Dive Brief:
- Ikea U.S. is testing an interactive audio ad on Pandora that listeners can speak to, per details emailed to Marketing Dive. The ad acts like a two-way conversation, starting with a message about the retailer's sustainability mission and asking listeners whether they want to hear tips on how to live more eco-conscious lives. Those who respond verbally with "yes" will hear three tips and be taken to Ikea's website.
- The Pandora beta test is part of a campaign Ikea is running across audio, social media, digital video, and national and connected TV through November. Created by agency Mother London, "Little Robot" depicts a droid trying to save the planet but realizing that small sustainable actions — like curbing food waste and opting for reusable grocery bags — can make big differences.
- Ikea's latest campaign attempts to make a mammoth issue like environmentalism more accessible to the average consumer and positions the retailer as a helpful solution.
Dive Insight:
The Pandora test and "Little Robot" creative are the latest chapters in Ikea's broader mission surrounding sustainability. The Swedish furniture giant for years has worked to transition to more eco-friendly operations, leveraging its global economic and brand clout to address climate change through its "people and planet positive" sustainability strategy.
In recent years, Ikea has incorporated this focus into its marketing, helping to position the brand as a solution to help consumers live more sustainably. Now, its Pandora activation tests the waters for an audio ad that is more conversational than traditional formats. Listeners can hear about Ikea's sustainability mission and receive tips for eco-conscious living after verbally responding to the ad. At the same time, the ad will steer listeners to the retailer's website, helping Ikea to generate online traffic and spur potential sales.
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The retailer's Norway arm this week also debuted "The Trash Collection 2021," a line of reclaimed furniture that the brand is promoting with a video that highlights the mounting impact trashed furniture poses on the environment. The spot, created with agency Try Oslo, suggests Ikea is using its heft to shape consumer behavior by discouraging the throwaway culture associated with the brand.
"Little Robot" isn't the first example of Ikea attempting to tackle a serious subject matter through lighthearted messaging. The retailer in March created a digital card game for Instagram Stories that addressed gender inequality in household chores, making a thorny social issue more accessible through gamification on social media.
