Title	PRESS EVENT IN YOUR OWN BEDROOM, WHERE GOOD DAYS START
Brand	IKEA FINLAND
Product/Service	IKEA KATALOG, LAUNCH
Category	C01. USE OF DIGITAL IN A PR CAMPAIGN
Entrant Company	DRUM COMMUNICATIONS Helsinki, FINLAND
Advertising Agency	DRUM COMMUNICATIONS Helsinki, FINLAND

Name	Company	Position
Hanna Litovaara	Drum Communications Inc.	Communications Consultant
Reeta Kaivola	Drum Communications Inc.	Account Director
Noora Front	Drum Communications Inc.	Communications Specialist
Mikko Koivulehto	Drum Communications Inc.	Senior Communications Consultant
Laura Saksala	IKEA Finland	Pr Manager
Annika Stubbe	IKEA Finland	Deputy Communication Manager
Kirsi Gotthardt	IKEA Finland	Country Communication Manager
Mikko Hallikainen	Deco Media	Webcast Technical Specialist
Joona Paavola	Deco Media	Webcast Technical Specialist
Milla Wiksten	Deco Media	Director

The Campaign

The theme of this year’s IKEA catalog is mornings, and how IKEA can help us make them better. The catalog launch concept was to carry the same theme in an inspirational and fresh way. Additionally, IKEA personnel were to be introduced to the theme in order to promote the sale of related products. In the internal launch, the theme of the catalog and the sales targets for the coming year were presented to IKEA personnel on video. The video was shown in kick-off events for personnel at IKEA stores, and it was also available on the IKEA intranet. The catalog was launched for the media and other target groups via webcast, broadcasted from IKEA store’s bedroom department. A digital solution allowed participants to join the catalog launch in the comfort of their own bedrooms. Just before the webcast, the new IKEA catalogs were delivered to the participants’ homes, accompanied by essentials for a leisurely morning moment. The launch event gained exceptional social media coverage on the day of the launch. So far, the catalogue and the launch concept have been mentioned over 150 times on social media. The webcast capture has been viewed 575 times, for a total of nearly 27 hours in viewing time. The theme of the launch has been covered widely in seven interior design and women’s magazines. More monthlies are to follow.

The Brief

The goal was to get as many media representatives, bloggers and interior designers to participate in the launch as possible. Besides quantity, quality was emphasized: the purpose was to encourage the target group think about the theme of the launch and produce related content. Another goal was to make the launch visible and viral in social media, to create greater expectancy for the printed catalog published the following week. In internal communications, the goal was to have personnel internalise the theme and to promote the sale of related products. Sales targets had been set for all personnel.

Results

The live webcast attendees - 75 interior design journalists, bloggers and designers - The Finnish interior design community and all relevant media in Finland’s narrow media landscape reached, f.ex. all Finland’s 13 interior design magazines. A large group of Finland’s most popular bloggers. Immediately after the webcast - Mentions in the Facebook-feeds of interior design media - 30 Instagram photos, #ihanaaamu - exceedingly positive feedback in nine blog posts So far - the catalogue and launch concept has got over 150 mentions on social media. - The webcast capture, 575 views, 27 hours in total viewing time. - The theme widely covered in seven magazines. More monthlies are to follow. Sales results in confidential information.

Execution

The theme and sales targets were presented to IKEA personnel on video. IKEA Finland’s Country Manager appeared on the video in her own bedroom, challenging the personnel to reflect on their own mornings and share their morning moments on social media. The video was shown in kick-off-events, and it was available on the IKEA intranet. At the media launch, the participants were given a dream morning: the chance to enjoy an unhurried start to the day and even stay in bed to watch the webcast launch over a good breakfast. They received the brand new IKEA catalog along with a delicious breakfast, a bathrobe, slippers, a Do-Not-Disturb sign for the door. During the webcast, participants interacted via chat. All materials were made available in a digital pressroom, allowing the journalists to get started on their stories right away. All attendees heaped praise upon the execution of the occasion.

The Situation

Each year, IKEA publishes a catalog (distributed to 1.7 million Finnish households). The challenge is to keep the annual launch fresh. How to make the publication of this commercial catalog a newsworthy phenomenon? Another communication-related challenge is to convey the theme of the catalog’s content through the media. The launch attracts journalists, but it doesn’t necessarily produce much media content related to the theme itself. One of IKEA's key goals is to be active on social media, the launch was harnessed to promote this goal. Another focus area was to effectively introduce the catalog theme to IKEA personnel.

The Strategy

The foundation for the communication strategy was experience: wanting to have the recipients personally experience what a wonderful morning feels like. The aim was to highlight the significance of interior design solutions for the rooms that normally receive the least attention, the bedroom and the bathroom. The catalog launch needed to reach a large group of interior design journalists and bloggers, as well as interior designers, across Finland. It also needed to provide the opportunity to easily produce and share content. The launch of the catalog and the morning theme was implemented as a webcast from the bedroom department of IKEA Finland’s Vantaa store. In the interior built there, we could present inspirational solutions in an appropriate setting. An all-digital approach would ensure that all content, as well as participation in the launch event itself, would be easy to share online and on social media.