Tag: IKEA

Australia – This year marks 50 years of IKEA bringing Swedish design and high quality, affordable solutions to Australians, since opening its first store at St Leonards, Sydney, in 1975. 

To celebrate this milestone, IKEA Australia has launched a 360-degree brand campaign ‘Just the Start’ – reflecting on the impact it has had on Aussie homes over the last five decades, and acknowledging IKEA is ready to do so much more Down Under for the next 50 years. 

IKEA Australia’s locally produced TVC, airing from Sunday 18 May, taps into a very Australian insight: we don’t do life’s pivotal moments alone. Whether it’s moving out, moving in, upsizing, downsizing, setting up the nursery, we call on our mates – especially the ones with a ute – to help us shift the sofa, reassemble the bed frame and hold the other end of the flatpack. 

Moreover, the creative is an ode to that beautiful chaos, where friendship turns stress into stories. IKEA is proud to show up for Aussies at these moments, too. 

The ‘Just the Start’ creative will activate across FTA TV, BVOD, SVOD, YouTube, cinema, paid social and outdoor. 

Kirsten Hasler, head of marketing and insights at IKEA Australia, said, “We had a rare opportunity to create a distinct local campaign which blended global brand consistency with local authenticity. Across the campaign there is a clear sense of Australianness achieved by celebrating people, places and scenarios that Aussies can relate to.”

She added, “We placed iconic Australian cues throughout with the likes of cars, flies, art deco housing, streetscapes and busted thongs that make the campaign unmistakeably us. We surrounded the Australianness with our iconic global IKEA brand cues to make it equally unmistakeably IKEA.”

Meanwhile, Olly Taylor, chief strategy officer at Havas Host, commented, “Just the Start doesn’t just celebrate the role IKEA plays in our lives – it shines a light on the quintessential Aussie value of mates helping each other out. At a time when we’re craving connection more than ever, this campaign is an ode to those who show up, pitch in, and carry the heavy end of the load.”

Kirsty Hunter, client partner at Mindshare, on the other hand, said the campaign reflected IKEA’s work to build a strong and long-lasting connection with Australian consumers. “We were incredibly excited to collaborate with IKEA on their 50th anniversary campaign, an amazing achievement that speaks to Australia’s now flat pack-loving culture. We’re proud to help IKEA celebrate its role in Australian homes and look forward to being part of what they have in store for the next 50.”

Leaning heavily into IKEA brand heroes, with some Aussie twists, is a constant throughout the campaign when it comes to earned media and communicating to its 4000 strongest advocates via co-worker communications.

The canvas of the famous ‘big blue box’ IKEA stores across the country are being utilised to drive visitation during IKEA Australia’s birthday weekend, Saturday 31 May – Sunday 1 June. The beloved Swedish hot dogs drop to just 50 cents during the weekend, and IKEA is offering an unprecedented 50% off one of its most famous products owned by 1 in 10 Aussies: the POÄNG armchair. 

Already sparking a media and social media frenzy, on 13 May IKEA Australia released the world’s first-ever flat-packed FLIP FLÖPS, which yes, must be assembled yourself, as a hyper limited-edition item for customers to win. Each of IKEA Australia’s co-workers were the first in the country to receive a pair. 

Patricia Routledge, head of communications at IKEA Australia, said, “We have been there for so many big moments in Australians’ lives, and we saw an opportunity to bring that magic to life in exciting ways for both IKEA co-workers and consumers.” 

She added, “The simplicity of the flatpack FLIP FLÖPS – fusing a key brand cue with one of our national icons, is a really special way for us to unleash that trademark IKEA ‘twinkle in the eye’ as we call it, and say thanks to Australians for welcoming us into their homes for the last five decades.”

Meanwhile, Tabitha Fairbairn, managing director at Mango Communications, stated, “It’s rare to receive a brief that enables you to go full Aussie with a global icon.  We were tasked with bringing IKEA’s 50th to life in an earned-led way that would drive mass attention – and it was a joy for all of us.

She added, “The idea: bringing together an iconic Aussie item with the IKEA ingenuity by creating flatpack FLIP FLÖPS. The detail and thought that went into every touch point – from the intrinsically funny copy and line drawings in the manual, the box and packaging design, the tongue-in-cheek ‘simple three-step assembly process’ – all of these bring the brand to life in a way that is naturally newsworthy. I’ll never say driving the earned strategy was easy, but there are certainly harder jobs out there.”

Philippines – Integrated marketing communications agency Stratworks has secured new major clients: Raemulan Lands, Inc., Geely Motors, and McCormick Philippines. 

With its string of new client wins as a communications partner, Stratworks is cementing its reputation as a ‘brand love agency.’ Its client expansion also underscores its ability to cater to various industries, including automotive, retail, real estate, and food.

The agency’s recent wins highlight its ability to attract major players and top category leaders. Leveraging its expertise, Stratworks is expected to help the brands enhance their reputation and build strong consumer connections.

Stratworks’ track record of delivering impactful and purpose-driven campaigns contributed to its success in securing new clients. Its past initiatives include the First Philippine Mount Everest Expedition, Jollibee Family Values Awards, and PLDT Home’s Madiskarte Moms.

Mark Christian Parlade, managing director of Stratworks, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Geely, Raemulan, and McCormick to the Stratworks family. These wins reflect our team’s unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional results and building strong, lasting partnerships.” 

“Our vision for growth and innovation is centred on creating work that not only meets business objectives but also cultivates genuine brand love and makes a positive impact. We are immensely grateful for the trust these leading companies have placed in Stratworks, and we are excited to embark on this journey with them,” he added.

Indonesia – IKEA, in partnership with Dentsu Indonesia, has introduced a campaign that encourages family interaction by redesigning traditional furniture assembly manuals into more collaborative and child-friendly guides.

Called the ‘Bonding Instruction’, the initiative reimagines IKEA’s traditional assembly manuals with minor but thoughtful adjustments to encourage cooperation. The updated guides include step-by-step stories, child-friendly visuals, and a modified Allen key with an easy-grip handle designed for smaller hands—turning furniture assembly into a shared activity between parents and children.

Developed by Dentsu Indonesia, the redesigned manual is part of IKEA’s broader effort to help urban families reconnect, positioning everyday tasks as opportunities for interaction and engagement. By incorporating storytelling elements and simplified tools, the activity becomes a way for families to spend meaningful time together.

The Bonding Instruction is included with every purchase of IKEA products related to children’s needs, encouraging at least 30 minutes of quality family interaction. A digital version is also available for families who already own the products and wish to participate.

Defri Dwipaputra, executive creative director at Dentsu Creative Indonesia, commented, “In Indonesia, where family ties remain the most important fabric, bonding time should be a cherished shared experience to enhance family connections.”

Dwipaputra further explained, “Bonding Instruction was, therefore, created to combine the essence of IKEA’s values of togetherness and simplicity – elevating its passion for life at home and, in turn, connecting families through quality activities, proving that even everyday moments can create lasting memories.”

IKEA’s Bonding Instruction aligns with its mission of creating homes that bring people closer together. The activity is designed to support children’s growth and turn furniture assembly into a meaningful learning experience shared with parents.

It also responds to children’s desire for more quality time with parents who are often preoccupied with the demands of urban life.

The campaign was rolled out across both offline and online platforms, including in-store displays and interactive Instagram Stories Highlights, to broaden its reach and engagement.

Irfansyah Kurnia Putra, head of country marketing at Ikea Indonesia, commented, “We are converting our product building time into treasured bonding opportunities, transforming what was once a mundane assembly process into meaningful shared family experiences. With Bonding Instruction, dentsu has understood our strong affinity with our customers, enabling a simple modification to our instruction manual that has reimagined bonding experiences for Indonesian families.”

Thailand – IKEA Thailand, in collaboration with VML Thailand and The Mirror Foundation, has launched the ‘IKEA Flooded Room’ campaign, rallying the community to support flood victims in rebuilding their devastated homes. 

Through this initiative, IKEA Thailand is encouraging customers to donate their IKEA furniture or sell back old pieces, offering vital support to families impacted by Northern Thailand’s worst flooding in 30 years. All donated and repurchased items will be delivered to those in need, with IKEA handling the logistics.

To draw attention and garner support for the campaign, IKEA and VML Thailand put a creative spin on their iconic room ads by reimagining the beautifully styled spaces as flooded rooms, symbolising the widespread devastation caused by the disaster.

The IKEA Flooded Room campaign was launched just 24 hours after the disaster, providing swift relief and showcasing the impact of rapid creative response in times of crisis. The initiative hopes to not only offer immediate assistance but also a sense of hope for rebuilding in the future.

IKEA also tapped The Mirror Foundation, a leading organisation actively working on the ground to assist flood victims to ensure that every piece of donated or repurchased furniture reaches the homes of those who need it most. 

Together, one piece of furniture at a time, IKEA is urging its customers to help in restoring homes and rebuilding lives in Northern Thailand.

Singapore – Home furnishing retailer IKEA has launched the pillow-like RESTEN bag as a symbol of rest in Singapore, categorised as the third most sleep-deprived country in the world. It is a recreation of the blue FRAKTA bag made in partnership with creative agency The Secret Little Agency.

Featuring a padded design with comfortable fabrics and stuffing, the bag doubles as a makeshift pillow to help Singaporeans find rest on the go.

“With the entire country running on overtime, rest is often sought in unconventional places, and we saw the opportunity to bring comfort to the busy lives of Singaporeans by creating the world’s most “rest-able” bag for one of the world’s most rest-less countries.” Nicholas Ye and Mavis Neo, chief creative officers of The Secret Little Agency, said.

The RESTEN bag will debut during the RestFest at IKEA, a three-day event in IKEA Jurong, Alexandra, and Tampines in Singapore featuring sleep, rest, and relaxation activities.

Commenting on the campaign, Caroline Ng, country marketing manager of IKEA Singapore, said, “We know sleep is important, and rest is a vital yet often overlooked part of Singaporean lives. IKEA has a wide range of well-designed and affordable products to help you get there, and what better way to launch it than with our new ‘Leave the rest to IKEA.’ year-long campaign that kicks off with our first-ever RestFest and the RESTEN bag. It reminds us of our busy lifestyles, the importance of finding opportunities for rest, and that Singaporeans can simply leave the rest to us.”

Customers can get their RESTEN bag through the giveaway hosted on IKEA Singapore’s Instagram page and at the RestFest event on Sept. 6 to 8, 2024.

Amidst the many Asia-Pacific winners from Cannes Lions this year, the Philippines had a handful of winners, including for the campaign ‘This is an IKEA Store’ by IKEA alongside Ogilvy Philippines. Said campaign won a Silver Lions for the Media Category under the Single-Market Campaign section. For context, this campaign integrated IKEA’s physical products into diverse public locations, allowing consumers to check out the store’s catalogue on their mobile devices.

For our next Top Story feature, we recently spoke with Mona Nazario-Garcia, managing director for advertising, brand and content at Ogilvy Group Philippines to better understand their work with IKEA, the results the campaign had across Filipino consumers, and what can we look forward between IKEA and Ogilvy for campaigns in the future.

Making IKEA more accessible to Filipino consumers

It is worth noting that IKEA opened its largest store in the country back in 2021–encompassing 730,000 square foot of space and is located in Pasay City, Philippines. Despite all of this, the popular Swedish brand was still unable to reach to Filipino consumers, with many saying that the store is too far away from them.

With that in mind, an idea came to life: what if IKEA brought not only its store but also the experience much closer to Filipino consumers?

“‘This is an IKEA Store’ was born from a simple truth: despite having the biggest IKEA store in the world, the Philippines’ complex geography made it difficult for Filipinos to reach our store. We realised that if people couldn’t come to IKEA, we had to bring IKEA to them. This sparked the idea of turning everyday locations into interactive IKEA showrooms, by strategically placing IKEA products in public spaces with QR codes for easy purchase. We recreated the IKEA shopping experience in 927 locations, both online and offline. This not only made IKEA more accessible but also brought the brand closer to the hearts of Filipinos,” Mona said.

She also stressed the importance of accessibility not only physically but also digitally, given how many Filipinos are digitally connected, hence they added an e-commerce aspect with the campaign to highlight the brand’s accessibility to Filipinos.

“We recognised that accessibility is crucial in the Philippines, where traffic and transportation can be challenging. The rise of e-commerce also highlighted the need for a strong online presence and a way to combat unauthorised online sellers. By tapping into Filipinos’ love for experiential shopping, we created a campaign that was immersive, shareable, and personalised, ultimately driving traffic to IKEA.ph and building trust with consumers,” she added.

Understanding the campaign’s impact to Filipinos

As the campaign rolled out in various places in the country, ranging from coffee shops, beaches, camping spots, salons, to even gyms–Ogilvy Philippines noted that the “This Is An IKEA Store” significantly boosted IKEA’s presence in the Philippines by making the brand more accessible and relatable. 

“The campaign’s success is evident in the 30% increase in e-commerce transactions and 8% growth in website revenue — an all-time high for IKEA.ph. This success, along with the Silver Media Lion win at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, solidified IKEA’s position as a forward-thinking brand,” Mona said.

She further added that from a branding perspective, the campaign positioned IKEA as a creative and consumer-focused brand in the Philippines.

“The campaign’s reach, with over 46 million impressions, and high engagement rates demonstrated strong consumer interest. From a consumer perspective, the campaign tackled the accessibility issue, resulting in a 14% increase in new website visitors and a 30% increase in e-commerce transactions,” she said.

When we asked what we can expect more from IKEA and Ogilvy PH in terms of new local campaigns in the Philippines, Mona said that IKEA and Ogilvy will continue to push boundaries. 

“We owe it to the legacy of the IKEA brand to keep striving for creative and effective excellence. We’re committed to bring IKEA closer to Filipinos, through dialed-in data-driven work, and our goal is to deliver impactful campaigns that resonate with our audience and drive meaningful results,” she concluded.

Philippines – IKEA launched the #IKEAEverywhere campaign in collaboration with Ogilvy, integrating physical products into diverse public locations. Ogilvy executed a campaign for IKEA Philippines by turning every possible place into an IKEA shop.

Restaurants functioned as easy places to shop in addition to providing places to eat. nail salons became all-inclusive destinations for Filipinos, providing manicures and pedicures in addition to the chance to browse IKEA’s items. 

Some of these integrations were smoothly transformed into retail spaces were gyms, clinics, and beaches. e-jeepneys, GrabCars, outdoor billboards, and outdoor installations were placed throughout EDSA, SLEX, and NLEX.

Customers can shop at these places by scanning the QR code located near the furniture. This strategy drove Filipinos to the IKEA website, increasing the pool of potential customers.

Influencers went farther than usual by actively participating in a national easter egg hunt. They searched and scanned every IKEA store throughout the nation with diligence. IKEA fans even got involved, exhibiting their homes as virtual IKEA stores on the internet.

Singapore – Multinational home furnishing retailer IKEA has named independent creative agency The Secret Little Agency as its new lead creative agency of record.

The agency’s remit includes all integrated campaigns, marketing strategy, product campaigns, digital and social communications development, and more.

This win is an expansion of IKEA’s growing relationship with The Secret Little Agency and Mother globally. It is worth noting that Mother London is also leading creative duties for IKEA United Kingdom and Ireland, and both agencies are under a joint venture to expand their services in Asia.

Prior to this appointment, TBWA\Singapore was taking the helm of IKEA Singapore’s creative duties.

Nicholas Ye and Mavis Neo, co-chief creative officers at The Secret Little Agency, said, “We are looking forward to stepping into a new era of inspired creativity together with IKEA. Like all creatives, we are restless to realise the creative opportunity that IKEA presents, but not without staying focused on being real strategic allies to IKEA here and wherever they need.”

Nigel Richardson, head of marketing at IKEA Southeast Asia, also shared, “After going through the competitive pitch and creative response process, The Secret Little Agency demonstrated strong strategic thinking, a solid knowledge of the IKEA brand, the IKEA tone of voice, and were a great values and culture fit. Their mindset of being a creative company that solves problems in surprising and entertaining ways sits very well with IKEA, a vision-driven home furnishing retailer.”

Singapore – IKEA in Singapore is celebrating its 45th anniversary and to mark such a milestone, it has developed a special edition of one of its staple merchandise – the IKEA pencil. 

In a very literal way, the furniture brand extends its branded pencils into a longer size to represent the many years it’s been doing business in The Lion City. Add to this is a tongue-in-cheek social media creative that sees it creating a carousel to emphasise how long it has been created for the special anniversary. 

“In fact, a really really long one – so much so, that it needs to be posted as a carousel,” Said TBWA\Singapore, the brand’s partner for the campaign. 

The IKEA pencil is an iconic item found in its stores and is freely given to visitors. 

“As a nod of appreciation to the people who have supported the brand over the years, we thought it would be fun to create some nostalgia with the iconic IKEA pencil that we all know and love,” said Asheen Naidu, executive creative director at TBWA\Singapore. 

In order to obtain the special edition pencil, fans of the brand can visit IKEA stores across Singapore from 27 April – 1 May, and stand a chance to go home with the extra long collectible. During the campaign’s period, customers can also expect long-themed social activations and in-store executions.

Manila, Philippines – The Philippines was inundated with reports that the well-famed ‘Globe’ located at the SM Mall of Asia (MOA) has been ‘stolen’, to which the management has responded with a statement that it has been ‘working’ with authorities regarding the incident.

Adding to the saga fuel was a video uploaded by netizen Chester Allan Tangonan on Facebook, in which his dashboard attached to his motorcycle captured the ‘moment’ that the Globe had been taken away by a helicopter.

The MOA Globe has been a well-known landmark in Metro Manila that has greeted SM MOA customers since its opening in 2006. In 2009, the ‘Globe’ was equipped with LED lights, and therefore called ‘Globamaze’. The Globe is Asia’s first and only fully global video display installation.

SM MOA Globe
The SM MOA Globe. Photo Courtesy of Charles Gaisano/Flickr

The ‘accidental’ blame on IKEA Philippines

Netizens have speculated at first that the latest ‘stolen MOA Globe’ saga was a marketing stunt by the Philippine arm of multinational furniture giant IKEA. It should be noted that IKEA Philippines, known to be the largest IKEA store globally, is set to open in November 25 this year after delays.

As the ‘stolen MOA Globe’ saga continued, IKEA Philippines recently posted a statement across their social media channels that clarified that their local brand mascot, Tito Ball, was not to be blamed for the incident. They also added that while their mascot was last seen at the vicinity during November 11 this year, they ‘asked’ the public to await ‘investigation’ results.

https://twitter.com/IKEAPHP/status/1459753960886378496

It was Netflix’s ‘Red Notice’ stunt after all

Hours after the ‘incident’ was made public, Netflix Philippines announced across their social media platforms that the Globe is ‘back’, and it was all part of a marketing ploy to promote the platform’s newest film ‘Red Notice’.

The film follows the story of an FBI agent John Hartley, played by Dwayne Johnson, who reluctantly teams up with an international art thief Nolan Booth (played by Ryan Reynolds) to capture Sarah Black, played by Gal Gadot.

Industry insiders have estimated that the film has made US$1.25m to US$1.5m from 750 theaters in the United States before its streaming debut on 12 November.

So, who stole the ‘stunt’? Netizens react

Netizens were quick to assume in the first few hours of the ‘stolen MOA Globe’ incident that IKEA Philippines was the brand behind the stunt due to the nearing opening date of IKEA’s first-ever store in the country. Furthermore, netizens also joked that the Globe might be stolen, only to be replaced by Tito Ball, which takes the personification of a meatball, a known food staple served across IKEA franchises globally.

After the revelation of the marketing stunt by Netflix Philippines, netizens were disappointed with the execution, with many saying that the stunt lacked a ‘surprise element’, a huge contrast to Netflix Philippines’ widespread stunt for the Filipino occult series ‘Trese’, which ranged from ‘slashed’ billboards to taking over the facade of media conglomerate ABS-CBN.

Netizens were also quick to point out that IKEA Philippines got free publicity out of this ‘saga’, due to the lack of information prior to the true nature of the marketing stunt.

Apart from the brand stunts, the ‘incident’ made it to the top trending topics in Twitter Philippines. According to aggregate results from BrandMentions, the hashtag ‘#MOA_GLOBE’ has been shared 26.5k times, with a total reach of 209.5k across the platform.