“Sleep Is a Skill” Made Me Stand Up and Clap. Your Brand Name Should Do That.

Hi, it’s Ash—and welcome to Ashtronomical! Every week, I’m sending you 5 original marketing ideas your competitors will wish they'd thought of first. 💀 Maybe there’ll be one in here for you???

Steal this brand idea 💥

Sleep is a Skill just crossed my radar the other day, and you know why this works SO WELL?

The name of the brand is one big f*cking fantastic declarative statement.

The best part is the surprising twist: most people don’t consider sleep as a “skill.”

So it forces you to pay attention.

And it gives the brand a set of balls.

And THAT is the power of great packaging, my friend. 🎁 💋

Steal this sales idea 💰

Sales doesn’t always have to be THAT complicated.

Sometimes you just literally gotta ask. 🤷‍♀️

(As opposed to overthinking it for a month, wondering if people will hate you, trying to come up with some huge, crazy promotion, bundling every idea you’ve ever had because you’re suffering from imposter syndrome, procrastinating sending anything out, and completely losing your mind while bingeing on cheese puffs.)

Just. Ask. And. Then. Piss. Off.

Steal this marketing idea ⚡️

Okay, wait, BACK TO SLEEP IS A SKILL. Why aren’t we ALL keeping our landing page this simple?!?! This design is freakin’ excellent.

And, once again: ‘keep it simple, stupid’ wins.

Steal this copy idea 📝

Saw this on the ManyChat blog, and I immediately stood up and clapped. Instantly reminded me of my early days blogging over at The Middle Finger Project! Like it or hate it, one thing it does do is get your attention. (What other software apps newsletters are you actually reading?!?!?! Answer: SERO. With an ‘S.’ Because that is how zero it is.)

Steal this business idea 🤓

Look, I don’t really know what to say about this but Gen Z is doing something freaky with perfume, and it’s called “Smellmaxxing.”

(This is probably what those people who buy people’s panties on the internet should call their hobby.)

The Guardian reports on how cool it is to layer your scents, but not just any scents, counterintuitive scents. FOR EXAMPLE:

• A perfume that smells of “bandages, blood and burnt flowers.” (No, really. It’s called “Inexcusable Evil.”)
• A perfume that smells of “a backseat smoke session veiled in a strawberry haze. saffron leather seats that stick to your thighs. the raunchy smell of cannabis, sweet berry perfume, and good times.”
• And a perfume that has top notes of lipstick, middle notes of smoker’s leather jacket, and base notes of vintage fur. (But seriously, check out this company just to see their product descriptions—EXCELLENT.)

So what I’m trying to say is:

There’s room here to do fun, crazy things with this trend:

• NoseJob™: A Perfume Review Newsletter for Freaks?
• Scented Merch for Brands with Bite?
• "Aura Bender" Scent-Identity Consulting?
• Smellmaxx Club (Subscription Box)?

The options are endless, the nostrils are wide open, and capitalism has never smelled so deranged.

The happy, happy, gloriously delicious end.

P.S. I send 5 marketing ideas every week. Don’t miss next week’s edition! 💥