Bedding retailer Forty Winks unveils brand relaunch with ‘The Unslept’ campaign via Akcelo
Australian bedding retail specialist, Forty Winks, is on a mission to help millions of sleep-deprived Australians ‘Go to better sleep’ with nearly 50% of all Australian adults reporting at least two recurring sleep issues.
Forty Winks has undergone a complete brand relaunch, led by recently appointed brand experience agency, Akcelo. The launch campaign introduces audiences to ‘The Unslept’ – an uncanny horde of some seriously tired people, each one exhibiting some of the most common sleep issues faced by Australians.
In an epic film directed by Rabbit co-founder Owen Trevor Black, audiences are introduced to Mouth Breathers, Side Sleepers, Toss ‘n’ Turners, Cover Snatchers, Hot Sleepers, Doom Scrollers and more descending on the Forty Winks store and the team inside. Through industry leading training and patented bedMATCH® technology, the Forty Winks staff work together to solve the respective sleep challenges of ‘The Unslept’, tailoring world-class products and sleep solutions to suit their needs.
“We are thrilled to launch our first brand refresh since 2019, beginning with the release of ‘The Unslept’ film. Forty Winks has been serious about sleep for almost 40 years and the new campaign perfectly encapsulates the vision for our next chapter – to help Australians ‘Go to better sleep’. The film concept and creative is unlike anything we’ve done before, and it was a joy to work with our talented partners to help bring it to life. We look forward to continuing to expand on the stories of ‘The Unslept’ characters and our ‘Serious about sleep.’ brand promise to new and existing customers in the months and years to come,” said Damian Lucas, National Advertising and Marketing Manager at Forty Winks.
“Poor sleep is one of the major health issues facing Aussies, and with their sleep science and staff expertise, Forty Winks helps Australians get the sleep they deserve. In answering this brief, we needed to find a way to demonstrate these proof points whilst also giving the brand a unique voice that reinforces Forty Winks’ leadership of the sleep category,” said Simon McCrudden, Strategy Partner at Akcelo.
“Sleep is a serious topic… but it’s also ripe for comedy. With ‘The Unslept’ we have found an incredible creative vehicle to tackle Australia’s sleep problem in a disarming and memorable way. We have no doubt that every Australian will see themselves–or a loved one–in one of these characters,” said Aden Hepburn, CEO at Akcelo.
Beyond the Brand Film, ‘The Unslept’ will also make their way into OOH, Social, Monthly Retail and even upcoming Product films, in which the Forty Winks team put their sleep expertise and patented bedMATCH® technology to good use, to help The Unslept go to better sleep.
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Client: Forty Winks
National Advertising & Marketing Manager: Damian Lucas
Strategic Consultant, Shadowboxer: Steve McGrath
Strategic Consultant, Shadowboxer: Stephen Graham
Content Manager: Kate Roscrow
Content Writer: Caitlin Zoon
Graphic Designer: Karen Stait
Marketing Specialist: Shreya Somani
Marketing Specialist: Nicole Mitchell
eComm & CRM Lead: Josh Gibson
eComm Coordinator: Matt Stringer
Creative Agency: Akcelo
Group Creative Director: Louise McQuat
Creative Partners: Oskar Westerdal & Jon Foye
Senior Creative Team: Rob Gordon & Nathan Moraza
Head of Content Production: Mark ‘Bucket’ Summerville
Senior Integrated Producer: Eleanor Rout
Strategy Partner: Simon McCrudden
Customer Strategy: Emily Smith
Business Lead: Kirsty Reynolds
Senior Account Director: Jenna Featherstone
Senior Account Manager: Ben Le Couteur
Head of Design: Mark Berry
Studio Manager: Stephen Au
Senior Designer: Francis Loh, Mitash Patel
Senior Motion Designer: Jamie Muscat
Senior Art Director: Ilya Aronovich
Junior Copywriter: Lon Garbett
Creative Project Delivery Lead: Sophie Tschuchnigg
Creative Services Manager: Katie Morton
Managing Director, Melbourne: Jon Kenyon
Chief Executive Officer: Aden Hepburn
Film Production: Rabbit
Director: Owen Trevor Black
Second Unit Director: Daniel Fletcher
Assoc EP / Producer: Marcus Butler
Executive Producers: Alex Hay, Lucas Jenner
DOP: Peter Eastgate
Post House: The Editors
Editor: Ryan Boucher
Colourist: Fergus Rotheram
Online Artist: Eugene Richards
Post Producer: Rita Gagliardi
Casting: McGregor Casting
Senior Casting Director: Stevie Ray
Sound Post Production and Music Facility: Klang Studios
Executive Producer: Analese Cahill
Sound Design and Mix: Declan Diacono and Brendan Woithe
Music Composition: Ryan Grogan and Brendan Woithe
Music Recording Studio: Free Energy Device
Music Recording Engineer: Neal Sutherland
Live Musicians :
French Horn: Bourian Boubbov
Violin / Viola: Adrian Keating
Cello: Hannah Grogan
Double Bass: Brendan Clarke
Stills production: Sam I Am
Photographer: Billy Plummer
Executive Producer: Rich Cole
Producer: Jacqui Kelly
Retouching: Electric Art
Media: Hatched Media
Head of Product: Andrew Pascoe
Head of Digital, Data & Tech: Denise McCormack
Group Strategy Director: Regan Hancock
Group Business Director: Ashlie McIntosh Associate Director: Isabella Pezzaniti
Senior Trading Manager: Emily Capsis
Publicity: tide.pr
Managing Director: Stacey McArdle
Strategy & Innovation Director: Kate Thompson
Account Director: Jasmine Burford
Account Manager: Laura Jarrett
65 Comments
Love it!
The real fatigue issue here is the bombardment of so many tired cliche’s.
When will agencies realise that noone wants to watch a 2 minute film. You’re not Netflix. For starters the darkness of the tone of the ad and the creepiness of the staff does not make Forty Winks seem like a desirable place to visit.
you are wrong.
Pretty good.
Go to better sleep is real nice
love 🧟
snooze fest, how bland
looks and sounds cheap, tired concept. zzzzzzz
You are everything wrong with advertising.
Absolutely adore this, it stands out from the beige on air for every other brand. The craft is exceptional!
Clever writing, amazing casting, lovely edit.
Horror tropes galore.
What fun, so nice to see a proper idea get brought to life.
Nice one gang, looking forward to seeing it do really well.
but could’ve been a better script?? Not great comedic timing
You forgot the /s
The credits list is insane.
Like actually nightmarish
A lot of great bits here, but a Mattress Store doing an after-midnight sale for people who can’t sleep is neat (if it hasn’t been done before)
Wait, so does this mean Forty Winks are open all night now?
Love it
Like the idea and concept, the art direction sucks though, trying to be Stranger Things kind of vibe but not quite hitting the mark and the typography is so 2o17 like…
Good stuff
Huge slay IMO. Love the idea, characters and craft. Not easy getting an idea like this brought to life! Fabby job to all involved.
An ad that’s genuinely not going to resonate with most people. Stop making ads for your portfolios.
Fresh and fun. Congrats to all involved.
It’s fun
Production quality is great well done. But take a look at the Ecosa article from today .. far better and from the looks of it far less budget. Think Ecosa will get a much higher return on thier investment and probably more traction with people.
Fantastic ad but think the 60 or 30 will be even better.
https://starwarsintrocreator.kassellabs.io/?gclid=CjwKCAjw6p-oBhAYEiwAgg2Pgtm1ZyOfn8ZNsgrEQPmBmy2Y9Oavg9e8JZJIxiFP2I9_msE6q9WBnRoCAS4QAvD_BwE#!/ENeftUyOOjlfu0-TlFwk
Do you just jump into every Campaign Brief thread to throw the word “slay” into the mix like a supporting actress from “Mean Girls”?
yes i love it, i really love it
So just another version of “for the great unrested” that McCanns did for Forty Winks 10 year ago?
I also think being kind is hot, and I love the word slay.
Also echo the majority of people here – love this.
And @@being kind is hot – piss off with your sexism. What a miserable old fart you are.
Show em the vid…that’ll put them to ‘better sleep’
Nice idea, different, entertaining. The only thing holding it back is the length. Someone else said it and I agree, the .60″ will be even better.
Lmao. How on earth is that comment sexist? Victim’s gonna victim I guess.
Awesome work guys! Great idea, great craft and will cut through in spades.
Timed it. Almost as long as the ad itself.
Give this cliche zombie brand stuff a good 12 weeks and then you’ll see the franchisees begging for the 40 hr sale alarm clock ads to return.
Guys, learn how to control the credits list!
You have to admire this. Kudos to any brand willing to do stuff like this and not some dancing ad.
This is the 5th or 6th piece of good work in the last two weeks. Monkeys with a few, Special with a few, and now this… Straya’n advertising is getting good again!
Legit question – did you test this in research Akcelo? I surveyed four of my housemates. They all hated it and thought it was contrived
It’s one of those soar or fall moments.
Time will tell which one.
What’s your research company called?
Housemates?
Burn
Some people are really telling on themselves with their takedown attempts
e.g. Did you research this? This won’t hit ROI because it cost money to make? The tone is too dark? It’s a portfolio piece?
Lmao “People stating their opinions on why they dislike a piece of creative shared on a public forum… MUST BE A TAKEDOWN ATTEMPT!”
Respect for trying to do more – for, likely, a challenging client.
This is an important piece of work for Akcelo as an agency.
It’s a big and ambitious film for a client that’s not synonymous with big or ambitious advertising.
Good on them for selling it in and getting it made.
Hats off Oskar, Jon and team.
This is brilliant and funny, well done. And for a retail mattress company. Bastards.
I’m sure you’re not suggesting it was all Oscar and Jon’s work. There’s a few more contributors listed. It’s a great spot nevertheless.
Great job Jon, Oskar and co, making work is not easy. The spot is entertaining and well shot. A tad too long perhaps but I love the idea and execution.
Nice lads, fun as
A few more? Try a lot more. Usually when a credits list is long and the work is OK, it means the agency is a creative wasteland and staff feel like they’re in district 13, trying to mockingjay they’re way out.
That’s a sad way of looking at crediting everyone that worked on something. Are you ok?
I wasn’t trying to suggest anything except I like Oskar and Jon and this ad. I don’t know anyone else on the list, but in the spirit of fairness, well done to:
Client: Forty Winks
National Advertising & Marketing Manager: Damian Lucas
Strategic Consultant, Shadowboxer: Steve McGrath
Strategic Consultant, Shadowboxer: Stephen Graham
Content Manager: Kate Roscrow
Content Writer: Caitlin Zoon
Graphic Designer: Karen Stait
Marketing Specialist: Shreya Somani
Marketing Specialist: Nicole Mitchell
eComm & CRM Lead: Josh Gibson
eComm Coordinator: Matt Stringer
Creative Agency: Akcelo
Group Creative Director: Louise McQuat
Creative Partners: Oskar Westerdal & Jon Foye
Senior Creative Team: Rob Gordon & Nathan Moraza
Head of Content Production: Mark ‘Bucket’ Summerville
Senior Integrated Producer: Eleanor Rout
Strategy Partner: Simon McCrudden
Customer Strategy: Emily Smith
Business Lead: Kirsty Reynolds
Senior Account Director: Jenna Featherstone
Senior Account Manager: Ben Le Couteur
Head of Design: Mark Berry
Studio Manager: Stephen Au
Senior Designer: Francis Loh, Mitash Patel
Senior Motion Designer: Jamie Muscat
Senior Art Director: Ilya Aronovich
Junior Copywriter: Lon Garbett
Creative Project Delivery Lead: Sophie Tschuchnigg
Creative Services Manager: Katie Morton
Managing Director, Melbourne: Jon Kenyon
Chief Executive Officer: Aden Hepburn
Film Production: Rabbit
Director: Owen Trevor Black
Second Unit Director: Daniel Fletcher
Assoc EP / Producer: Marcus Butler
Executive Producers: Alex Hay, Lucas Jenner
DOP: Peter Eastgate
Post House: The Editors
Editor: Ryan Boucher
Colourist: Fergus Rotheram
Online Artist: Eugene Richards
Post Producer: Rita Gagliardi
Casting: McGregor Casting
Senior Casting Director: Stevie Ray
Sound Post Production and Music Facility: Klang Studios
Executive Producer: Analese Cahill
Sound Design and Mix: Declan Diacono and Brendan Woithe
Music Composition: Ryan Grogan and Brendan Woithe
Music Recording Studio: Free Energy Device
Music Recording Engineer: Neal Sutherland
Live Musicians :
French Horn: Bourian Boubbov
Violin / Viola: Adrian Keating
Cello: Hannah Grogan
Double Bass: Brendan Clarke
Stills production: Sam I Am
Photographer: Billy Plummer
Executive Producer: Rich Cole
Producer: Jacqui Kelly
Retouching: Electric Art
Media: Hatched Media
Head of Product: Andrew Pascoe
Head of Digital, Data & Tech: Denise McCormack
Group Strategy Director: Regan Hancock
Group Business Director: Ashlie McIntosh Associate Director: Isabella Pezzaniti
Senior Trading Manager: Emily Capsis
Publicity: tide.pr
Managing Director: Stacey McArdle
Strategy & Innovation Director: Kate Thompson
Account Director: Jasmine Burford
Account Manager: Laura Jarrett
Just say “I like Oskar and Jon and this ad. I don’t know anyone else on the list, but we’ll done everyone”
Was daddy mean to you as a child?
This is just meeehhhh. Great creative, but the comedic timing seems to fall short, could it be the edit perhaps?
Tired people are zombies. “Great creative”?
Good lord… This wouldn’t even get up in AWARD school.
A tight 30″ could easily help the comedic timing. Wish I could bring myself to search for it.
Akcelo are on fire and they are shaking up the boring bed category. Also I love that Bucket has bucket in his name.
Almost good…. But not quite there. Akcelo can obviously unlock budget but are confused. Not great.
Truly Brilliant. It’s advertising like this that makes me feel like I’m being trepanned. The stupidest people alive trying to create art for people they imagine are even stupider than them.
Zombies.
The cliches just work. It’s relatable. It’s funny. And even though you know it’s doing a sales job (nice use of factoids) it absolutely fits. Love this.
Why the lc Torana in the Carpark
Please tell me all the details of the car please.
Holden Torana which model etc please.