New SleepyCat ad delivers a slap in the face for a good night’s sleep

Not every day does an advertisement open with women being repeatedly slapped across the face in a parlour. That is SleepyCat for you, a sleep-solutions brand, and its latest commercial, where beauty is equated with pain.

The smack of the slap is not jarring but mildly arresting, drawing the viewer in as they wait to understand what is unfolding. Credit goes to professional slap facialist Preewara Thanaratphatsorn, who continues her family’s peculiar legacy of polishing faces with open palms.

As absurd as it may be to read, watching this nearly two-and-a-half-minute spot is even more surreal. It is a parody of the extremes to which people go in pursuit of beauty, while overlooking the most fundamental remedy for health, both inner and outer: sound sleep.

“We overlook something as simple as sleep, and then we resort to bizarre treatments like mouth taping and whatever else,” says Shikha Gupta, an independent creative consultant who conceptualised the campaign.

The idea emerged during research into the strangest beauty rituals. It turns out that the slap facial is real and not an invention of her or the brand's imagination.

Interestingly, this advertisement would never have seen the light of day had an earlier idea gone forward. SleepyCat was meant to collaborate with another brand on a script centred on physical transformation. “We waited 30 to 35 days for the other brand, but it did not work out,” says Gupta.

All SleepyCat wanted was to convey a simple message: that sleep is paramount. “A straightforward execution might not have done the trick,” reflects Suvanya S, chief of staff at SleepyCat. 

Founded in 2017, SleepyCat is a direct-to-consumer sleep solutions company that sells not only mattresses, but also pillows and bedding. It competes with newer entrants such as Wakefit and The Sleep Company, as well as established players like Duroflex and Kurlon, and the broader organised market.

She believes this is the kind of commercial that lingers in viewers’ minds. “It has shock value but also feels almost believable,” she adds.

Ask about the ad’s running time, SleepyCat's mention happens at the very end, and Gupta offers a wry response: “This attention span question should be banned.” She argues that attention spans have not diminished, only fragmented. “People will always watch what interests them, whether it is long or short. That has always been the case with advertising.”

Even so, the team was careful to ensure the film did not drag. “We had a lot more footage and really had to kill our darlings. Many jokes did not make the final cut,” she says.

Gupta is also critical of brands that display their logos from start to finish, particularly when the reveal comes at the end. “It is like saying, ‘I am about to tell you a joke, but first let me explain the punchline,’” she says.

It will not be easy for SleepyCat to surpass its latest campaign. “We have dropped an entertainer,” says Suvanya S, the brand’s chief of staff. She believes the advertisement has set a benchmark and hopes it will remain the standard.

“We want to focus on the simpler things in life, the small details that can make or break a day, and build more communication around them,” she adds.

Gupta, for her part, is optimistic about bringing to life a few scripts that are close to her heart. She hopes to work with budgets large enough to cast someone like Karan Johar with ease.