IKEA in the Museum of Romanticism: The Swiss Furniture Brand’s Open Challenge for Haters

Stereotypes are never good. They act as a mirage that keeps the onlooker from seeing the full picture. IKEA, the Swiss ready-to-assemble furniture and accessories brand also suffers from a stereotype. People believe that the furniture made by IKEA exhibits nothing special in terms of style. In a bid to debunk this stereotype, IKEA created a campaign called IKEA in the Museum of Romanticism.

A Spanish advertising agency called McCann Spain transitioned the campaign from page to reality. The idea was simple. IKEA snuck its furniture into the Museum of Romanticism. For starters, this campaign marked the first-ever introduction of commercial furniture into a museum. Furthermore, the Museum of Romanticism boasts the largest 19th-century furniture collection in Europe. At first thought, you might think that separating authentic museum property from IKEA’s intrusions would be a child’s play. Thus, IKEA challenged visitors to visit the museum and try to identify the changes. However, most people completely overlooked the IKEA furniture hiding in plain sight. The campaign also saw engagement from participants taking on the challenge via social media. Facebook facilitated 360-degree tours of the museum. Likewise, Instagram-based participants engaged via live streams. Major publication agencies like El Pais, The Huffington Post, Cosmopolitan, and many more covered the campaign. IKEA also achieved impact metrics of 9,097,000 and 25,403,724 on social media and general media respectively.

In a nutshell, IKEA busted the stereotype standing in their way with a metaphorical sledgehammer. We feel that this campaign exhibited a fair balance between rationality, creativity, and courage.

Credits
Campaign: Museum of Romanticism
Agency Network: McCann Worldgroup
Holding Company: Interpublic Group
Production Company: Craft WW
Advertiser Brand: Ikea
Advertising Agency: McCann
Chief Creative Officer: Mónica Moro
Executive Creative Director: Raquel Martínez, Jon Lavín
Copywriter: Mónica Moro, Juanma Corbalán
Art Director: Raquel Martínez, David Valgañon
Account Team: Javier Pascual, Elena Rodríguez, Alejandra Sierra
Director: Imail Najjar
Producer: Raquel Aguinaga

Tags:
McCann Madrid, IKEA, IKEA Museum of Romanticism, Outdoor, OOH