IKEA’s Grand Opening in India – Make Everyday Brighter

Whenever there’s a mention of ready-to-assemble furniture, IKEA is the name that pops up in everyone’s head. The Swedish-based multinational company started its overwhelmingly successful journey in the year 1943. Fast-forward to today, the 75-year old brand has more than 416 stores in 50 countries. The newest addition to the IKEA family is the store in Hyderabad, India. The grand launch of the store attracted an enormous amount of attention. Well, IKEA’s advertising efforts need to accredited for the positive response the store received on day 1 itself. Before the launch day, IKEA released a digital campaign titled – Make Everyday Brighter.

The short ad was conceptualized by a creative agency called Dentsu Impact. Given IKEA’s stature in the international market, it was important for the Swedish brand to choose the right creative partner. The allotment of the project to Dentsu Impact was a result of IKEA’s thorough selection process. An invitation to the top 25 creative agencies was released in February 2016 itself. After a few selection rounds, the number of creative agencies competing for the job reduced to 8. Dentsu initiated work on IKEA’s “Make Everyday Brighter” campaign in the November of 2016, and the end result came out to be nothing short of impressive.

The digital campaign portrays a normal day in the life of an Indian family. However, the highlighting factor of the video promo is that the daily life of the family is depicted in a way that is intertwined with IKEA’s different offerings. The ideation behind the campaign not only creates a sense of familiarity in the minds of the audience but also subtly put forward the notion that a major brand is being advertised. In simple words, the digital film depicts how IKEA’s furniture makes everyday life brighter. Hence, the title justifies itself.

Other than the Make Everyday Brighter campaign, IKEA also posted countdown videos on their Indian YouTube channel to create the necessary hype for the store’s launch. The same countdown was executed on the brand’s Indian Instagram handle as well. Digital marketing played a very important role in IKEA’s grand opening in India. Even Twitter witnessed a buzz about the Hyderabad store’s scheduled launch on 12th August.

IKEA’s proposed strategy for the Indian markets also paved the way for a successful launch day. A crowd of about 40,000 customers greeted the launch day celebrations at IKEA’s store in HITEC City, Hyderabad. On a press conference held a few days before the launch, IKEA’s CEO promised to make the brand affordable and accessible. Jesper Brodin’s statements hold weight as IKEA has about 1000 products priced under Rs. 200 and the store are set to be open 365 days a year.

Furthermore, IKEA’s extensive approach to hosting a perfect opening in India was evident in the preparations made on the launch day itself. A 1000-seater restaurant located within IKEA 400,000-square-foot-store offered various delicacies at an affordable price. To put things into perspective, visitors had the option to buy a Samosa at just Rs. 10. The decor around the premises of the grand opening set the mood as well. Also, various IKEA- themed auto-rickshaws gave people virtual tours of the store. A number of other minor efforts were also made to ensure a memorable launch day in India.

We feel that IKEA’s grand opening in India lived up to the hype. Furthermore, the facts speak for themselves. IKEA’s Hyderabad store made sales worth around 2.5 crores in just 2 days. It would be exciting to see how IKEA expands its footing in India. Also, we hope that IKEA’s online store in India gets up and running soon!

#IKEAIndia #MakeEverydayBrighter

Crowds at IKEA India opening day

Welcoming the first customers in the first IKEA store in Hyderabad. #ikeaindia pic.twitter.com/lfMMCintkF

— IKEA Sverige (@IKEASverige) August 9, 2018