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August 2008 - Strategy Magazine
Upfront

Ikea taps into pop culture

by Marija Djukic
page 8

Toronto-based Zig added some pop - literally - to Ikea's new collection and fall catalogue launch.

A three-minute viral and three 30-second TV ads feature popper Robert Murraine of So You Think You Can Dance and Canadian dancer Shugamai Johnson in choreographed furniture-arranging vignettes. "The dance theme is exciting and generates buzz about the new Ikea collection," says Shelley Brown, partner at Zig. The spots hit the air early August on specialty channels.

There's also a contest for non-dancers at Ikea.ca. "Do You Think You Can Decorate" invites consumers to email photos of their Ikea-decorated digs for a shot at $2,000 in Ikea gift cards.

To kick things off, Ikea had a pop-up show room teasing the new collection on July 30 in downtown Toronto. This month, OOH banners on the TTC and along the Gardiner Expressway, online ads and radio featuring the voice of Swede Jonas Fornander (Ikea's iconic commercial narrator) and an e-newsletter sent to Ikea subscribers all tout the new line. Media buys were done by Mindshare.

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