The Swedes of Eastern Switzerland

 
Living Rod has Ikea fans in eastern Switzerland raving about the fact that Ikea is now also available in St. Gallen. 
 On September 26, the seventh branch of the Ikea furniture store in Switzerland will open in St. Gallen Winkeln. It is one of 263 branches worldwide. But does everyone in eastern Switzerland know who Ikea is and what it can offer potential customers?
Strategic planner Regula Fecker carried out research into all these questions for Ikea in order to test the unconventional furniture store's chances on the Eastern Swiss market. "The people of Eastern Switzerland know Ikea. But they mainly know the name, not the concept, the philosophy of the brand," she found out.
These findings have now also become the briefing for a campaign to mark the opening of the first store in Eastern Switzerland. It is being conceived and realized by the newly founded advertising agency Rod by Regula Fecker (R), Oliver Fennel (O) and David Schärer (D). The creative minds from Zurich's Enge district based their ideas on the fact that around 20,000 Ikea customers from eastern Switzerland have so far made their dream homes come true at the Ikea store closest to them in Dietlikon. Many of them - as the previous research showed - are convinced fans of the Swedish furniture retailer. "The ideal group for convincing testimonials" was therefore Rod's brainwave.
Instead of introducing the essence of Ikea with the arguments of the marketing department, they wanted to let these loyal fans speak for themselves. How would these people explain the special character and concept of their furniture store to a new customer?
Rod used the Ikea database to filter out the 2000 most interesting customers. A mailing was sent to these customers asking whether they wanted to take part in the campaign. An important detail: "We didn't promise any rewards," explains Marketing Manager Carlos Friedrich, because he only wanted to win over real fans for the idea.
Nevertheless, the agency was inundated with several hundred applications. "Many presented themselves with professionally styled photos and elaborately designed application letters," says a delighted Helén Eneroth, project manager at Ikea. 60 customers who were able to convince the recruiters the most with their motivation were then visited by Rod in their homes.
When selecting the final 16 testimonials, various criteria were taken into account to ensure a mix of all age groups, regions and living arrangements, from singles to large families. Jonathan Heyer then photographed the Ikea ambassadors in their original surroundings with Ikea furniture they had actually bought in the past. Apart from a few decorative elements, everything in these "reportage-style testimonials" is "unadorned and authentic".
It was a risk for the art direction - but also for the client, as the agency was unable to present a prefabricated layout. Everyone was pleased with the results at a private view. The campaign is being talked about because the people portrayed naturally have their families, colleagues and neighbors. Many posters were put up near the people portrayed. The site www.kampagne-ostschweiz.ch is also an important element. "See what others are looking forward to", are the motifs that entice people to comment.
 
Andreas Panzeri