Making homes better

In its maiden campaign for India, Ikea projects itself as a fun brand that can satisfy consumers looking for products across the price spectrum

Swedish furniture maker Ikea has rolled out its first communication campaign targeting Indian buyers ahead of the opening of the brand’s first store in Hyderabad . The campaign extends Ikea’s brand promise that is ‘Make Everyday Brighter’ to Indian consumers. It captures everyday life at Indian homes and showcases company products highlighting how Ikea’s home furnishing solutions can help make living spaces more fun and functional. The television commercial treats viewers with visuals of a young boy and girl preparing cupcakes under the watchful eyes of their mother, a father reading to his children at bedtime, and an octogenarian taking a peaceful nap. Capturing emotions as varied as delight, amusement and relief — these everyday slice-of-life moments have one thing in common — an Ikea product at the centre of the activity adding joy and/or comfort. The campaign introduces consumers to a basic Ikea utility product like Vessla storage box priced at ~359 as well as a more expensive yet a popular product such as a Strandmon arm chair sporting a price tag of ~15,990.

“We are here for many people including those with smaller wallets. We are keen to reach out to families with kids, as they constitute 80 per cent of the people living in Hyderabad,” says Ulf Smedberg, country marketing head, Ikea India.

Smedberg adds that Ikea wants to be relevant and aspirational and is trying to take this message to people in a fun way.

The campaign has an Indian appeal with an Ikea feel as it is set in Indian homes and living situations but features solutions and inspirations that

Ikea has designed using its experiences around the globe.

“Ikea understands the concept of life at home well and we have learnt that in many ways, it is similar across the world. We have also been studying life at home in India for two years now trying to understand how we can make everyday life brighter through our solutions. This understanding has helped us to zero down on the core of our marketing and advertising campaign,” claims Smedberg.

Ikea entrusted creative agency Dentsu Impact which came up with the campaign after carrying out home visits and ethnography studies across different markets such as Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai to help understand the lives of the consumers and their needs. Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact, says, “The campaign is a perfect amalgamation of life at home in India and Ikea’s point of view on that. It’s not about perfect looking, luxurious homes with a ‘too good to be true’ showcase of home and relations, but about the real, chaotic and notso-perfect everyday life that comes with its own little ups and downs.”

And the challenge in doing so was to attain a balance between Ikea, the global brand, and India where cultural nuances can be as diverse as the country itself.

According to a TechSci Research report, home furnishing market in India is projected to cross ~400 billion by 2020. Currently, the industry is dominated by players like Urban Ladder and Pepperfry. Without sharing specific India sales and revenue numbers, Smedberg says that the company is focussing on establishing and increasing the awareness of Ikea brand in Hyderabad to be followed by Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi. It aims to reach more than 200 million people in the next three years.

The challenge was to strike a balance between Ikea the global brand and Ikea the brand for India where cultural nuances can be as diverse as the country itself