IKEA – a well-known Swedish company that sells affordable furniture and world-famous meatballs, decided to call its products “second-class”. In its new touching campaign “Proudly second best”, IKEA has played with the roles of parents and its stylish furniture, and thus not only delighted millions of users around the world, but also the marketing profession, and the largest media in the world wrote about this campaign.
“Proudly second best” did not bypass us either, so we decided to go under the surface a bit and check what it is really about.
Focus on the relationship between parent and child
In three short video commercials, their most popular products such as baby cots, high chairs and stair chairs remain unused, and as time passes, we discover that the parent’s hand has replaced the furniture. While one child stands on his mother’s lap trying to use the sink, other sleeps peacefully on his mother’s chest, and a third sits on his father’s lap and eats.
There is no background music, only muffled children’s voices can be heard. The ad puts the family first and positions IKEA as a hero who supports modern family life.
Although their products are still present, they are shown in the background, thus presenting themselves as a good choice for all new parents. In this way, IKEA emphasizes the importance of the immensely important bond between parents and children, which is best built through quality time.
Sometimes the product is not the solution
With the campaign, they wanted to point out that sometimes the product is not the solution, but there are simpler and more humane ways to solve the problem. In Ikea’s case, furniture will never replace a father’s or mother’s touch.
IKEA actively promotes values such as being together, caring for people and the planet, and taking and assigning responsibility, which is also shown in these advertisements.
– Humility is a value that lives at the heart of our brand. Setting up parents as the first choice for their children reflects this fundamental belief. It does not matter if we come immediately after the parents, actually we are proud of it. We hope that with this campaign we will expand the value of this brand and celebrate parenthood on several channels – said Carla Klumpenaar, General Manager of Ikea.
Leaders of Emotional Marketing
The “Proudly second best” campaign is the result of a collaboration between Al-Futtaim IKEA, DAVID Madrid and INGO Hamburg. However, this is not the first time that Ikea’s marketing team has stepped into the parent-child relationship.
The inspiring French advertisement “My son” shows a mother and son visiting an IKEA centre. Throughout the commercial, the child behaves like an adult, checking the materials, measuring them and paying for the furniture. At the end of the commercial, the child becomes an adult, accompanied by the message “If only we could keep some things small forever”, implying that it is difficult for parents to watch their children grow up and become independent people.
In both campaigns, instead of showcasing the functional benefits of its products, IKEA focused on parents’ love for children. Through their innovative advertisements, IKEA was able to create a strong emotional connection with the brand and establish trust among customers who could easily connect it with their everyday lives.
