Thousands of cars zipping along Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway this week saw a huge 3D Ikea installation created out of the retailer’s products. The aim is to capture the holiday spirit and portray its ‘feel cozy and festive’ message. The billboard, with ‘JOY’ written across it, is made of Ikea tables, chairs, rugs and other furniture, weatherproofed and mounted on the 3D board.
Mark Aronson, strategic planner at Toronto-based Zig, Ikea Canada’s AOR, tells MiC, ‘The purpose of putting it close to Ikea’s Etobicoke location on the Gardiner Expressway is to create an awareness of the retailer’s stores, make them top of mind for shoppers and make the ads stand out in a cluttered environment during the holiday shopping season.’
‘Close to 149,100 people view the board daily, and even people who live in Burlington (where there is another Ikea location) but work downtown, could be reminded of the store,’ says Paul Havery, group media director, Mindshare, which handled the media buying.
‘It’s important to remember that decorating the home is also a big part of Christmas,’ adds Aronson. Targeted to women in particular, plain OOH boards decked out with words such as ‘Hope’ and ‘Love’ have also been plastered across Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Ikea will also use online flash banner ads on home décor websites such as HDTV.ca and www.canadianhouse andhome.ca, as well as IKEA.ca. TTC commuters can also view them on the above-the-platform digital screens in Toronto. The campaign will run until early January.
