We wanted to engage with a very specific target—18- to 34-year-olds who are stuck between youth and adulthood, and who embrace anything that goes against the norm. While brand engagement is high around the holidays due to traditional outreach, during the remainder of the year the engagement drops. Because this target was already participating in a growing counterculture based on the backlash of the Fitness Tracker saturation—they were tired of obsessing about their activity and were starting to compete for who was the laziest—we joined an existing conversation in a unique way only Joe Boxer could own.

By leveraging the tension between the saturation of fitness bands and the counterculture of laziness, we joined the conversation in an ownable way with a wearable anti-fitness band and app leveraging the technology as activity trackers, but with the goal of inactivity. The app rewarded people for being inactive, and drove sales of Joe Boxer pajamas by making them shoppable directly from your device. Bands were for sale with pajamas at the NYC Kmart store or by retweeting Kmart posts or opting in via text for a chance to win a device. By offering an exclusive, premium product only through engagement with the Kmart and Joe Boxer brand and a mobile device—via Twitter, mobile opt-ins, or in-store visits and purchases—we were able to increase consideration and drive sales while encouraging repeated interactivity with the Joe Boxer brand through a product that inherently causes repetitive use.

Joe Boxer Pajamas created a new use for their product with the creation of the Inactivity Tracker—what pairs better with laziness than pajamas? All marketing materials supported this notion through ownable and cohesive Joe Boxer branding and tonality. Along with the creation of the band, app and packaging, we built buzz days before launch via PR and social seeding, and we officially launched in the New York City Kmart on April 17, giving bands away free with the purchase of Joe Boxer pajamas. To amplify the spirit of truly relaxing, we launched a video on our landing page of The Joe Boxer Lounger Games—an hour-long sports commentary of two guys going head-to-head, displaying the epitome of inactivity. Social posts continued to drive buzz throughout April, with a Twitter and mobile giveaway allowing lazy enthusiasts to get their hands on an Inactivity Tracker.

The result? We created a new movement. A no-movement movement. Suddenly, everyone was talking about Joe Boxer Pajamas again. Creative and Industry pubs loved it, saying “FuelBand, Fitbit, Jawbone, you now have a new kind of competition" (Creativity) and “Kmart and Joe Boxer know lazy people need affirmation too.” (Fast Company). Conversation around the brand spiked, increasing over 300% in the days following the launch. And the Inactivity Tracker sold out within days. But, best of all, pajama sales increased 59% at the in-store launch, and online sales went up 64%.

Joe Boxer is known for bucking tradition. Historically, successful holiday campaigns helped the brand experience top-of-mind awareness in December, but the rest of the year was an “off-season” with low consumer engagement. The challenge was to make the brand relevant beyond the holidays. So we coupled the laid-back attitude of Joe Boxer Pajamas with the recent groundswell of desire for activity trackers and tapped into a growing lazy counterculture. And we introduced the Joe Boxer Pajama Inactivity Tracker. A new way to sell more pajamas.