Two Kiwi brothers play key roles in a new global campaign by digital health, sleep, and respiratory care company ResMed highlighting the benefits of sleep for maintaining a healthy body and lifestyle.
Mike Babich, who suffers from sleep apnea where his breathing repeatedly stops and starts during the night, is one of 10 real life stories that make up the ResMed Dreamers campaign. His Auckland-based brother, Roko, directed the short films profiling each person.
ResMed, which owns Eden Sleep in New Zealand and has eight clinics around the country, provides sleep assessments and tests, treatment solutions, and sleep therapy including CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machines for treating sleep apnea.
Mike, who now lives in Florida with his family, suffered from extreme tiredness due to sleep apnea. Since being diagnosed eight years ago the teacher and swim coach has used a CPAP machine when sleeping.
“Teaching and coaching high energy four-and-five-year-olds means I have to match and ideally be even more energetic than the kids. But there was no energy there to be had,” he said.
“Once the CPAP became a part of my life and my sleep routine, I was able to get the proper rest I needed, and my energy levels were just super high. The restful sleep I get every night is very important to my lifestyle.”
World-wide campaign
The “ResMed Dreamers” campaign launched globally on World Sleep Day on March 17 with the aim of motivating people to gain control of their sleep and help them to awaken their best.
Singapore-based agency BDA Creative, which is run by New Zealander Paula Mason, produced the ResMed Dreamers campaign which also includes individuals from Australia, China, Japan, India, Korea, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, and Singapore.
Paul Sommer, Senior Creative Brand Lead – ResMed Asia & Latin America, says it has a goal to help people sleep, breathe and live healthier, better-quality lives.
“This campaign reinforces our commitment to supporting individuals with their sleep health. We wanted to involve real people for the campaign and share what they have accomplished by getting better sleep to inspire people to prioritise their sleep and overall wellness.”
ResMed identified early on the importance of having a New Zealand Dreamer featured in the campaign.
“We wanted to highlight the fact that sleep, and its many benefits, is a human experience shared globally in all pockets of the world. When we mentioned this to Roko, not only did he agree, he introduced us to his brother to provide a Kiwi perspective on sleep. Mike relies on the power of good sleep to live the lifestyle he desires.”
Sommer also talked about how stigma, and trepidation around sleep habits still exist, making it key for conversations around sleep health to become normalised – something he hopes to see through the stories of the Dreamers who star in the campaign.
“We saw some trepidation about sharing their stories. But the more they spoke about how their lives had improved after addressing their poor sleep, the more their confidence grew. And now as the campaign launches, the Dreamers’ pride in having the courage to share their story and help others is evident.”
For more info visit: www.resmed.com.au/awakenyourbest
Credits
BDA Creative
Paula Mason – Managing Director / Executive Producer Sarah Dillon – General Manager / Executive Producer Evelyn Wijaya – Editor
Roko Babich – Director
From ResMed ALA Regional Team:
Line Andersen – Head of Marketing And Digital Creation Paul Sommer – Senior Creative Brand Lead Cassie-Anne Low – PR & Communications Manager Elyse Nourry – Copywriter and Content Marketer
Chris Sulfa – Graphic Design and Marcoms
Steven Balakrishnan – Digital Project Manager
Allan Siew – UX Specialist
Preeti Ghorawat – MarTech Platform Manager
Vishnu Bhatia – Senior Manager Global Digital Production
