Simba has signed elite athlete and international rugby star Maro Itoje as its brand ambassador, to lead #TRYFOR8, an integrated, digital-first campaign that encourages British people to aim for eight hours' sleep a night.
As part of the campaign, Maro will take a workout-like approach to coach the nation in better sleep habits via Simba’s newly developed Simba Sleep app.
Simba has also debuted its pro-sleep trainer team, made up of Maro Itoje, Dr Jamie Roberts and health and wellbeing expert Peta Bee, who have created personalised video coaching sessions, tips and advice. The brand has also collaborated with photographic visual artist David Uzochukwu (who has shot campaigns for clients including Dior and Nike, and has worked with artists such as FKA twigs, Little Dragon and Pharrell), to create images of Maro to promote the campaign.
Research shows that UK sleepers have just six hours in bed every night, but Simba says that people need between seven and nine hours in bed to achieve peak performance.
Maro says: “Sleep is directly linked to how much energy I have, my overall performance, my output in the gym and on the field. The more you sleep, the more ability you have to train harder, be more alert, and attentive. Sleep really is a game-changer for me – without a good night’s sleep I really struggle to perform at my best.”
Steve Reid, co-founder and CEO of Simba, comments: “With busier and more chaotic lives than ever before, sleep has become just an afterthought. The simple truth is that even with all the great advice out there, Brits are still sleeping badly. In fact, a third of us get by on five to six hours' sleep a night.
“As a nation, whilst we know that sleep is important, we just don’t see the value of it, beyond being less tired. We’re happy to take the time to sharpen our minds for work … and train our bodies at the gym. So why don’t we do the same for sleep?
“Rugby is associated with resilience and a spartan, scientific approach to training. Maro and his support team believe that proper sleep should be disciplined and equally important as training or nutrition. We’ve enlisted Maro to help encourage people to change their approach to sleep. It’s that important.
“The #TryFor8 campaign and the new Simba Sleep app have been created and developed to give everybody the tools they need to try and get eight hours in bed every night and give sleep a chance.”
