The best brands do more than supply products to customers. They become an integral part of customers’ lives.
The more meaningful personal interactions a brand has with a customer, the stronger the relationship.
A Brand Interaction that Will Never Be Forgotten
In a groundbreaking print ad IKEA takes brand interaction to a new and unexpected extreme. The Swedish furniture giant with the big blue stores wants you to pee on a magazine ad. That’s right, pee on its advertisement.
And IKEA suggests that if you do, it could be one of the most important defining moments in your life. They issue the challenge and make the claim right in the headline:
Peeing on this ad may change your life
Further down the page, below a product photo you’ll see the target zone. (Apparently the proper technique is to pee into a cup and then use an eye dropper to put the pee to the paper)
If your pee meets strict chemical criteria, IKEA will share with you a life changing announcement and give you a hefty discount on a relevant new product.
Focused on One Specific Demographic
The ad, which appears in Sweden’s Amelia magazine, is specific to one product and one target market. The product is a Sundvik crib. The target market is women of child-bearing age. The ad is more than just an ad. The pee target zone is actually a pregnancy test strip.
If pee from a pregnant woman is applied to the strip, it causes a chemical reaction. But instead of displaying a blue dot, the test strip unveils a special price on the crib. The IKEA Family discount magically appears, cutting the price from 995 Swedish Krona to 495.
The ad is part of IKEA’s Where Life Happens campaign. It inserts the IKEA brand into a pivotal moment in a customer’s life. It’s one brand interaction that will never be forgotten.
What About Your Brand?
While it may not be appropriate for your brand to go to the IKEA extreme and delve into your customers’ reproductive status, your brand does need to create personal connections.
What’s the right personal connection zone for your brand? What can you do in the next two weeks to create an unforgettable brand interaction?
Is your brand part of where life happens for your customers?
