2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

For decades, Torontonians had to travel outside the downtown core to shop at IKEA, which made the brand feel like a suburban option for suburban people. To attract more customers, IKEA needed to build excitement for its new downtown store, which was designed to cater to small-space living with over 2,000 products available for immediate takeaway and larger items available for delivery.

Rather than relying on fictional stories, IKEA wanted to prove that it was made for downtown living by demonstrating the reality of its solutions. To do this, IKEA created "living ads" out of the city itself, using real homes with real people in them, and turning them into instantly recognizable IKEA billboards. These living billboards showcased the diversity of life in Toronto and highlighted small-space living.

The campaign also included an urban-inspired out-of-home (OOH) campaign, with ads placed in locations that were easily accessible by public transit or walking distance from the new store. By using iconic IKEA brand assets like wayfinding arrows, the campaign directed city dwellers to the new downtown location in a way that felt authentic to their experience living in Toronto.

The launch campaign was a success, garnering 62+ media stories and 31+ million impressions. Foot traffic to the new downtown store was 41% higher than the baseline during the campaign, and there were noticeable lines outside the store. In quarterly brand tracking isolated for Toronto, IKEA saw a +4% increase in TOM awareness, a +1% increase in brand trust, and a +1% increase in customer inspiration.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman, Mike Dubrick
Head of Art & Creative Director: Joel Holtby
Creative Director: Zachary Bautista
Associate Creative Director: Geoff Baille
Copywriter: Geoff Baille
Art Director: Zachary Bautista
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Strategy Director: Shereen Ladha, Jay Fleming
Group Account Director: Kiara Wilson
Account Director: Megan Christopher
Account Supervisor: Erica Francis
Account Manager: Chaityadeep Singh Mainee
Director of Print Production: AJ Merrick
Senior Integrated Producer: Terri Winter
Production House: Undivided Creative Inc.
Director: Jeremy Thompson
Director of Photography: Jeremy Thompson
Production House Producer: Christa Lindsay
Studio Artist: Brad Kumar, Todd Bennett, Justin Chan, Stephanie Sherwood, Nabil
Editor: Tyler Erdelac
Print House: ProPrint Services
Colour / VFX: Hardave Grewal, Dan Mccarthy
Audio House: Vapor Music
Music Director: Ted Rosnick
Audio Producer: Kailee Nowosad
Casting: Groundglass Casting (hero), Faces and Places Talent Agency (background)
Media: Carat
Account Director: Tracey Cronin
Digital Performance Strategist: Kevin Martins

Client:
Johanna Andrén, Head of Marketing, IKEA Canada
Jordan Sequeira, Country Marketing Campaign Leader, IKEA Canada
Brooke Lougheed, Country Interior Design Leader, IKEA Canada
Lisa Huie, Public Relations Leader, IKEA Canada