2013 Bronze Best use of Direct Mail

Client IKEA

How did the campaign make a difference? Brits rarely spend time in their gardens, so IKEA inspired loyalty card holders to dine, wine, or unwind alfresco. Customers got a weather forecast for their actual garden. The campaign delivered a blazing hot 4.6% uplift in visits alone.

What details of the strategy make this a winning entry? The vast majority of UK homeowners have some form of outdoor space. But sadly, many are jungle-like spaces used to store the lawnmower, dry clothes and hide junk. With the hottest months looming, it made sense to raise awareness among IKEA FAMILY members that IKEA has an extensive outdoor range. But it needed to get people to rethink and choose IKEA for a new breed of outdoor furniture. How can you get people thinking about their gardens when the weather is so unpredictable? A clever use of data identified customers with gardens and created a series of personalised weather forecasts, using digital printing to deliver a triggered, personalised weather forecast for their actual garden.

How did creativity bring the strategy to life? The campaign identified members with gardens. Using digital printing, weather-responsive, personalised mailers were sent out featuring actual forecasts for each member's garden. On days when the sun came out, so did the DM. Among the usual dreary bills and mailshots, the mailer was literally an unexpected ray of sunshine on members' doorsteps. This piece of good news was enough to brighten up their day and, more importantly, get them thinking about getting outside in the garden. So the mailer drove to an online garden planner, designed to raise awareness of IKEA's outdoor range, with a money-off voucher to make sure they acted soon.

Results By harnessing the excitement that erupts in the UK when it gets a dose of sunshine, this inspired people to improve their gardens. And produced one of IKEA's most successful campaigns to date. The DM delivered a staggering 4.6% increase in visits to IKEA to make more of the garden. Overall, it contributed to a massive increase in IKEA FAMILY members visiting the store, increasing outdoor product transactions by 55% and sales by a blazing hot 34%.