For a majority of brands in the world, marketing is centered around their product’s usage and usefulness. Customers will not buy a product when it doesn’t serve any purpose. Also, when a product’s purpose isn’t exhibited well, or they don’t appear appealing, a lot many customers are lost there too.

But here is a brand campaign that is changing this perception. IKEA recently launched a trilogy of short ads for its line of children-focused furniture, bringing a unique perspective to marketing.

Not many brands are willing to risk and present their products based on them not being used. But the Swedish furniture and lifestyle brand’s new ad campaign hits the right spot for several reasons.

But first things first!

The ads

The ads bring about a paradigm shift, with three different furniture items being used (or rather unused) as props.

The first one features a baby napping on his mother’s chest with a cot kept at an easy distance lying vacant in the room.

The next one shows a father helping his child eat out of a bowl on his lap, while a high chair is kept abandoned in the room.

Lastly, an empty stool stands still while a mother holds up her child wanting to use the wash basin.

While, the core idea may not be clear at first, it comes out subtly and hits the right spot with each ad conveying “Proudly second best”, the first one being parents themselves.

Why do these ads work

Marketing involves showing any product as a solution to a pertinent problem. IKEA changes this perception and calls itself “Proudly Second Best”. Not many brands base their marketing campaigns around how their products can be the second best to use.

Marketers show the product to be marketed as the hero, and not the supporting prop. IKEA calls its customers the real hero but still manages to garner attention for its product.

The essence of the ad comes out beautifully, and conveys a lot in within a short time. The focus is the human touch and stories around parenting with relatable events and how
IKEA though playing second fiddle is there for you, in case you need it.

While IKEA could have made ads that focused on how well their products can be used, or how IKEA can help make parenting a bit easy, or even how affordable their products are,
it chose to make an exception and show a different side by concentrating on the parent-child relationship. This goes a long way in showing the brand’s values.

Also Read: IKEA’s Retail Therapy Campaign Gave A Hilarious Twist To Regular Products