The life improvement store

We persuaded people to think about IKEA as a place that can improve their lives at home by offering everything under one roof.

The challenge

A large proportion of IKEA’s customers grew to love the brand when they were living in college or had their first homes, when it offered them style and comfort at an affordable price. We needed to remind them that IKEA sells kitchen cabinets and appliances as well as kitchenware, mattresses and bedframes as well as pillows and blankets, sofas and media storage as well as lamps and rugs. To maintain sales growth, we had to alter consumer perception of what IKEA had to offer radically – from a place to buy home accessories to a store that offers a wide range of quality furniture.

Our insight

IKEA isn’t just for room improvement; it’s for ‘Life Improvement’. Consumers aren’t furniture buying; they’re ‘nest’ building. They want personalised inspiration for putting rooms together to create an organised, happy family life.

Our solution

The strategy – to demonstrate how IKEA can improve life at home in real-life situations using endorsement of its quality – was played out through multiple channels. We created a microsite that allowed fans to showcase how IKEA helped achieve a personalised style and inspire others to do the same. We ran the second season of our successful custom TV show Fix This Kitchen in which a celebrity chef, a designer and an IKEA team deliver a kitchen makeover. We also devised a series of in-store events and worked with media partners to deliver Life Improvement seminars and, finally, the hit TV show Dear Genevieve included storylines featuring IKEA makeovers in people’s homes.

The results

• 7.4% sales growth (above 5% target)
• Fix This Kitchen viewers showed +61% quality perceptions
• Fix This Kitchen viewers +26% consideration for visiting IKEA for kitchens