Christmas is one of the most challenging times of the year for Ikea to succeed with customers. With the focus often on food, drinks, and gifts, home furniture tends to fall off the agenda.
Collaborating with creative agency Mother London, Ikea aimed to combat this trend and raise brand awareness. Amid the cost of living crisis and rising prices for Christmas dinner (which will be 13% more expensive than last year), Ikea decided to become the center of a fun festive story.
Using one of its most iconic assets – meatballs, the company introduced an unexpected alternative for Christmas dinner: turkey-sized meatballs. The giant 4.5 kg meatballs were made from the same ingredients as Ikea’s standard meatballs and served with the same signature creamy sauce.
The simplicity of the idea allowed Ikea to create appealing visual content for social media that quickly went viral. Ikea also launched an Instagram competition offering a chance to win 30 turkey-sized meatballs and 30 vegan Christmas trees with vegetable balls.
The brand even made its turkey-sized meatballs available for purchase online and in several stores, prompting excited customers to create their own content.
This campaign became one of Ikea’s most popular social initiatives, earning over 2.5 million pounds. The story went viral worldwide, with broadcasters such as CNN and Fox News reporting on the turkey-sized meatballs. Additionally, well-known brands and celebrities joined in the fun.
Most importantly, in December, brand awareness increased by 21% compared to the average annual figure, helping Ikea win the Marketing Week Award for Social Media in 2024.