Integrated.

IKEA distributes millions of catalogues every year to homes for free. Despite being a longstanding cornerstone of their marketing, the catalogue was increasingly being seen as just more junk mail, particularly in an online world.

In a time where tech devices are replacing books, how could we get people excited about the arrival of the catalogue in their mailboxes? By launching it like anything but a book. We parodied Apple’s glassy-eyed product launch videos at the same time they were launching the iPhone 6. We successfully transformed the ordinary catalogue into the newly appreciated bookbook with over 16 mil views on YT, extensive media coverage, and a rise in sales for the key markets of Singapore and Malaysia of 8% and 13% respectively. The phrase ‘bookbook’ also entered pop culture.

The campaign was intended for Singapore and Malaysia only, but went viral with over 16 million hits. As the catalogue is delivered globally it suddenly became a global campaign. There were over 1 million social media shares with 500K+ on FB alone. Over 6000 uploads under the hash tag for #bookbook on Instagram showed how we transformed the catalogue into the now much more appreciated bookbook, with the phrase being used in pop culture. Sales figures in Singapore and Malaysia jumped 8% and 13% respectively.

The video was launched on Youtube first, along with being embedded in the microsite. Simultaneously, DM packages were sent to major news outlets and influential bloggers, including tech bloggers, with the catalogue packaged like an Apple product, complete with start-up guide. This initial media push got the ball rolling quickly and the video gained millions of views in a few days. A newspaper and outdoor campaign followed along with online banners and social media pushes.

IKEA distributes millions of catalogues every year to homes for free. Despite being a longstanding cornerstone of their marketing, the catalogue was increasingly being seen as just more junk mail, particularly in an online world.

In a time where tech devices are replacing books, how could we get people excited about the arrival of the catalogue in their mailboxes? By launching it like anything but a book. We parodied Apple’s glassy-eyed product launch videos at the same time they were launching the iPhone 6. We successfully transformed the ordinary catalogue into the newly appreciated bookbook with over 16 mil views on YT, extensive media coverage, and a rise in sales for the key markets of Singapore and Malaysia of 8% and 13% respectively. The phrase ‘bookbook’ also entered pop culture.