Lunr Sleep Launch

Overview

When Lunr Sleep set out to disrupt the mattress market, they had a bold vision but a tight budget. With a manufacturing and fulfillment pipeline already in place, the challenge was building a distinctive brand identity and online presence from scratch. Without media dollars to spend, the task was clear: use creativity to make Lunr Sleep stand out.

I led the creative efforts, from designing a website and crafting product imagery to directing a series of videos.

Lunr Sleep faced the dual challenge of being a bootstrap startup with no brand presence and limited resources. The only way to sell their mattresses was through an e-commerce platform, which didn’t yet exist. They needed a visually striking website, product imagery, and a cohesive story to compete with established brands.

Adding to this was the absence of a paid media budget, meaning we had to rely entirely on organic and earned media. The solution required finding playful, shareable ways to differentiate Lunr Sleep while making the most of their limited resources.

A store without a storefront

The first task was establishing Lunr Sleep’s digital presence and product identity. Without a physical store, the website became the sole channel for sales, requiring not only functionality but also a compelling visual story to differentiate Lunr from larger competitors like Casper and Purple.

We built the website in React, integrating it with Shopify to streamline the purchase process. The design was intentionally simple and intuitive, making it easy for customers to browse, customize, and buy their mattress in just a few clicks.

Shipping four different mattress sizes to a photo studio wasn’t feasible, so we turned to 3D rendering. Using reference photos of a single mattress, our 3D team created photorealistic product images that were clean, classic, and versatile. These visuals not only elevated the brand but also saved time and money.

To showcase the product’s quality, we designed a 3D diagram of the mattress’s construction, highlighting its materials and craftsmanship. Stock photography and curated lifestyle imagery rounded out the website, creating an approachable and polished experience.

Five films instead of one

As the website neared completion, the founder approached me with a question: How much would it cost to create a brand film?

I felt that he needed a large number of assets to help make our organic social strategy work, but walked through the answer with him. Drawing on my experience with production costs, I broke down the factors: the price of a shoot day depends on the number of cast, crew, and location. Since there are no partial days, we’d want to shoot the brand film in one day to minimize costs. That’s when I had a breakthrough:

Maybe the real question isn’t how much one brand film costs, but rather how many short films we can shoot in one day.

This insight led to a completely new strategy. Instead of focusing on a single brand film, I pitched the idea of creating multiple videos, each highlighting a different advantage of Lunr Sleep, in one tightly planned shoot. The founder agreed, and I got to work writing five scripts that could take place in a single location.

I had two ideas for writing multiple scripts set in one location: Lunr Sleep Headquarters and a competitor's mattress store. Although the concepts for both locations worked well, the Lunr HQ versions gave us more flexibility and allowed us to talk about our advantages. Each script focused on the brand’s strengths, using humor and relatability to engage viewers.

We staged a single shooting location to resemble a scrappy mattress company office. Careful pre-production ensured we could move quickly through the scripts, from pre-selecting camera angles to planning lighting setups, and shoot in one area while the next was being staged.

On shoot day, we brought together a small but skilled crew: director of photography, gaffer, audio technician, and producer, along with a talented cast of improv actors. In just nine hours, we shot all five videos and ended our shoot day with no overtime. Here's the final videos:

“Slogan”

A scrappy startup gets together and the entire company brainstorms a company slogan. But just because they have ideas doesn't mean they're any good.

“Instagram”

The HR department has some problems with our CEO’s unconventional attempts at creating social media buzz.

“UX Testing”

A humorous take on how fast you can order a mattress online with Lunr.

“Head of Sales”

A witty promotion for the IT guy, who also serves as the "sales team."

“Competition”

Maybe those meatballs weren't such a good idea after all.

The Lunr Sleep project demonstrates how creativity can thrive under constraints. By leaning into resourcefulness, we were able to craft a cohesive brand identity, deliver a functional website, and produce five videos—all on a bootstrap budget.

By reframing the question and embracing a low-cost, high-creativity approach, we turned limitations into opportunities. The result wasn’t just a set of deliverables but a testament to the power of innovative thinking. When faced with limitations, creativity is a business advantage.