š, Iām Kimberly. Iāve been creating obsession-worthy brands for the past fifteen years. And now, Iām giving away my secrets every week in this newsletter.
Sometimes I run across a campaign that I love so much ā Iām inspired to write it a love letter.
I ran across one of these campaigns last week. So, here it goesā¦
Dearest Ikea,
Iāll always remember the first time I saw you. I can feel the excitement that shot through campus when you opened your location in East Palo Alto. It was August of my senior year at Stanford, and we college students lined up to swarm your store ā gleefully running through your room displays, excitedly pushing carts through your warehouse, and joyously sampling your famed meatballs.
In the years since, Iāve graduated to a different level of furnishing. But as a brand marketer, Iāve been watching you from afarā¦
And this week, I saw āThe Giving Bag,ā your new 60-second spot.
I watched as the young boy and his family pulled up in a car to their new home, and the young boy put an iconic Ikea bag on the table in an empty room. I smiled when the Ikea bag lit up and sparkled, as the music swelled. Then I smiled even more as the boy peered inside and pulled out a lamp that lit up both the room and his face.
My excitement grew as the boy and his parents pulled more and more items from the magical Ikea bag: a pillow! a mirror! a couch! And my heart swelled to bursting levels as the boy fell asleep, carried to bed by his parents, as suddenly the house was a complete home, and the screen resolved on the line: āAffordable Design. Endless Possibilities.ā
What I love about this ad from you, Ikea, is how well it captures the feeling of aspiration that the greatest brands do.
You, Ikea, fully recognize that interacting with you is not just about the products you sell. You sell tables and chairs and lamps. But for people, those tables and chairs and lamps represent a home and all of the wonderful things that can happen there.
The possibilities you provide to turn a blank space into a personal space truly are magical. And by leaning into the idea of magic in a way that plays on childhood wonder, you awaken the giddy sense of amazement in the hearts of your audience.
Thank you, Ikea, for showing all brands that itās not about the product itself. Itās about the possibilities that the product opens for people.
And if other brands can learn from you and speak to the possibilities they open for their audiences, theyāll be able to make magic too.
XOXO
branding girl
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I help early-stage founders create the kind of brands that get customers so obsessed,Ā theyāll do your advertising for you.
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