This is not a nightmare, even though it features a giant, talking one-eyed dog, chronic insomnia and home invasion, with an eerie whiff of Stranger Things.
The first ad for Coop Home Goods pillows actually depicts a trippy journey to “Dreamland,” the tranquil domain of Lloyd the portly angel-fairy who just wants everybody to get a good night’s rest. Relax, already!
The video, from Chamber.Media, draws inspiration from The NeverEnding Story and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, breaks the fourth wall and hawks customizable memory foam pillows that have “more than 8,000 five-star reviews on Amazon,” says the ad’s star, Facebook influencer and Nerd Skincare ad vet Laura Clery.
Clery appears with her husband Stephen Hilton and rescue pet Oliver, also known as Instagram star @FettyPug, who take flight from their bedroom to an ethereal world (heaven?) thanks to their new pillows.
Somewhere along the line, Oliver has a growth spurt, learns to speak English and becomes air transportation so Laura and Stephen can peer down on tiny versions of Lloyd (comedian Christian Busath) harvesting materials for Coop’s products.
Confused? Maybe you’d understand if you got more shut-eye. Here come the animated butterflies!
Producers wanted the four-and-a-half-minute video to be whimsical, surreal and light, said Travis Chambers, Chamber.Media’s chief media hacker and the ad’s director. References to beloved ’80s and ’90s themes were meant to “access the nostalgia and memory of a time when we all slept better and had less worries.”
Shot at Chamber.Media’s studio in Salt Lake City, creators used a blue screen and complicated rigging for the aerial sequences, later adding puffy clouds, rolling meadows and other calming visual effects.
The video, running on YouTube and Facebook, continues in the vein of other viral hits from Chamber.Media that mix the direct-sell message of contemporary infomercials and all-digital distribution with wacky set pieces and internet influencers. It’s a model Chambers calls “scalable social video,” meant to drive sales and boost ROI.
“The adjustable pillow that dreams are made of” has snagged nearly 2 million views on Facebook so far. It ends with Lloyd greeting the waking couple after raiding their refrigerator and invading their privacy. He tries to hitch a ride home to a place that he can only describe as “far.” They may need a nap.
CREDITS
Client: Coop Home Goods
Agency: www.chamber.media
Production
Director: Travis Chambers & Laura Clery
Producers: Travis Su’a & Stefan van de Graaff
Writers: Laura Clery, Christian Busath, & Travis Chambers
Director Photography: Jared Fadel
Assistant Director: Anthony Thomas
2nd AD / Script Super: Omar Trejo
1st AC: Andy Baker
2nd AC: Jessica Steenhoek
PAs: Trevor Samson & Brenna Empey
Wardrobe: Sandy Bee
SFX: Wray Featherstone
Make-Up / Hair: Vanae Morris
Gaffer: Ryan Hannah
Grip: Merik Richardson
Best Boy: Landon Hill
Sound Mixer/Audio Tech: Chris Burton and Rocketree Audio
ADR/ Studio Mix: Kenny Armacher and Solarium Studios
Set Designer/Set Build: Dillon Ellefson & Daniel Whiting
Craft Services: Katie Featherstone
BTS: Daniel Kellis
Stunt Coordinator: Ben Alexander
Color: Omar Trejo
VFX: Anthony Thomas
Graphics: John Smith
Distribution: Omar Trejo
Actors
Laura: Laura Clery
Stephen: Stephen Hilton
Lloyd: Christian Busath
Music
“Dreamland”: Stephen Hilton
