The latest campaign from IKEA is a wake-up call to those of us who are missing out on one of life’s most precious commodities – our beauty sleep. In an unlikely partnership between the multinational flat-pack giant and National Geographic, the campaign takes the form of a series of films to be hosted on a dedicated co-branded Bedroom Habitats microsite.

The humorous approach, which is a parody of “Planet Earth” features a David Attenborough soundalike – the campaign is reflective of Ikea’s efforts to inject humour into its marketing.

The four videos in the series will feature tired people with stressed out urban lifestyles; the general message is that many of us are not getting enough sleep, with serious risks to our health – but, Ikea have the solution.

In the first film, titled ‘Small Bed Battle,’ a couple fight for space in their comically tiny bed. The happy ending? You guessed it – a bigger bed from Ikea.

Three more episodes – Empty nesters, Country Mouse, and Circadian blues – explore other situations that come between people and a decent night’s kip.

Other nocturnal nuggets include the finding that only about 55% of American couples sleep in the same bed every night. (Don’t ask.) Interaction with house plants can lead to better sleep, whereas cluttered rooms have the opposite effect, as can using your phone before bed. (As if that’s about to stop you.)

According to Ikea US Media Manager Joy Kelly, trends show that a good night’s sleep might very well be ‘going extinct’. Globally, the average number of hours slept has fallen significantly in the past 50 years from eight hours to just a little over six.“But,” she added, “sleep-deprived consumers can rest assured that Ikea is committed to saving our sleep in 2019 and beyond.”

As long as they remember to assemble their Ikea bed first, that is.

Originally posted on Harrison Carloss.