IKEA Taps PIGEON for student push

The campaign centres on the multiple roles that college accommodation plays, from study area and bedroom to gaming space and social hub

PIGEON has developed Made for College, a back-to-school campaign for IKEA Canada highlighting furnishing and storage solutions designed for students living in small spaces.

The campaign centres on the multiple roles that college accommodation plays, from study area and bedroom to gaming space and social hub.

Running nationally till 26 August, the campaign spans connected TV, online video, out-of-home, display, social media, Spotify and in-store channels. Media planning and buying was handled by Carat.

Campaign reflects student living

The creative work positions IKEA products around everyday aspects of student life. Featured products include the PÄRKLA laundry bag, promoted as Easy to Carry Home to Mom or Dad, ROSENMANDEL blackout curtains encouraging students to Major in Sleeping, and a KALLAX desk combined with PÄRKLA storage and a DRÖNJÖNS wastepaper basket with the message Cram Here. Under Here. And in here.

The campaign also includes audio executions that incorporate IKEA product features into familiar student situations, including sleeping late and spending time gaming.

Creative team highlights everyday insights

Video was produced by STEAM with director Sofia Pompei, while photography was created by Kyle Topping of Undivided.

Brandon Tralman-Baker, Creative Director, PIGEON: "College is one of the few times in life where your room has to keep up with you while you're still figuring yourself out. One day it's a study space. The next it's a gaming station, a dining room or a nap station. We loved finding product truths that could speak to all sides of the college experience."

Jonelle Ricketts, Head of Marketing, IKEA Canada: "The College experience is about so much more than purely academics. It's where students build friendships, discover new interests and begin finding their independence. We're proud to offer affordable solutions that help them make the most of both their space and their experience."

Partnership supports creative students

The campaign launch coincides with the fourth year of a partnership between PIGEON, IKEA Canada and Humber Polytechnic's Advertising Copywriting and Advertising Art Direction programmes.

As part of the initiative, students developed responses to a live IKEA marketing brief based on their own experiences. Following the project, Joyce Jiang and Neel Aery joined PIGEON as interns to continue developing their skills with the agency's creative and strategy teams.

www.ikea.com

www.pigeonbrands.com

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