In Canada, most people think changing a room’s look and feel requires a major renovation, which is both expensive and time-consuming. Over 40 renovation shows, on Canadian television alone, reinforce this idea every single day. Ikea wanted to show Canadians that they can refresh without the sledgehammer, but with textiles instead. This was the first time Ikea had ever promoted its textile offering, and the idea was to drive increased store traffic and increase textile sales.

The challenge was to get people feeling confident and comfortable “renovating” with textiles from Ikea. Although the retailer wanted to show Canadians they could completely change a room’s look by simply adding in some textiles inexpensively, quickly and easily, something was holding people back. Research revealed the key barrier fuelling this behaviour: a feeling that textiles come loaded with a list of dos and don’ts, perfect matches and horrible misses – a rule-bound process to which no one seems to know the rules. If the aim was to get people buying and experimenting with Ikea textiles, this fear of fabrics would need to be disrupted.

The strategy was to free people from the tyranny of textile rules by encouraging endless experimentation. The program would show people that despite their fears, Ikea textiles are the low-risk, affordable way to “renovate” throughout the entire year and easily change the look, feel and personality of the home.

To help ease the fear of fabrics, two-minute TV episodes reinforced just how quick and easy it is to experiment with textiles. Called the “Quick & Easy Room Makeover Show,” real couples worked with a well-known designer to transform their rooms in minutes, all using Ikea textiles. These two-minute TV episodes lived on HGTV, the target’s go-to place for DIY, getting inspired and learning the latest trends.

The actual tactile experience is incredibly important when it comes to textiles, as it assists the heart to override any of the “rules” and rational concerns the head may have. As one participant put it, “I would never buy textiles without feeling them first” (Source: Fresh Squeezed Ideas research). The team knew hands-on participation with textiles had to be an element of the communication mix – OOH to let people touch and feel actual textiles in order to generate an emotional response from both the participant and viewer; TV to demonstrate how quick and easy it is to freshen up any space, on any budget, with little to no time investment; and digital to extend the participation online and inspire consumers through the range of Ikea textiles.

A freestanding street-level experiential board equipped with life-sized paper samples of Ikea textiles was created. Passersby were encouraged to take rug, curtain and cushion samples to try out at home, offering a perfect low-risk solution that avoided the fear of having to commit. And when they found their perfect match, all of the product information was printed on the back to help them take the textile plunge.

The campaign yielded an 11% sales increase in textiles, a 10% increase in store visitors and a 5% average basket increase versus the same period year ago. More than 8,900 textile samples made their way into Canadian homes through the street-level board. The “Quick & Easy Room Makeover Show” garnered more than 4 million impressions, while #IkeaMakeover netted more than 1 million impressions.