Pillowman

For the launch of citizenM Dublin, we wanted an idea as bold and unexpected as the brand itself. Enter Pillowman: the living embodiment of a citizenM beds, created to be the hero of sleep for weary travellers.

Team

The mascot

Pillowman is the next evolution of citizenM’s long-standing use of “citizens” — a distinctive visual language that has always set the brand apart. In the past, these graphic citizens have represented personas, lifestyles and hotel functions, but they’ve never embodied the product at the heart of the citizenM experience: the bed. By bringing Pillowman to life, we solved two challenges — giving our citizens a fresh creative expression after eight years, and placing the spotlight firmly on our core proposition: uncompromising sleep.

Pillowman’s oversized look was created entirely from the materials that define citizenM sleep. His suit was handmade from two full duvets, four pillowcases and two pillows. The result was a character that looked both surreal and inviting: soft, stylish and instantly recognisable as the living embodiment of our beds.

The campaign

Developed in collaboration with Verve Live, Pillowman was designed with all the qualities of our brand: high energy, larger-than-life, unspoken but expressive, and unapologetically stylish. Campaign photography and a four-part social series introduced him to the world, positioning him as both a playful mascot and a true brand ambassador. Like citizenM hotels, Pillowman was created to stand out, bring people in, and remind every traveller that a great night’s sleep is the ultimate luxury.

Art direction

Dublin is a city of contrasts — modern and forward-looking, yet deeply rooted in history and nostalgia. We wanted the campaign visuals to reflect that same tension. The art direction took a lo-fi approach, playing with colour, composition and perspective to create an elevated early-2000s aesthetic. This nostalgic lens evoked feelings of past travels and half-remembered experiences, while injecting a sense of humour and energy that felt unmistakably citizenM. The result was imagery that was artful, slightly absurd, and perfectly matched to Pillowman’s larger-than-life character.