Importance of Sleep — Big Sleepover at IKEA!
A 5-year-old kid never has to worry about not getting enough sleep. They would adamantly not go to bed. Little did we know, adulting meant lack of sleep, full of stress, work, and assignments.
But that is why it is important to remind ourselves of just that. Upon recent analysis of over 60% of adults in the United States who were sleep-deprived, IKEA — a furniture company came up with a unique idea for ‘World Sleep Day’ on March 13th, 2020.
BIG SLEEPOVER IN-STORE AT IKEA
You know that dream, we all dream at least some point in our life? To be able to be a kid again? IKEA made it happen. Not only did they pull off a fun social gathering of many with a social cause, but they also indirectly managed to sample their products into a purchase!
It all started on Facebook, a group was created — ‘I Wanna Have a Sleepover in IKEA’ and the number of members were shocking. The original idea consisted of holding a contest for the members which rapidly raised to over 10,000 individuals in a short span of time.
It was an exciting, crazy experience for many. The only condition was to be 25 years or older. 100 members were deemed lucky winners to experience a memorable and unique experience to sleep in the comforts of the store at ZERO cost.
IKEA made sure for it not to be an average sleepover. It was a generation’s worth of a dream come true. The brand ensured to deliver a full-on immersive experience. The lucky winners of the contest were not disappointed.
People showed up in comfy pajamas, elated and excited just like little kids. IKEA kickstarted the event with the chance to personalize their beddings for their stay. Young adults to seniors were given the opportunity to experience first-hand quality products of IKEA of their own choice from the IKEA catalog.
They were treated with royalty. They received goodie bags, sleeping bags, towels, snacks — Cocoa, cake, non-alcoholic wine, and everything they needed to be made the most comfortable they can be. IKEA didn’t stop there, they also had entertainment programs such as Monster Inc & The three bears by a Tv- reality celebrity — Sam Faiers, silent discos, a sleep expert offering tips on sleep deprivation.
Enough from me, let’s hear from the participants themselves:
If I haven’t already established the success of the campaign, let me translate the sheer brilliance behind it in marketing terms.
The brilliance of this campaign
Loyalty card information— “If you aren’t paying for something, then you are the product”, says my professor: Joanne Tombrakos. This is exactly what happened here. To participate in the event, contestants had to register for IKEA loyalty card, which gave IKEA free insight into over ten thousand people’s lives. When only 100 of them had the chance.
Sampling of its products — Too many choices can be confusing. It is quite common to feel overwhelmed not knowing which product can be best for you in a world of IKEA. But this campaign, gave the participants to test and feel the products personally and to create desire not just amongst themselves but I’m sure, a story they tell the world for a lifetime.
Good brand image — In a clever touch, the brand’s intiative for the social cause of good, quality sleep, merged well with the core values of what IKEA represents. They managed to align their brand with comfort, quality sleep and wellness of the people.
Great Publicity- With over 23,000 views on the Facebook campaign apart from the original 10,000 Facebook, 330 editorial pieces and still counting, the participant’s gushing over the once in a lifetime opportunity they had, IKEA scored all of its positives in one big goodie bag sleepover.
The future of furniture retail
Different versions of this campaign have been held in US, Canada, Sweden & Australia, with increasing participants each time. The future of furniture retail can be very different years from now.
Although, I must say I see one minor problem. I believe the most stressed individuals simply won’t have the time to be part of this, though it is them who have to be targeted. But with the magnitude of this campaign’s reach, this can easily be disregarded over time.
That being said, as a sleep-deprived student living in New York City, juggling multiple things as I write this today, I am calling it a night, to practice the social cause of this campaign.
Until next zzz…
Supraja
