Ikea’s Ideas

Ireland was lucky enough to get it’s first Ikea in 2009.

The Irish were subjected to seeing “Glocal” coporate operations first hand. There are many, many highlights to the business style adopted by the Swedish giant but importantly for this blog is their innovative marketing that is a tried and tested form of creating a buzz around the Ikea brand and indeed, the local store.

As well as promoting the opening of the store with print and outdoor advertising Ikea ran a user generated content  campaign on a localised Irish website  asking visitors to tell their stories to be in with a chance  of winning a €15,000 house makeover.

Ikea Dublin used Twitter to run  competitions for the best fancy dress  and announcing free giveaways or ‘furniture drops’ all over the City.

Here’s an example (or something similar but from Paris!)

It worked so well some 3,000 people flocked through the doors of the Dublin branch of IKEA within the first hour of its opening.

JWT don’t take breaks

Why can’t we all do more of this?

Innovation is the best way to get around the sheer mass of below par, uninspired “creative”

JWT London do it well.

Can’t we do something different?

The average consumers sees 5,000 advertising messages a day. Marketing Clutter has hit an all time high. The average consumer, however, only perceives 1-2% of these messages. So, clients are putting more and more pressure on agencies to stand out from the crowd, to make the brand known, to get people talking about them.

So, Viral Ad’s have become the antidote to the marketing quandary.

Something quirky, something unique, that will capture the imaginations of the public and reinforce the brand.

Flash mobs were the answer. But have been done to death. So sick of seeing them. Some marketers think - OK let’s do a viral – let’s get a flashmob on the case.

Big Mistake. That won’t catch on anymore, people are too used to them by now. The nature of a viral is something that will spread like wildfire, a flashmob that has been done every couple of weeks for another struggling brand won’t work.

Do something new. Please.

Saatchi and Saatchi get it;

New Agency Model – the future?

Afternoon,

We were speaking with an old friend today about the new agency model that is beginning to make a few noises in the fair old isle of Ireland.

It’s simple. It works and it’s an Opportunity for Flagship!

Here’s the site; http://boysandgirlsagency.wordpress.com/

Here’s what they say:

“Boys and Girls is Ireland’s newest creative agency. Founded by four boys and two girls with over 80 years experience working across every major sector, we have worked on practically every one of Ireland’s Top 50 brands. We offer a full range of creative and strategic services from advertising concepts through to market research and consumer insight planning.”

Boys and Girls  includes five former McConnells directors amongst its six founders and Rory Hamilton, who is responsible for the creative output of the agency, and has worked at Euro RSCG, Ogilvy & Mather, Irish International and McCann Erickson.

It’s headed up by managing partner Pat Stephenson, who was deputy managing director at McConnells until September 2009. We were lucky enough to hear Pat explain the Boys and Girls “way”.

The Model. What is it?

Well, currently, they have all in all 7 people in the office; planners, account executives, researcher, M.D, secretary and a creative director.

So, no art and copy type creatives?

Stephenson explained that rather than incurring huge expenses by maintaining one creative department in the agency they opted for spending an arduous couple of months compiling a bible of names, number and details of every possible creative job that could be referenced to outsource to talented and well regarded free-lancers.

Sounds F’n genius to us; minimal overheads matched with 6 hugely experienced people and access to senior people leads to greater efficiencies and better work. Especially in a recession.

It also gives all the rookie creatives a shot at the big time instead of keeping the one trusty (Dusty) Art and Copy team on the payroll.

It’s a new concept in Ireland anyway, and we love it. A creative agency with just one creative heading up the creative department; the creative director.

Wonder if the model will catch on? Apparently these big corporation types are all about saving the pennies. So we reckon it could.

Interesting change in the industry though.

Keep an eye out for these guys (and girls)

Flagship