The best IKEA campaigns | Marketing magazine

IKEA is the leader in its category for furniture. But this is not the only place where it dominates. IKEA is known for delivering some of the funniest, smartest and most memorable advertising campaigns.
From pregnancy tests to measuring tapes, IKEA ads are memorable. Known to go viral, simple creations always seem to pack a punch.
Which IKEA ads are some of the best in the industry?
Pregnancy test
IKEA makes cribs. Pregnant women need cradles. The solution? Let people know if they need a crib. It was a classified ad with a difference, because it was also a pregnancy test. It was probably the first and last time a company encouraged peeing on an ad, but it worked.
Free cot
Speaking of needing cribs, if you’re not even pregnant yet, Ikea has given one away for free. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Ikea released a newspaper coupon on February 14. For any baby conceived on Valentine’s Day, their parents received a free crib if they presented it to an Ikea store with proof of their baby’s birth on November 14.
book book
IKEA is known for its catalogs. With approximately 200 million copies printed in 27 languages, it has enormous reach. But how many people actually read? In an obvious parody of an Apple campaign, IKEA released the book book countryside. The campaign’s ironic message was that IKEA catalogs never ran out of battery, were in high resolution and loaded instantly.
tape measure catalog
In another attempt to keep IKEA’s catalogs relevant, a year the furniture store chain updated its catalogs. Not only did this make them better, but it made them perfect for the IKEA shopper. Each catalog came with a built-in measuring tape. So when the reader was done, the reader became the constructor.
Installation of the Paris metro
Advertising or ephemeral exhibition? Like all art, it’s subjective. In 2010, four Paris metro stations were transformed into installations. With room scenarios on the station walls, they were paired with real IKEA sofas. The campaign looked amazing and encouraged the general public to try IKEA products in real time.
IKEA Frakta vs. Balenciaga bag
IKEA’s Frakta bags are iconic. Bright blue reusable tote bag with yellow stitching is synonymous with furniture store. So when fashion house Balenciaga released a copy of the 99-cent bag for over $2,000, IKEA took notice. Speaking to a print ad, she listed ways to tell if your bag is an “original IKEA Frakta” with instructions such as: shake it, if it rustles, it’s real.
The Simpsons living room
Perhaps the most famous sofa in the world is the one on Evergreen Terrace, in the living room of The Simpsons. Bringing the fictional living room to life, IKEA replaced all the main pieces of the room with IKEA furniture. Complete with price tags, IKEA let us know how to recreate the famous piece.
It’s so affordable
Think you can’t afford furniture? IKEA thinks you can. Breaking down what you spend on soft drinks or coffees each week, IKEA uses a simple print ad that shows that if you stop buying something simple for a week, you can makeover your bedroom.