Sofa Startup Burrow Knows You Would Rather Be Doing Absolutely Nothing Right Now

A quick scroll through the old Instagram feed on any given day might lead you to conclude that there’s just not enough going on in your life. For example, have you spent every weekend this summer trekking through rural Italy or attending a Montauk shindig? Didn’t think so.

But as we all know, reality is a little different than what social media shows. When the average working-class stiff comes home at the end of a long day spent managing other people’s problems, he or she would like nothing more than to melt into a comfortable couch and avoid all unnecessary movement for the rest of the night.

How else can we explain Netflix’s ever-expanding market share?

This insight drives the first major brand campaign for Burrow, the “couch-in-a-box” company that has shaken up a furniture industry so stiff you might call it wooden. Agency partner Red Antler of Brooklyn created the integrated effort “Good for Nothing.”

The video spots dramatize the many different ways in which one can do absolutely nothing. The only constant variable is one very comfortable sofa. Face, meet couch.

The other three spots remind us that there’s (almost) always room for at least one more.

Then again, the act of relaxing isn’t always drama-free.

These ads will run nationally on broadcast and digital. The campaign also includes several elements specific to the New York City area, such as OOH placements, subway takeovers and storefront activations.

“It has become increasingly evident to us that no other furniture companies are serious about comfort and leisure. Burrow is very serious about both, as are our customers, so we’re celebrating leisure with our ‘Good for Nothing’ campaign,” said co-founder and CEO Stephen Kuhl.

Regarding the campaign media strategy, Kuhl added, “It’s important to have a diverse variety of touchpoints with customers, both online and offline. Digital is more focused on retargeting as we have more data to track, whereas offline marketing allows us to gain broader awareness.”

Those offline efforts include activations in five different Manhattan storefronts inviting passersby to have their fortunes told. (We can predict that relaxation may be in your future.)

“In this age of heavy-duty multitasking, we felt it was necessary to celebrate the joy of pure relaxing,” said Red Antler co-founder and strategy chief Emily Heyward. “And who better to own chilling out than a sofa company?”

“‘Good for Nothing’ positions Burrow as the sofa brand that’s serious about leisure,” she continued. “And the goal of our out-of-home campaign in New York is to remind everyone who’s rushing by and commuting in the busiest city in the world that it’s OK to go home tonight and do absolutely nothing. Hopefully on a comfortable Burrow sofa.”

In September, the brand will also launch a takeover of the S train, turning your slow, muggy, dysfunctional cross-town commute into a rare opportunity to “chill out” in the icy arctic-themed car, “hang out” in its jungle-based cousin or “space out” on an interstellar couch before that hard, comfortless bench brings you crashing back to reality.

Patrick Coffee

@PatrickCoffee

Patrick Coffee is a senior editor for Adweek.