IKEA’s most sustainable UK store was set to open in Greenwich, London. The brief was to raise awareness of the new store and its sustainability credentials by creating communications that would capture Londoners’ interest whilst doing good for the environment. The audience was primarily residents of South London (the catchment area for the Greenwich store). The objective was to create interest and awareness around the new store for people in the catchment area, whilst cementing IKEA’s sustainability credentials for a broader audience.

The new IKEA Greenwich store is located in close proximity the River Thames. Every year over 300 tonnes of rubbish ends up in the river. We decided to help tackle this problem by going high-tech on one of IKEA’s most loved products – the SMÅKRYP bath boat toy. We created giant remote-controlled versions of the boat using cutting-edge technology to clear floating rubbish from the Thames. Londoners were invited to come and have a go captaining the super-sized SMÅKRYP boats and help us clean up London’s iconic river.

Our target audience was primarily residents of South London (the catchment area for the Greenwich store). Our strategy was to create an attention-grabbing and engaging experience that would show IKEA’s commitment to protecting the environment. Underlying this approach was IKEA’s belief in “do, don’t say” – it’s far stronger to do something that actually demonstrates our commitment than it is to simply talk about it.

The technology behind our remote-controlled rubbish-clearing boats was developed and tested over a six-month period, then installed inside our giant SMÅKRYP bath boats. Londoners were then invited (through editorial outreach in local London press, paid social posts, IKEA website and IKEA FAMILY emails) to come and captain the boats in waterways around Greenwich. The boats will continue to be used to clean rubbish out of the Thames for years to come.

The boats proved a huge hit. During the opening four days of the activation, over 1,200 came along to have a go at being captain and clearing a stretch of the river. What’s more, the project created tons of buzz in local, national and international media, helping make the launch of IKEA Greenwich one of IKEA’s most successful store launches. When the doors opened over 1,500 people were already queuing to shop.