Influencers and the Rising Trend of Matching Family Pajamas

Matching pajamas debuted in mail-order catalogs in the 1950s, but children’s apparel brand Hanna Andersson is credited with their modern popularity. The brand introduced matching family pajamas in the early ‘90s, and other brands followed suit. Now, it’s a social faux pas if you don’t post a picture of your family in matching holiday pinstripes, Grinch-themed sleepers, or red stain jammies. Brands that make matching family pajamas often work with influencers to promote and sell their latest nightwear line. If your brand would like to tap into the rising trend of matching family pajamas, we’ll explore planning tips and examples you can use to elevate your sales.  

Importance of planning holiday influencer collabs now

Influencer campaigns take time. The sooner you brainstorm and plot your holiday influencer collaborations, the better. When you plan ahead, you:

Create a more effective campaign

When you make plans early, you can expect better outcomes. By thinking through your campaign, you target the correct audience, select the right influencers, brainstorm tailored content, and identify KPIs to track. Your time investment should pay dividends, with impressive metrics on the backend. 

Provide better guidance

Forethought provides everyone on your team time to do their best. Rather than asking an influencer to snap a few endorsement photos for Instagram, your team can create a more effective influencer brief with more detailed brand and product information, provide examples of content to inspire the creator and work through questions.

Remember, you’re trying to cultivate a relationship with influencers, just like with customers. Rushed campaigns and short deadlines aren’t conducive to long-term relationships. 

Get ahead of the competition

If you plan early, you can roll out influencer campaigns before the competition. Rather than being reactionary and thinking about a Black Friday promotion a few days before Thanksgiving, for example, you can ask influencers to promote an early October sale and get a jump on your competition. 

Build your relationship

Marketers are always working to build relationships with customers, and the holidays are a great time to do that. If you plan ahead, you have more time to engage with purchase-ready consumers about your product and brand. And, you can tap influencers to engage with them, which enhances your brand perception. 

Examples of influencer campaigns that focus on matching PJs

Here are a few ideas:

Ask for a realistic family photoshoot

One of the most popular ways to promote matching pajamas is by asking a brand-aligned influencer to share a pic of the family rockin’ their comfy holiday pajamas. Whether they’re baking cookies in the kitchen, unwrapping gifts by the tree, or having a pillow fight in a festive living room, these moments will be picture-perfect. Here’s a great example of an influencer promoting a brand’s family PJs:

Welcome the pets

Everyone wants to be matchy-matchy, and that includes the family pet. If your brand makes pajamas for dogs, cats, or other creatures, consider making that a special promotion. By doing so, you can set your brand apart. Here’s an example of dogs sporting matching duds: 

Consider a giveaway

Rather than asking influencers to endorse your festive nightwear and share a promo code, give them a few sets of PJs to giveaway. Create simple participation rules and get influencers to drive engagement and buzz around holiday products.

Dance it out

If you plan to use TikTok, the platform that embraces all things dance, consider asking influencers to show off their moves while wearing your jammies. Take a look at this couple that dances in their sleep attire and fun slippers: 

Product collab

Is there a company your brand could partner with? The example below features a Pajama and Prosecco birthday party. Everyone wore matching pajamas and toasted the birthday girl with a glass of Prosecco. A retailer and a wine producer could make a fun influencer collaboration promoting both products.

Matching PJs for more than just Christmas

While the matching pajama trend does dominate Christmas time, some brands are branching out to other holidays. Research shows consumers are spending more on holidays like Halloween and Easter. Halloween spending hit record highs in 2023, topping out at $12 billion, and experts predict Easter spending to reach $22 billion in 2024, according to the National Retail Federation. 

Look at the cute carrot-themed Easter jammies this influencer touts for a baby brand.

Use these examples to inspire an influencer campaign that promotes your matching family pajamas. 

Sources

Retail Brew. “A short, cozy history of family pajamas.”National Retail Federation. “Halloween Spending to Reach Record $12.2 Billion as Participation Exceeds Pre-Pandemic Levels.”National Retail Federation. “2024 Easter Spending Expected to Top $22 Billion.”