1. IKEA Case Study The Embrace Change Campaign

2. Company Background • Began in Sweden over 70 yrs ago • Focus: • Functionality, affordability, quality,& design • Products for everyone • IKEA stores have numerous models of real rooms that people can have genuine living experience in. • 500 Days of Summer clip

3. Embrace Change Campaign • Campaign created by Deutsch NY • MWW Group Consumer Lifestyle Marketing Team • Promoted campaign internationally • campaign overview

4. Campaign Objectives • IKEA renovated its stores in D.C. area • The campaign was created in order to share upgrades with the community • Goal: to increase traffic in local IKEA stores in College Park, MD and Woodbridge, VA • KPIs: • Increase sales at local D.C. IKEA stores • Online brand engagement

5. Campaign Objectives • IKEA shows that their products are for everyone – even the president. • Used outdoor advertising and interactive website to create buzz in the community. • Drive consumers to choose IKEA when furnishing their homes.

6. Target Market • D.C. Area • College Park, MD • Woodbridge, VA • Generation X (Millennials) • Young adults • College students and recent graduates • Lower Income individuals • People buying furniture for their new/first homes • Ethnic Market • Large global presence

7. Consumer Insights • Target looking for inexpensive furniture • Target willing to do a little extra work for the lower prices. • Great Timing – President Obama’s election and Inauguration • Great way to produce buzz • Obama fits IKEA • Change and fiscal responsibility

8. Positioning • Fiscally responsible home furniture • Embrace change • More beautiful homes and functional furniture for less money

9. Big Idea • Slogan: • “Embrace Change ’09” • Referring to Obama’s slogan and playing on the idea of changing up your future. • Main Idea: • IKEA used the election to their advantage by attracting people to “change” in their personal lives. • This idea of “change” correlated with Obamas campaign at the time.

10. Marketing Communication Mix • A majority of the campaign was out of home advertising

11. Out of Home • Largest and most unique part of the campaign • A replica of the Oval Office in Union Station that showed thousands of visitors how IKEA would furnish the most important room in the world. • People passing could walk in to test out the IKEA furniture • Bright Billboards and signs • Similar look to political candidate signs that are popular during elections.

13. IKEA also had a motorcade of vans and a limo, resembling what the president would drive around in, drive around D.C. with IKEA boxes strapped to the hood

14. Website • www.embracechange09.com • People could design their own virtual Oval Office and send their submissions to the White House. • The top 3 designs were chosen and the winners received a $1500 gift card to IKEA.

15. Campaign Outcomes • Website accumulated more than 222,000 unique site visitors • Almost 4,000 people participated in the housing design competition featured on the website. • Over 60 minutes broadcast coverage • More than 400 media placements • Overall  campaign created more than 500,000,000 impressions

16. KPIs • IKEA said that they saw a major increase in sales in the D.C. area. • Increased online brand awareness by creating a website where they could track site visitors of the campaign • Resulting in over 200,000 visitors

17. Conclusion • Considered most successful campaign in IKEA’s history • Why? • Embrace Change Campaign + Presidential election • IKEA saw and seized the opportunity to implement a campaign that not only reflected the current popular culture, but augmented their own mission of offering “fiscally responsible home furnishings” to consumers. • The connection of the two was a success that reflected in their website statistics, coverage acquisition, and overall impressions.