Welcome to the first installment of what I like to call; Perfectly Flawed Marketing Plans. In my time as a marketer, I’ve come up with all sorts of innovative, insane, and indisputably un-doable ideas that have been rightfully curtailed by my supervisors. Yet, in my undeterred gumption, I am unphased, unstoppable in my pursuit of silly ideation that I believe will yield incredible results if implemented correctly. Call it a symptom from whatever ailment I have, my hyper-focus leaves me in an unyielding pursuit of marketing innovation. At this moment the only victim of my spurts of madness is my fiancé, so now the responsibility falls to you, my readers. Let us begin with The IKEA Games.

The Plan

The IKEA Games is an untenable idea that mimics the great Coliseum games of old. Men, and Women will enter the arena and only the truest of competitors will rise victorious. Four teams of two (couples preferred) will compete in three events that test their construction, navigation, and decorating skills. This televised game show will take place within an IKEA as contestants compete in three distinct events.

Building Challenge: The contestants will be given a random IKEA furniture piece to build. The team that completes its correctly, the fastest, and passes the stability test will be crowned the winner. The worst graded team will be eliminated, doomed to wander the endless halls of IKEA.

Speed Challenge: The contestants will compete in an obstacle course through IKEA with an ever-changing course layout. The three remaining teams will start on one side of the store and be given an ending point, they may take any route they choose throughout the store but be warned. There are wrong turns and dead ends everywhere. The last team to finish will be eliminated.

Design Challenge: In a twist on the classic Super Market Speed-runs, contestants will have ten minutes to race throughout the store and acquire various items to decorate the item they built in the first round. Contestants will be judged by a panel of IKEA workers with bonus points being awarded for creativity, flow, etc.

One part game show, one part gladiator battle, The IKEA Games is a perfectly flawed marketing idea destined to fail but with a chance of KPI glory.

Objective: Engage new and existing customers with a fun-focused game show built inside an IKEA. Firmly in the Awareness and Consideration parts of the funnel, this plan will focus on solidifying the brand as a premiere furniture option.

Audience: New, current, and existing customers looking to furnish their homes, apartments, or offices. Local and international audiences interested in game shows, and competitions. Potential Audience: Netflix or other streaming services, pending partnership.

What Problem are we Solving? Global outreach and awareness. Directing our budget to an idea that has the potential to generate millions in revenue. This idea would supersede current outreach initiatives and become the focus of our KPI benchmarks.

Target Market: New and existing customers who enjoy game shows and competitions. Streaming service audiences. people looking to compete in a game show.

Competitor Analysis: Initial research suggest that no other furniture company has its own game show. Color me surprised.

Current Offerings: We currently have 458 IKEA stores all of which could be used as the staging ground, or as a template. We can highlight targeted furniture pieces/decorations throughout the competition to generate awareness.

Launch Planning: Film Pilot episode for streaming service releases in the Fall. Large PR/Marketing Push from now until then featuring footage from the pilot.

Messaging: Coming this Fall, The IKEA Games. One part game show, one part interior decorating, three parts fun. Join us as we find out who the best of the best is in building, racing, and more. Want to be a contestant? Think you’re the best there is? Sign up to be on The IKEA Games, this fall on Netflix (Hulu, Apple TV, whoever.)

Next Steps: Meet with a production company to set up a pilot. Build the studio or co-op an IKEA store (preferably the least profitable branch). Meet with PR and Marketing Teams to solidify KPI’s, messaging, outreach, etc. Contact steaming services/cable providers to determine interest and distribution.

The KPI’s

Viewers
Total Streams
Hours Streamed
Views per household
Household Views
Revenue generated from streaming/streams
Engagement across PR/Marketing Outreach – social clicks, CTR, likes, comments, retweets, etc.
Social cover – tweets, posts, etc. from customers/audience unprompted
Articles, blogs, interviews requested
Articles, blogs, interviews published by various sources
Season requests?

The Flaws

You’re probably thinking the same thing I am at this point. Isn’t this idea a bit grandiose, a bit silly, a bit unnecessary? Why would IKEA want to do this when they’ve already solidified themselves as a market giant? Like I said, perfectly flawed.

Does this satisfy a need for IKEA at all?

Most likely not. I feel that IKEA’s current global outreach, and market share are more than satisfactory for their revenue goals. I have no insider knowledge, or any data to support this but IKEA is a global name that most people in their target audience already know. If anything, this game show would come off as a campy vanity project and not further the brand. You would need to focus on providing an authentic feel to the show, with a director/producer that has the right vision. Honestly this entire plan may fare better as a viral or guerilla marketing campaign hosted as YouTube videos. Web-series-esque.

Does this appeal to their target audience?

Tough to say. I imagine there is overlap between people who need furniture and people who watch streaming services/game shows. I think the core audience would find it enjoyable, and hilarious while fringe audience members may watch it on a whim. People who have never heard of IKEA may find it enjoyable as well, and will want to satisfy their curiosity; “Are IKEA stores actually made like this?”

Is this the best use of their budget?

100% no. This idea would be laughed out of a lower-level marketing managers office before even it had a chance to reach a Director or VP. The necessary data needed to validate an idea like this is unreachable without a significant initial investment. Plus there probably isn’t a need for this at all, as their market share is already so secure.

An Ending Note.

Do you think IKEA paid the directors or producers of 500 Days of Summer for that date scene in an IKEA? A cursory Google search suggests that the iconic scene is an indirect retelling of a real-life experience of director Michael H. Weber. But man can you imagine? That would be some of the best digital marketing I’ve ever seen. Paying an indie movie director to include “a scene” in their film would be a tough sell but just look at the potential return. 500 Days of Summer has no doubt inspired thousands of dates spent at IKEA, even considering the eventual end of the main characters’ relationship. I guess as a marketer myself, the hope was that some prodigy at IKEA had the balls to spend their entire budget betting on some random scene in an indie movie. Maybe the fact that it was based on a real-life experience is what made it seem so authentic, and that authenticity is what we as marketers must always strive for. Yet it isn’t so simple. For we will crusade for authenticity, but we can rarely deliver it so flawlessly. Food for thought.

A Hint for the next Perfectly Flawed Marketing Plan:

Corn cans.