THE TRASH COLLECTION 2021
Title | THE TRASH COLLECTION 2021 |
Brand | IKEA |
Product/Service | IKEA FURNITURE |
Category |
A03. Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast Food Chains |
Entrant
|
TRY REKLAME Oslo, NORWAY
|
Idea Creation
|
TRY REKLAME Oslo, NORWAY
|
Media Placement
|
MEDIACOM Oslo, NORWAY
|
PR
|
TRY RÅD Oslo, NORWAY
|
Production
|
TRY OPT Oslo, NORWAY
|
Production 2
|
APARENT Oslo, NORWAY
|
Credits
Eirik Sørensen |
TRY |
Creative |
Caroline Riis |
TRY |
Creative |
Trond Sandø |
TRY |
account Director |
Marte Heiersted |
TRY |
Project Manager |
Jeppe Gjesti |
TRY |
Designer |
Kavar Singh |
Aparent |
Director |
Niels Windfeldt |
TRY |
Director |
Niels Windfeldt |
Aparent |
Photographer |
Aleksander Aurdal |
Aparent |
Producer |
Cecilie Helsvig |
TRY |
Advicer |
Henrik Pedersen |
Aparent |
Editor |
Frode Ullebust |
IKEA |
Country Marketing Manager |
Tobias Lien |
IKEA |
Country Marketing Communication Manger |
Kristin Berge Jahr |
IKEA |
Marketing Communication Specialist |
Elise Eik Ismar |
TRY |
Graphic Designer |
Erik Teigland |
TRY |
Digital Producer |
Oskar Dalsbakken |
Aparent |
Director Of Photography |
Laura Ugolini |
Aparent |
FAD |
Joakim Rissveds |
Aparent |
Grade |
Andreas Waag Martinsen |
Aparent |
Sound Engineer |
Thore Garberg |
Apollo |
Music Supervisor |
Susanne Reinertsen |
IKEA |
Online Content Specialist |
Beverley Getz Irvin |
IKEA |
Online Content Specialist |
Åse-Marit Christensen |
IKEA |
Integrated Media Manger |
Ulrikke Dahl |
IKEA |
Media Leader |
Alexei Mokel |
Aparent |
Props |
Espen Saur |
Aparent |
Production |
Bendik Ramm |
Try |
Editor/Motion design |
Why is this work relevant for PR?
When the world’s biggest furniture retailer makes their newest sustainability campaign into an exposition of how people throw their furniture in the trash – people are going to talk about it.
Background
IKEA wanted to take about their measures to become sustainable and 100% climate positive by 2030. But it’s hard to break through when you want to talk about sustainability, and even harder when you’re IKEA and people often see your furniture as disposable just because it’s affordable.
IKEA is Norway’s largest furniture retailer, and also the cheapest. Norway is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. With an average annual income of €74.000, it’s easy for us to buy new things rather than re-use or take care of what we have. Every year in Norway alone, we throw away more than 3 million pieces of furniture. Which is a lot, when you think about the fact that we have a total population of 5,4 million people.
So how could we break through with a sustainable message from IKEA, when people see your products as just the opposite?
Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)
In order for IKEA to become credible when talking about their many measures towards a more sustainable profile, we knew we first had to address the elephant in the room. We knew we would struggle to talk about sustainable measures IKEA are taking, if people just see our products as low quality or easily discardable. We needed to change people’s perception of IKEA furniture as disposable - by adopting a completely new and honest way to talk about our products.
To make sure our sustainable message was heard, and not least believed, we chose to show that we know IKEA is a part of the problem, but that we also have the solutions. So we made The Trash Collection 2021. We went out and found actual IKEA trash, gave it a wash and a few spare parts, and sold it as a new collection back at IKEA.
Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)
The campaign needed to address two target audiences; the people who shop at IKEA but see our furniture as disposable and throw them away, and the more environmentally minded people who don't shop at IKEA because they also see our furniture as disposable.
We knew we had to treat The Trash Collection 2021 as massive and proudly as any other collection launch from IKEA. By showing everyone how little it takes to give discarded furniture new life, we aimed to change perceptions of the potential lifespan of IKEA furniture.
Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)
To change people’s perception of IKEA furniture as disposable, we made The Trash Collection 2021.
The whole campaign was based on a simple concept; showing IKEA trash that didn't need to end up in the trash. We went out and found actual IKEA products in the trash; abandoned on the street, thrown at the dump and left behind at the beach. We then collected it, gave it a wash and few spare parts, and sold it as a new collection back at IKEA.
The collection was heroed in a brutally honest 360 campaign. Every element was treated just like any other IKEA collection, with a massive push on TV, in glossy lifestyle magazines, outdoor, in-store and with its own IKEA-website. Every element talked about just how little it takes to give furniture new life - either by ordering free spare parts or by selling your old furniture back to us.
List the results (30% of vote)
The Trash Collection 2021 was only launched in Norway, but reached around the globe and was discussed in massive news outlets all over the world. From The Daily Mail in London, to the largest economic paper in Italy Il Sole 24 Ore, the collection reached far beyond just the advertising world.
For IKEA Norway though, the local results mattered the most: Sales of used furniture back to IKEA more than doubled, expanding the Trash Collection by over 3000 pieces and counting. Orders of free spare parts rose with 20% per week since launch, and most importantly: the perception of IKEA as a sustainable company is now at an all time high.