We’re talking Apple TV, Roku TV, streaming TV, that kind of thing, where we can then strategically be injected into all these different places where our target is and then continue to up the level of professionalism because when you see a brand on TV, it gives you a level of like, ‘whoa, okay, these guys are big deal,’” said Neist.
Rather than relying on formal research, Hostage Tape analyzes real-time performance. In Neist’s opinion, observing marketing performance constantly helps them determine what works and what doesn’t. They create and post organic content across their platforms, and when a particular piece resonates well with the audience, they often repurpose it for paid advertising, offering different variations to maximize its impact. It also pays attention to what other companies are doing to stay relevant and effective. By combining organic content testing and industry observation, Hostage Tape ensures its marketing approach remains relevant and effective.
Hostage Tape’s campaign addresses a noteworthy trend of couples participating in “sleep divorcing.” According to a recent survey conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), 45% of men reported occasionally or consistently sleeping in a separate room, in contrast to 25% of women. The survey also revealed that nearly half of millennials, 43%, have opted for separate sleeping arrangements, followed by 33% of Gen X, 28% of Gen Z, and 22% of baby boomers.
“That’s our core and we’re just trying to raise awareness, use some humor, get people’s attention and just raise the overall awareness of artist state melting and hoping it kind of catches on and it goes a little bit viral, hoping it can catch some steam,” said Neist.
