- Ikea unveiled its first global marketing campaign with a theme of affordability and preserving a way of fun amid the cost-of-living crisis, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- The effort, titled “Do Try This At Home,” profiles an array of shoppers who realize their passions with help from Ikea products, including an older gamer and a teenage girl who desires to placed on a guitar performance for her friends without bothering her neighbors.
- Messaging features a “Home can do it” creative motif and tagline developed by Ingka Group, Ikea’s top franchisee. “Do Try This At Home” is the primary major work for Ikea from McCann, which was appointed because the furniture retailer’s global marketing partner in September.
Ikea has worked in recent months to lower prices on its furniture and residential goods to appeal to consumers still combating inflation. “Do Try This At Home” translates the price-conscious technique to the marketing arena, sharing stories of people that can live out their hobbies and passions courtesy of the Swedish retail giant. The brand platform launches first in Italy, Belgium and Finland and can expand to other markets in the months ahead.
Each of the vignettes in the campaign is about defying “Don’t try this at home” taboos, equivalent to following a recipe to the letter or not causing mischief. Energetic spots depict an older man gaming hard with a posh PC setup and an adult and child practicing martial arts in the lounge before transforming into anime characters, amongst other stories. Each scenario spotlights different Ikea products which are aiding in these activities with a callout for price tags to drive home the affordability theme.
“This campaign represents one other step, supporting our customers with inspiration on how home can enable their passions, where they’ll begin to push the boundaries in a reasonable way,” said Licca Li, growth and marketing manager at Ingka Group, in a press release. Ingka Group is the world’s largest Ikea franchisee, representing about 90% of total sales.
The initiative is the primary creative fruit of Ikea’s global partnership with Interpublic Group’s McCann, which landed the account last fall following an intensive pitch process. Ikea previously worked with a patchwork of agencies across the 31 countries where Ingka Group operates but is now centralizing work under McCann while still collaborating with another marketing services providers at the local level. The Ikea business is spearheaded by McCann Worldgroup’s Spain office.
Ikea joins other retailers in addressing the pressure many consumers are feeling on their wallets, at the same time as a number of the worst of inflation eases. The concept behind “Do Try This At Home” was driven by research that found 52% of surveyed consumers view home as their favorite place, but 40% worry about funds and disposable income.
“This recent strategic approach relies on people’s have to pursue happiness after a period of putting up with negativity, just like the ‘permacrisis’ situation that we’re all experiencing already for several years,” said Agustín Soriano, chief strategy officer of McCann Worldgroup Spain, in a press release. “This rebellious spirit in all of us searches for reasonably priced ways to rejoice life in every possible way, despite the fact that consumers world wide are reducing ‘treat’ spend.”
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