Ideas We Love: Sleepfluencers 🥱😴🪟

Issue Number 30: IKEA produce a rollerblind that doubles up as a free ad space for the brand

Hi there, how are you?

It’s issue 30. How did that happen? Over the course of those 30 issues we have featured 186 ideas from 129 different brands or advertisers. As we discuss which ideas to feature and reference each week, the names of certain companies or certain agencies tend to crop up time and time again. The brand we feature this week - IKEA - is one such brand. They’ve got an enviable track-record of delivering highly imaginative, highly creative ideas in brand communications and their latest is no exception.

The idea: Sleepfluencers 🥱😴💤

With agency Åkestam Holst NoA, IKEA Sweden has created a black out blind with a difference. Offered to customers for free, in exchange the blind doubles up as an advertising space for the brand. The exterior of the rollerblind is covered in an advert for IKEA’s range of bedroom products such as mattresses, pillows, beds. Perhaps most importantly though, the promotion was timed to coincide with Sweden’s summer - famous for it’s long hours of daylight - a time when a blackout blind would be absolutely essential. Simple.

Why we love it 🇸🇪 🍝

#1 ‘Everything communicates’ 🔈

With this idea, IKEA is essentially creating 6-sheet inventory where they have 100% SOV. We have a soft spot for brands and campaigns that not only use media in creative ways, but also think creatively about what things might become a media channel too. IKEA is a challenger brand at heart. Building new media opportunities outside of “traditional channels” is a classic challenger behaviour. It allows them to break out from the clutter and noise of the ‘category’ and find underleveraged opportunities to create outsized impact with those they’re trying to influence. Surely ‘ad-funded’ furniture is a media first?

#2 Democratic by design 🇺🇳

Both Matt and Tom are big fans of Eatbigfish and the work they have done around challengers. In fact, PHD (where Tom and Matt worked together) even published a book in partnership with the agency that explored the different types of ‘challenger archetype’ that exist. IKEA is a fantastic example of a ‘democratiser’. Ingvar Kamprad, founder of the company, wrote in an internal guide for employees that “once and forever, we have decided to side with the many”. Whilst you might argue there are cynical motivations at play in this case study, we love how the brand pulls their ‘democratising’ principles into ideas like this - everyone gets the opportunity of a good night’s sleep.

#3 Do stuff, tell people 💪

We all know that consumer’s attention in the modern communications landscape is a scarce commodity. One of the ways you might win a greater share of that attention as an advertiser or brand is to lean heavily into integration - creating experiences which live seemlessly across a number of different touchpoints. Recent work by Dr Grace Kite, suggests that ideas spread across multiple channels or platforms is now the only way to win in the current media landscape. This idea is a great example of a consumer promotion essentially, which has then been amplified beyond it’s country of origin - and indeed those who are exposed to the blinds themselves - with the use of paid advertising. As Faris Yakob says in his book Paid Attention: ‘do stuff, tell people’

What would we do with it 💕

The section of the newsletter where we think about what we would do with an idea, free from the constraint of time, money or client approvals….

#1 Roll out the rollerblind into media formats 📺

An easy one really. Where in media do you get formats which resemble the way a rollerblind works? Things that immediately spring to mind are scrolling formats in mobile - a format which could easily look like a roller blind and carry the amplification of the idea into new spaces and contexts; or with a stuntier lens why not switch up curtains you might find in cinemas and theatres for giant versions of the blind with some form of QR-mechanism built in to reward engagement.

#2 Extend the idea to other items of the IKEA range 📙

What other IKEA classics could receive the ad-funded treatment? The Billy Bookcase perhaps? Or the Kallax shelving unit? Arguably the Frakta bag already fulfils this job… We like the idea of adding subtle advertising to the bottom of the Färgrik mug - as your house guest drinks their tea or coffee, slowing an advert promoting Glimma tea lights comes into view….

#3 Go big or go homeware 🌞

According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the largest window in the world can be found at Taikang Tower in China. It measures a whopping 51 square meters. We like the idea of extending out from the humble bedroom window into some of the world’s biggest glass spaces, using a custom roller blind installed in these sites to create a temporary advertising space at night for the swedish retailer. Most importantly, it’s more PR, more reach and more attention….

#4 Funded by IKEA 💸

How might you take the idea of ad-funded furniture further? What if your favourite show was ad-free because IKEA had provided all of the furniture and interiors to the production? Even better given the brand’s democratising stance - What if a michelin starred kitchen was able to offer prices comparible with the IKEA restaurant for an evening or a week or a month by virtue of using their glassware, ceramics and cookware for service? Or IKEA does Everyman Cinema so you get to try the chairs, sofas, glasses, rugs and homeware in an analogous setting to home, before you buy - put them somewhere on-site… you can pick-up the sofa from the market hall on aisle 15, row 11.

If you like this, you’ll love….. 💕

If you like IKEA’s rollerblinds, what other things might you want to look at for further inspiration? Here are some of the things this campaign reminded us of.

The Rolex Hour on Sky Sports

Rolex have been involved in Golf for the last 60 years. To provide viewers of the sport with uninterrupted coverage, they created ‘the Rolex hour’ - an hour during each round of one of golf’s Major competitions where they have essentially paid for the ads to go away (albeit with subtle Rolex branding)

Heineken Shutter Ads

The beer brand redeployed their investment from traditional OOH sites toward bar owners in order to support them during the COVID lockdown. Instead of backlit 96s, the brand painted their ads directly onto the front of the shuttered venues and gave money to the owners in a show of solidarity. Really lovely.

Coors Light presents Chillboards

Also on a CSR / Purpose tip is this campaign from Coors - ads painted onto roofs to help reduce temperatures in the fight to slow climate change

Share a Coke, Oatly….

We love it when packaging is used as a primary driver of communication. In terms of time spent and attention - these are much undervalued and unloved touchpoints - versus the big glossy ads we all spend so much time thinking about. When brands lean into the use of packaging properly, it becomes really powerful. Two of our favourite examples are Oatly and Coca-cola.

Until Next Time

As always, thank you for reading.

Cheerio, Tom & Matt