For decades, IKEA catalogues have been showing us how beautiful our homes could be. But recent research has shown that Norwegians don't feel seen in lifestyle ads. 48% of our target audience feel detached, claiming that glossy catalogues and furniture ads don't reflect their life at home. At the same time, we're in an economic climate that has made it even more important to prove the affordable value IKEA can provide.

With this new campaign, IKEA wanted to candidly acknowledge the gap between aspiration and reality. By boldly declaring that "Life is not an IKEA catalogue", IKEA sought to establish and strengthen brand loyalty and trust among Norwegian consumers, whilst demonstrating how their products are great value for money.

With this campaign, IKEA successfully repositioned itself as a brand that truly "got" the needs of its customers. By embracing and celebrating life's messy imperfections, we managed to be relatable and trustworthy for a critical audience - using brutally honest humour whilst championing smart affordability during a time people had smaller budgets. In the weeks following the campaign, visits to both the IKEA stores and IKEA online reached an all-time high.

By proclaiming "Life is not an IKEA catalogue," IKEA shifted its brand image from aspirational to relatable. The ads caused national headlines as controversial for some, but gained massive support from the public as a backlash. IKEA was seen as a rare brand that understood the realities of everyday life. The campaign reaffirmed the customers loyalty and brand love for IKEA, resulting in the strongest results for brand appreciation of all IKEA ads ever tested in Norway.

-

Our campaign tapped into a key cultural insight: Norwegians rate honesty above all else when it comes to advertising. The campaign recognized that many Norwegians feel detached from glossy lifestyle ads, with 48% of the target audience claiming that they don't relate homes depicted in the media. So we finally admitted a not-so-secret secret; "Life is not an IKEA catalogue" - acknowledging the gap between aspiration and reality.

By embracing real life whilst championing smart affordability, our campaign achieved significant success, exceeding all previous sales goals in store and online in the weeks following the launch. The campaign truly resonated with Norwegians, and managed to shift IKEA's brand image from aspirational to relatable. This approach was seen as a rare and welcome departure from picture-perfect communication, generating strong customer loyalty and brand appreciation – by becoming the strongest IKEA ads ever tested in Norway.