A premium candle brand for men looking to transition from hustle mode to recovery mode
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Challenge
Candles are traditionally marketed towards women, but the challenge is to make men ages 35-45 in big cities see candles differently.
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Context
When 72% of premium candle buyers cite wellness as a primary reason for purchase, men, just as much as women, seek wellness benefits.
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Insight
Rest is easier to accept when it doesn’t look indulgent but feels indulgent.
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Solution
By redefining the roles candles have in men’s busy lives, candles act as a recovery tool rather than purely a decorative object.
Audience Research
"How to Sleep Better" Search Trend for Men
Persona: Bruce - Software Dev - 38y/o - Single - NYC
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Overworked
Hectic 9-5 software development job where he’s becoming worried about “the golden handcuffs” and thinks about how to “get out” of the corporate culture trap.
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Coping with Stress
Work and dating is stressful, gym, metric tracking, clean eating and occasional drinks with friends is how he copes.
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Fantasy
When friends ask about work, he says “I hate interacting with it. Never want to circle back on a dialogue to touch base ever again.” Once I pay off debts and help out family “I'm gonna live in a van down by the river.
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Research
He’s on Reddit asking his community “What’s one “unwritten rule” about getting older that you wish someone told you in your 20s?” “Sleep. Recovery takes a lot longer after drinking, all nighters for work or what have you.”
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Optimization
This leads him searching online for things like “how to sleep better” and “hangover recovery” which further leads him searching for “magneisum glycinate”, “how to track sleep on apple watch”, and “hangover patches”.
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Prioritizing Rest
This shows Bruce and men like him are seeking not only supplement infused wellness products and quality rest, but also recovery from the hustle to take on the challenges of tomorrow.
Recovery Mode Campaign
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Recovery Mode Campaign 〰️
When work follows us home and burnout is on the rise, SIGNAL introduces transitions from hustle mode to recovery mode.
Execution 1
Biohacking Candles Allow Ambitious Men to Enter Recovery Mode From the Hustle to Recharge For a Stronger Tomorrow
Infused w/ beneficial botanical aromas that aid in recovery and recharging.
Reframes candles from frivoulous luxury to a wellness tool for recovery
“A candle that biohacks you” uses persona’s langauge
Built-in match strip allows for a tactile signal to the brain to begin a ritual of recovery.
Simple, premium packaging delivers an indulgent rest w/o looking indulgent.
Non-toxic, eco friendly for clean lifestyles
Execution 2:
The Recovery Mode Kit
Signal partners with Magnesium Powder Supplement Brand Momentous to offer the ultimate at-home recovery kit.
The ultimate recovery kit includes SIGNAL candle that help recharge and recover
Momentous Magnesium Powder offers rest that physically feels indulgent
Strategic ad placements near local gyms and partner w/ them for pop-up activations
Together offers a premium no frills recovery ritual for busy ambitious men
Execution 3: Recovery Mode Immersive Experiences
Local or International branded retreats hosted by SIGNAL offering premium VIP all-inclusive and all-in-one escape experiences.
Offers in-person, device free community and connection.
Allows an escape from overstimulating city life.
On-site product demonstrations, VIP events, exclusive launches.
All-in-one centers include gym, spa, community activities, recovery lounges.
Both a sensory and physical escape from city hustle.
All inclusive travel takes the stress out of any planning.
Execution 4: The Ultimate Recovery Mode: A Film
Local or International branded retreats hosted by SIGNAL offering premium VIP all-inclusive and all-in-one escape experiences.
Why This Works
In order to make men 35-45 in big cities see candles differently, we reframe what candles and true rest and recovery look like.
Rest is easier to accept when it feels indulgent but doesn’t look indulgent brings to mind creating “biohacking” candles infused with beneficial aromas in simple, easy to use packaging, transforming candles from a purely decorative object and into a wellness tool.
These candles also act as an entryway into a bigger idea that rest that feels indulgent leads to recovery to take on the challenges of tomorrow. By partnering with Momentous magnesium powder, creating immersive retreat experiences and making a tv commercial, we build a campaign all centered on delivering indulgent rest that leads to recovery delivering to busy men what they really want- signals for them to transition from hustle mode into recovery mode.