Canadian sleep tape brand Sleep or Die has quickly developed a distinct brand voice that stands out in an increasingly noisy online world. Founder Lauren Sudeyko never considered doing things another way.Alana Paterson
I met Persephone while scrolling on Instagram.
Set against a bright red backdrop, the digital lamb called me out for “cheating on sleep:” I had been scrolling late into the night. Persephone is the mascot of Canadian mouth-tape brand Sleep or Die. She’s not just on its social media channels, she greets customers at the online store and she is all over digital branding.
“It brings a very fun, playful vibe to the brand and it’s a way of creating personality without relying on the founder to be the face of socials,” brand consultant Miranda Shanahan explains in a TikTok breaking down Sleep or Die’s creative online launch strategy.
The brand used more than Persephone’s winning personality to build hype before launch. It also created anticipation by initially obscuring what it was launching, inviting day-one fans to an insider’s club with perks and discounts and creating a private Instagram for these fans to foster a sense of community.
For Sleep or Die’s founder Lauren Sudeyko, being a social-first brand was intuitive for her. “I never even considered doing it another way.”
Ms. Sudeyko isn’t the only founder that sees social media as the key to launching a brand or product. Most companies now need some sort of social media strategy to be successful – especially for small and medium-sized businesses.
When companies are in a launch phase, it’s important to have and communicate a strong brand identity – which includes a company’s mission, values, tone, creativity and unique selling proposition, says Malania Dela Cruz, vice president at Vancouver-based PR and marketing firm Nine Point. Social media is the perfect tool, especially for smaller businesses that might not have the capital for a large-scale, traditional ad campaign.
“I want to change people’s minds about sleep, but I want to do it in a way that’s fun,” Ms. Sudeyko says about Sleep or Die’s bright red, graphic and in-your-face branding.Alana Paterson
“A strong social media roll-out is really like the modern equivalent of a press announcement,” Ms. Dela Cruz says. “You’re being seen, creating content that’s shareable and creating trust in the brand, too, because it’s already being talked about.”
For Sleep or Die, that meant using social media to subvert the expectations of a traditional sleep product brand. While most of them lean into a lavender-tinted dreamy aesthetic, it didn’t feel authentic to Ms. Sudeyko or her own experience with sleep deprivation. (After suffering from a concussion, which led to poor sleep, Ms. Sudeyko’s partner told her that if she didn’t get enough sleep, she was going to die young – hence the name.)
“I want to change people’s minds about sleep, but I want to do it in a way that’s fun,” she says about Sleep or Die’s bright red, graphic and in-your-face branding. “Why can’t sleep be sexy? Why can’t it be exciting? Just because someone in the ‘50s decided that it was lavender and light blue and whispery doesn’t mean I can’t change people’s perspective.”
That boisterous attitude has been the bedrock of Sleep or Die’s early success.
Patrick Henderson, VP of strategy at Toronto-based publicity firm Mint, says social media allows a brand to be in conversation with other players in its space. Social media “immediately opens up partnerships and gives you access to other voices that are going to be bigger than your own,” Mx. Henderson explains.
“What social does, in a way that very few other mediums can, is leverages the credibility of other people in the community that you’re trying to influence or that you’re a part of.”
Take OHME!, a company in Vancouver that makes freeze-dried fruits and yogurt crunches. The brand wants its product to be seen as a healthy, fun and convenient way to add fruit to dishes. When you visit OHME!’s Instagram, the imagery and content conveys exactly that: there are unique recipes from food creators, cute posts with animals, and interactive games and brain teasers to drive home the company’s health proposition.
The brand identity that’s cultivated and communicated on social media during the launch phase can also be a guiding light as a brand grows. Mx. Henderson describes social media as a “filter for decision-making,” and says decisions made for social media can help focus a brand’s identity. “Everything from packaging, to retailers to work with, to what trends to follow,” they explain.
Indigenous-owned brand Cheekbone Beauty uses its social media presence to promote its products, but it also uses it to spread stories about Indigenous activism, teachings and collaborations with other Indigenous entrepreneurs. Cheekbone’s brand identity is rooted in sustainability and its founder’s Indigenous identity – all of which is communicated clearly online, ensuring customers encountering the brand organically understand its values. Those branding decisions made online trickle into real life: Cheekbone is stocked at a number of small, Indigenous-owned stores such as Anishwe, the company is B-Corp certified, and Cheekbone runs an annual scholarship program for Indigenous students to give back.
It’s important to be strategic, rather than regurgitating other online trends or other low-hanging fruit. “It’s most impactful for a brand to be really authentic because there is so much noise out there,” Ms. Dela Cruz explains.
“There are so many brands putting out so much content and following trends, but you need to be able to show who you are right away.”