The Power Nap as Profit Center: turning zzz's into $$$'s

Having run out of ways to monetize every minute of our conscious time, marketers have now turned to squeezing sales out of the so-called "sleep economy", purportedly a $20 billion-dollar sector.

Folks, we're just working, partying and blogging too much, sleeping too little. It's a real problem...but every problem is a marketing opportunity just begging to be exploited. And I just love watching new businesses scramble to slice, dice and innovate a newfound marketspace.

Marketers are already making a killing on "sleep aids", the $3 billion we spend popping pills like Lunesta or Ambien to rest our restless minds (not only are we getting to bed too late, we're also having a hard time shutting our minds' down once there).

But those pills are for inducing a full 8 hours. The super-size of sleep. Why limit ourselves to just one offering when a mid-day quickie holds such profit potential?

Now, for $14 a shot, you can pop into MetroNaps for a power nap anytime of day. The company's premier sleep center is in the Empire State Building. How's that for the city that never, er, sleeps? They've recently added a facility in the hustle and bustle of Wall Street.

While I couldn't imagine going into one of these pods to take a mid-day snooze, I know of enough people who take a catnap in their cars at lunchtime--or corporate raiders who crave a late-day snooze before they burn the midnight oil.

Smart marketers indeed, they're actually not marketing peace. Or quiet. Just the opposite: they're marketing alertness, vibrancy, productivity. Smarter still, they're even promoting the following "nap strategies":

• The Recovery MetroNap 11am. After a late night a mid-morning nap will help you function for the first half of the day.
• The Mid-Day MetroNap 4pm. To avoid the mid-day slump, nap in the mid afternoon or approximately 8 hours after you wake.
• The Coffee MetroNap Any time. Boost your energy quickly and substantially by combining a nap with coffee. Drink coffee right BEFORE your nap. Nap during the 20 minutes it takes for your body to metabolize the caffeine.
• The Disco MetroNap 5pm. If you know you’ll have significantly less sleep tonight, prepare with an early-evening nap.

If successful, they'll make naps relevant across younger demos (this ain't your grandfather's afternoon snooze) and perhaps even convince employers to advise their slumping workers to "take 20". Hey, other nations have been taking siestas since the dawn of time, so perhaps we're behind the curve.

And yes, they even feature gift certificates...novel idea for your office Secret Santa this holiday?

Comments

[paulmcenany]

Mark my words: This will be HUGE.

I can't wait until this comes to Dallas...

[CK]

Paul: You should buy into the biz...it's a franchise business model. Then you could snooze for free :-).

[nvineberg]

Haven't the Japanese been doing this for years? I just passed through the very beautiful and modern Incheon airport in Seoul, Korea. I had two hours to take advantage of an in-terminal hotel room. Massage spots. Internet spots. Shower spots (I had one for $9 and well worth it). All niche profit segments.

I recall sleep pods in Narita Airport (Tokyo) 15 years ago. And sleep pod hotel rooms for the Tokyo exec working super late or meeting a mistress on the side. And I did a 10 minute oxygen bar session in McCarren Airport in Las Vegas two weeks ago, for $15.

So sleep is coming to the city that never sleeps. Sounds great. Given the recent cancer scare on tanning spas, maybe it will do well.

[CK]

The Japanese and the Germans are, I understand, the other 2 economies that pull as long hours as the U.S....so I guess we're taking a snooze cue from the Japanese.

MetroNaps is the first company to start opening mid-day sleep facilities in the U.S.(according to the articles and press I've been reading).

Glad you enjoyed your shower spot in Korea...now that's an offering I would pay for after a long international flight. I'd likely pay much more than $9!

[Francis]

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