New Ad Program: The Legendary IKEA Sale Guy Causes IKEA Co-Workers To Faint And Takes Shoppers By Surprise

Furniture World Magazine

There's this guy at IKEA. Many co-workers think he lives there, but very few have seen him. It's been rumored that he only comes out twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer. Some IKEA co-workers get so overwhelmed and emotional that they faint at the sight of him. It's legend that he wears the coolest costumes; something like what you would find in the pages of a Marvel superhero comic book. Some say he has the greatest job in the world, but only coming out twice a year?! Well, that could be tough; such are the realities of the "IKEA Sale Guy.". IKEA, the leading home furnishings retailer, announced today its new ad campaign promoting the IKEA Winter Sale featuring the "IKEA Sale Guy." The new ads, which extend from the recently unveiled year long IKEA "Unböring" marketing campaign, playfully demonstrate that IKEA can help you affordably create the life you really want at home. The campaign, created by Miami-based Crispin Porter + Bogusky, will feature both TV and print advertisements and will appear in the U.S. beginning December 26 through January 5. By creating a character whose only responsibility is to announce the winter and summer sale events, the ads humorously draw attention to the rarity of an IKEA sale. The thirty-second TV spot opens on our Guy, who with unkempt hair and a long straggly beard resembles a Tom Hanks "look-alike" in the movie Castaway, sleeping in a low-lit room. There is a knock at the door and we see the famous Swedish man from the recent IKEA "Lamp" and "Moo Cow" ads, walk in and hand our Guy (who seems like he hasn't taken a shower for a long time) a shaving kit, wash bin and towel saying, "It's time. Get yourself cleaned up." Next, the IKEA Sale Guy is cleaning up: shaving his beard and combing his hair. Clean and presentable, he exits the room and is led down a hallway by an IKEA co-worker. The two come to an IKEA co-worker staff breakroom where a handful of IKEA co-workers are having coffee. The camera pulls back and from behind it seems like the man is sporting football pads or some kind of superhero outfit. The co-worker escorting the man clears his throat, prompting all of the co-workers in the room to turn around and look. The IKEA Sale Guy, all cleaned up, is standing in the doorway wearing a large foam sales burst reading "50% Off!" Surprised and overwhelmed that IKEA is offering a sale; one of the male co-workers faints to the floor. "Using satire, humor and a character whose only responsibility is to promote the winter and summer sale events, the ads effectively communicate just how rare and extraordinary it is for an IKEA sale event to take place," said Gina Raiser, advertising manager, IKEA North America. "Shoppers will sense the urgency that the Winter Sale is a once a year event for them to to benefit from even lower prices at IKEA." In the U.S., TV airtime buys include prime time, some early morning slots as well as during high-rating shows such as NBC's Friends, Will and Grace and Frasier. The U.S. buys are concentrated in IKEA store markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia. The print ads will also feature the IKEA Sale Guy, the famous Swedish man from previous IKEA commercials and an IKEA co-worker, and will be seen in newspapers including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. The IKEA Winter Sale event runs through January 12 at IKEA stores, and will continue through January 19 at the IKEA Woodbridge store location. The Winter Sale will not take place in Seattle, San Diego and Houston. About IKEA: Since its founding in 1943, IKEA has offered a wide range of home furnishings and accessories of good design and function, at prices so low that the majority of the people can afford them. IKEA is recognized as a socially responsible company, and continuously supports initiatives that benefit causes such as children and the environment. Currently, IKEA has more than 175 stores in 31 countries, including 15 stores in the United States and nine stores in Canada. To visit the IKEA Web site, please go to http://www.ikea-us.com. About Crispin Porter + Bogusky: Crispin Porter + Bogusky is perhaps best known as creators of the 'truth' anti-tobacco campaigns and for their work on the US launch of the BMW MINI line of automobiles. Based in Miami and Los Angeles, Crispin Porter + Bogusky's other clients include IKEA, Molson and Bacardi. In the past three years, the agency has been named Advertising Age's Creativity Magazine "Agency of the Year" as well as twice being named Adweek's "Agency of the Year".