Ikea debuts holiday anthem designed for TikTok video series
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Ikea this month launched an authentic holiday-themed music as a part of a broader marketing campaign that celebrates social gatherings amongst family and friends who could not get collectively final yr because of the pandemic. The brand new anthem, titled “Feels Simply Like a Vacation,” marks the primary time the world’s largest furnishings vendor developed authentic music particularly for social video app TikTok.
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With lyrics that point out “the glow of these candles from Ikea,” the music largely focuses on the nice and cozy and comfy emotions that always include vacation gatherings. That theme is constant all through the model’s broader “Host Masters” marketing campaign, which features a video sequence viewers can watch on units like smartphones. Ikea partnered with cell video writer Group 9 Media and Track Sweet, a artistic company that produces authentic songs for manufacturers, to create authentic content material for the “Host Masters” effort. The anthem is grounded in analysis that exhibits 65% of TikTok customers want movies from manufacturers that characteristic an authentic sound. As well as, 58% of TikTok customers stated they felt extra related to manufacturers when the music was satisfying.
“We do anticipate that this yr’s vacation can be method completely different from final yr,” Christine Whitehawk, advertising and marketing communications supervisor at Ikea U.S., stated by electronic mail. “Individuals will almost certainly be gathering — in smaller and cautious teams, however the client indicators and steerage proper now does present that individuals are snug with coming collectively this yr not like the final vacation.”
With its contemporary vacation anthem, Ikea turns into the most recent marketer to undertake a method of audio-based community-building that features branded songs, albums, mixtapes, playlists, musicals and podcasts. Manufacturers like carmaker Lexus, Mondelez’s Oreo cookies, on-line retailer Lulus and Procter & Gamble’s Febreze have adopted musical branding methods to have interaction Gen Z customers as their spending energy continues to surge.
“We wish to join with these simply beginning out and maybe internet hosting their first vacation get-together, individuals with households after which much more skilled hosters who could also be searching for one thing new to encourage them this vacation season,” Whitehawk stated.
‘Fragmented media panorama’
On prime of the unique music, the “Host Masters” effort includes a assortment of social media tales and a video sequence co-branded by Ikea and Group 9’s Thrillist way of life web site. Every episode is hosted by comic Preacher Lawson and exhibits two amateurs in a “pleasant competitors” to be the perfect vacation host. A design skilled from Ikea helps the contestants as they choose the retailer’s merchandise and organize them in a mock front room and eating room. Designed for social media, the present gives recommendation on subjects starting from vacation adorning and the way to roast a turkey to the way to hug different individuals once more, in line with an announcement.
Past social media, Ikea’s web site additionally exhibits the episodes and gives hyperlinks to its on-line catalog for viewers impressed by the sequence to browse featured merchandise.
“The media panorama may be very fragmented proper now and offering leisure is a key a part of what model entrepreneurs should do so as to have interaction with their audiences,” Whitehawk stated. “We have to have components of our advertising and marketing communications that enable individuals to have interaction with us in a method that appears like they had been entertained and loved that point.”
Partaking customers on cell units has change into extra necessary for Ikea amid the pandemic-spurred surge in e-commerce. The corporate noticed greater demand for residence items as individuals arrange residence places of work or purchased new furnishings whereas spending extra time indoors. Ikea’s international income rose 6.3% to $43.4 billion within the monetary yr ended Aug. 31 regardless of ongoing constraints on provide chains. Amid shops closures and restrictions on retailers, Ikea’s digital enterprise expanded its share of complete gross sales to 30% from 18% a yr earlier, in line with an announcement.
Since then, the chain has spent the autumn season ramping up its vacation advertising and marketing. These efforts embrace its “Each House Ought to Be a Haven” marketing campaign that features a humorous 60-second spot displaying muscular teddy bears guarding a household’s residence, making a sanctuary for them to play and chill out.
This month’s rollout of the “Host Masters” marketing campaign follows Ikea’s different efforts to experiment with audio. The corporate earlier this yr examined an interactive audio advert on streaming platform Pandora. The advert invited two-way conversations beginning with a message in regards to the retailer’s sustainability mission earlier than asking listeners in the event that they needed to listen to recommendations on eco-conscious dwelling.
Ikea has been on the forefront of piloting new applied sciences, together with its participation in Apple’s rollout of ARKit, a set of developer instruments to create augmented actuality (AR) experiences for cell customers. Its app supplied customers a solution to see how furnishings would look in a room earlier than shopping for them on-line.
“We’re all the time seeking to present costumers how we are able to enhance their on a regular basis lives in a method that’s enjoyable, inspirational, and entertaining,” Whitehawk stated. “Taking this method is only one method that aligns to our general advertising and marketing method to all the time strive new methods to attach with our costumers out out there.”