Those who regularly read this column (and have long memories), will know that I have a bit of a soft-spot for a sleep-related app, having scribbled about Uniqlo’s alarm clock and about Nivea’s weather-driven wake up calls.

So it was with some considerable delight that I came across this little stunt from the good people at Ibis Hotels:

The Ibis sleep app creates a piece of digital art, ostensibly based on people’s movements during the night.

The story it tells is, of course, that Ibis has studied the “art of sleep” and has all you need for a perfect night in one of their beds. Sweet and simple.

The reason I liked this one is that the whole piece of work has been thought through. From an app that on the one hand entertains while on the other getting the point across to the narrative that frames the messaging to the YouTube clip that brings the story to life.

It’s a great example of a piece of digital development that has PR “baked in” to its build: the whole idea is inherently designed to get people talking and to give a host of stories that hang off it.

The story has gone global media-wise, with pieces across the web from the travel trades to the consumer tech sites – reaching those “in the market” for a hotel as well as those who would never trouble themselves to read the travel pages.

It’s a smart piece of digital thinking with some neat PR alongside it.

James Gordon-MacIntosh is founder and Managing Partner at Hope&Glory PR.