The Tupperware party reinvented

It's a scenario that many people are probably familiar with: You stroll through the furniture store, see harmonious color concepts, beautiful blankets, cushions and accessories. You actually like it. But as soon as it comes to your own home, you stop and leave it. Ikea also knows this: "Customers like our furniture stores with their show apartments and rooms. However, this coherent look is not easy for most people to implement," says Katrin Polzer, External Communication Manager at Ikea. In the current campaign, the Swedish furniture store therefore shows how a somewhat dusty apartment can be spruced up with textiles to match the new Ikea catalog. And it does this right on site, in the customer's home.

The Ikea team arrives with a bus full of cushions, curtains, carpets and rugs as well as Swedish snacks and drinks. However, it's not just about celebrating and watching the work being done. The guests are involved in the design, cutting fabrics, rolling out carpets and fitting curtains. Along the way, they learn about the simple solutions Ikea offers for working with textiles. For example, the curtain fabric no longer needs to be sewn, but simply ironed on with adhesive tape. Even those who have often skipped hands-on lessons can do this.

"The special thing is that we inspire the party guests and also teach them something," says Polzer, emphasizing the benefits of the parties. Ikea already redecorated apartments during the multi-award-winning campaign for the opening of the Rothenburg store in 2011. At the time, however, customers were told nothing about how such a change was accomplished. Only the result counted. The textile parties are completely different, with participants trying things out for themselves and being encouraged to spruce up their own four walls. "Anyone can put together a wardrobe. With textiles, however, you need a feel for what can be done with fabric. We show this in an exciting way," says Philipp Skrabal, Executive Creative Director at Wirz Werbung, the agency responsible. "The parties create a strong experience with the brand."

At the heart of the campaign is the Textilparty.ch website, where interested parties from all over Switzerland can apply to host a party. The website also acts as an inspiration platform, where you can see tips for your own home, before-and-after pictures of the apartments and impressions of past parties. This shows the breadth of the target audience. Sometimes the host is an older lady, other times a young family, then again a single person. Mobilization for the first 24 parties in August and September took place via the newsletter to Ikea Family members. To make the project accessible to the general public, a TV commercial was shown at the end of the first wave, encouraging people to register for the second wave of parties, which will take place in October. After all, with the darker season approaching, colorful textiles are an ideal way to get cozy. True to the Nordic tradition and the furniture store's current campaign motto: "Bring new life into your home."

Isabel Imper