September 2007 - Cover Story

Rest Easy

By Tonia Cook Kimbrough

Sleep – that’s something most of us don’t get enough of. In fact, in a recent survey by the National Sleep Foundation, 60% of American women said they only get a good night’s sleep a few nights a week or less, and 67% said they frequently experience a sleep problem. Sleepwear and related accessories (think sleep masks,
slippers and robes) may not be on your radar now, but read on to learn how logoed sleep- and rest-inspired items can go a long way toward increasing brand loyalty.
Culturally, there are many trends that open the doors for sleepwear tie-ins. In the last few years the marketing of sleep aids by pharmaceutical companies has been on the rise. Home-based businesses and technology that allow entrepreneurs to log in for a day’s work dressed in pajamas and slippers offer a multitude of marketing messages worthy of a good imprinted nightshirt. And, there’s the demand for imprinted apparel in general – why not leverage that urge to wear one’s brand loyalty on a sleeve and take it right into the bedroom?

Sherry McBride of Duncanville, TX-based distributor Proforma A-Z Specialties has successfully sold sleepwear to church groups and summer camps. The concept is to provide an item that attendees can use during a retreat and then remember the experience by.

While T-shirts are still a fun staple, the less ubiquitous PJ offers an excellent twist on imprinted souvenir apparel. The challenge, McBride says, is that sizing is often an issue in securing a sleepwear order. An alternative to pajamas, she suggests, which requires less exact sizing is scrub-wear, which can also be a loungewear garment.

You can choose to target industries that clearly link to the concepts of sleep and relaxation for a first foray into the segment. “Sleepwear, robes and blankets are often used in the travel and resort industries. For example, a common promotion might be as a reward program for a resort condo owner. The robe or sleepwear is often packaged in a gift basket, tied with a nice ribbon, and includes a thank-you note,” says Bob Pierce, an apparel industry veteran who now works as an industry consultant at Festus, MO-based Pierce Marketing and Communications.

Or, be a bit more adventurous by creating a program for a company that doesn’t have a thing to do with snoozing except for its ability to put a customer at ease with its superior quality and service. Imagine a tagline accompanying a sleep mask that says, “Choose us, and you’ll sleep like a baby.”

Another approach is to offer your clients sleepwear as an alternative to traditional executive gifts. “Any company that sells high-ticket items would be a candidate for sleepwear, loungewear or robes,” Pierce says. “They make perfect gifts for conventioneers who receive the gift in their hotel room with a card thanking them for attending the convention and reminding them to visit a specific exhibit or attend a seminar.”

Anything plush and elegant has the potential to impress and suggest special treatment. In fact, Pierce recalls one instance where robes were used to plant the seed of high service expectations in a target audience. “A large medical clinic used Turkish robes as part of an awareness program to impress on patients that they’d receive special treatment at the clinic,” he says.

Pierce also cites another example of how higher-quality sleepwear items go a long way to reward valued customers. A national food service company used sleepwear as cruise gifts for its top distributors who’d met a high sales goal for the year. “This type of loyalty program can be particularly successful when you want the gift or award to be personal,” Pierce says. “What could be more personal than a monogrammed set of pajamas waiting for you on your cruise? If a customer decides to use travel for an incentive reward, jump on board and tell them to make the trip special by having a robe or sleepwear waiting in the cruise cabins or hotel rooms when their guests arrive. It makes quite an impression, and you’ll be able to tie in successfully to travel incentives by selling a product with a nice profit margin.”

Another benefit is the opportunity to upsell your sleepwear program. Present your client with a suggestion for how you’d distribute and present the gift. “The presentation’s very important and must be as personal as the gift itself,” Pierce says. “Always include a personal note saying thank you or congratulations with the gift. Use proper packaging. The nicest gift will look impersonal unless the package says, ‘Wow!’ Use baskets, ribbons, bows, and perhaps some fancy bar soap and shampoo with robes and sleepwear.”

Options abound
Of course, relaxation and nighttime accessories themselves are also a good choice for an upsell. If you sell sleepwear, suggest matching robes. Or, for a lower-cost, add-on option, consider slippers, lavender-scented sachets and sleep masks.

And, don’t forget the bed itself. Thoughtful, personalized programs cry out for items and premiums such as blankets and pillowcases. “Blankets are terrific gifts for anniversaries, grand openings, open houses or just for holiday gifts,” Pierce says. “A blanket makes the point when you ‘wrap up’ an important project and want to thank an employee or a customer for their hard work.”

Pillowcases are frequently used as part of travel incentive programs. The linens are embroidered or screen printed with a company logo and then placed on pillows at the resort hotel to welcome guests. You can also cleverly use pillowcases for any occasion or brand promotion that has an overnight or rest-focused theme. It’s the same for sleep masks. When Holiday Inn teamed up with Nickelodeon to launch a Nick hotel, pillowcases imprinted with SpongeBob Squarepants were sent to media personnel to announce the grand opening.

Point out the ‘wow’ factor
Martin Anthony, CEO of Escondido, CA-based Designs By Anthony, suggests a multitude of creative applications for sleepwear and accessories to either launch a program or tease an audience into action. Silk or poly-satin sleep masks, for example, can be economically used as part of a direct mail campaign that then promises a silky pair of personalized pajamas as a reward for an action. A real-estate company showcasing upscale condos, for example, might send out sleep masks embroidered with “Rest Easy” and the name of the condominium to suggest quiet surroundings and luxury suites.

Silk pajamas or a kimono could be given as a gift for attending a tour of an expensive property or at the close of a sale. A similar concept could apply to a mattress dealer. Sleep masks or slippers are given to any person visiting a store to try out a mattress. Customers can then register for an overnight trip and silk pajama giveaway. Or, those who purchase a top-of-the-line mattress – which can cost thousands of dollars – receive personalized silk robes.

The impression and message that accompanies such campaigns is powerful. “Sleepwear is such an important category because people are rejuvenated as they sleep,” Anthony says. “With sleep, you’re refreshed, ready to go and responsive.” These are all messages marketers can benefit from leveraging in their promotional campaigns.

The concept’s a surprise. Think how refreshing it would be for an end-user to receive a promotion that creatively makes the statement, “You’ll never tire of our service.” Anthony lists dozens of plays on words from, “You’ll never be sleepless with our guarantee” to workers who are “never sleeping on the job.”

Distributor Inkhead Inc. in Winder, GA, offers a variety of sleepwear products from robes to loungewear on its Web site. The benefit this promotional planner points out to those considering imprinted apparel is making a distinctive statement. Its sleepwear link asks the browser, “Tired of polo shirts and T-shirts? Why not try custom underwear or promotional robes and sleepwear? Your customers are sure to remember your business when you offer them unique marketing gifts.”

Choosing a sleep garment
So what features and qualities should you look for in lounge pants, PJs and robes? For starters, ask some of these questions: Do they have pockets for convenience? Are waists cinched with drawstrings or ties, allowing for a better fit for a range of body types and sizes? What about detailing, such as piping to add a finished appearance?

Also, think about what fabrics make the most sense for your client’s audience. For example, knit and jersey styles can transition to jogging or loungewear. These materials are a bit clingy and are often preferred by younger end-users. Or, is the climate where the target recipients live or will vacation hot and humid? If so, you’d be best served to offer something such as lightweight 100% cotton, which is soft and breathable. Cooler climates beg for polar fleece or flannel. High-end executive gifts require luxury fabrications. Silk pajamas or robes, for example, during summer months give a sophisticated, lightweight coverage. Think cashmere lounge pants for winter months.

In selecting colors, go with a practical approach. Brett Straff of distributor 20 Degrees Below in Jamison, PA, finds that lodges, salons and fraternal organizations, for example, often pick dark colors such as charcoal gray polar fleece robes so that they don’t show dirt. Darker shades may also appeal more to male end-users. For the past several years, Straff has filled an order for 600 charcoal gray robes for the Virginia Military Institute, which passes out the garments to incoming cadets to wear from the showers to their dorm rooms. Benefits of the polar fleece itself, which comes in a lightweight and heavier version, are longevity and a plush hand.

Pierce suggests erring on the side of simplicity if you aren’t sure about color. “It may be a good idea to stay with neutral colors and no specific patterns when it comes to sleepwear and loungewear, unless you know the personal taste of the people receiving the gift,” he says.

Sandra Jarvis of White Marsh, VA-based Crispies Co. Inc., however, has made the wildly imprinted pajama and lounge pants a must-have for many companies. Her sleepwear made of 100% ringspun cotton has a boho look that can be customized with festive all-over prints that represent a logo or theme. “Different strokes for different folks,” is Jarvis’ motto. Crispies has done everything from 4H Council pajamas to Joe’s Crab Shack boxers that loudly advertise, “Bite Me.”

Clearly there’s a range of choices to fit most any taste, company or age group. So the next time you’re stuck for a promotional idea – sleep on it, literally.■