IMC’s artistic groups work in another way as a result of along with a typical copywriter and artwork director duo, they embody an inside designer who helps develop revolutionary methods of utilizing the merchandise. On tour of the studio, ADWEEK noticed an inside designer sitting beside a 3D movement artist to design a mannequin room on the web site.
“We discuss so much about our dwelling furnishing data. Everybody within the constructing has it to an extent, however inside designers carry the torch,” mentioned artistic director Amy Leo.
Malmström suggested different manufacturers to take a leaf out of Ikea’s playbook by involving the advertising group as early as attainable in product improvement and launches.
“Begin collaborating from the artistic idea of a product and to work on the identical insights and to have a joint artistic path,” she suggested. “All the pieces must be related. It takes a village.”
By no means Predictable
With the rise of social media and its calls for for content material, one in all IMC’s greatest challenges is balancing model consistency with artistic flexibility, Leo mentioned.
IMC works with exterior businesses in some markets and delivers belongings to native groups as instructed social and digital content material. It’s at the moment collaborating with native markets on a world model marketing campaign for this yr.
Considered one of IMC’s objectives is to assist Ikea be extra reactive and open to its neighborhood on social, the place the model has taken on a lifetime of its personal amongst followers sharing Ikea furnishings hacks or devoting Reddit threads to the retailer’s stuffed animals. IMC is experimenting with “extra fast, enjoyable, and lo-fi” social media content material, Leo mentioned.
“Folks have this neighborhood feeling [towards Ikea], and we embrace that,” she added.
Over time, Ikea has discovered that manufacturers “can not management and steer” on social media, Malmström cautioned. “You need to be a bit comfy and courageous in not interfering an excessive amount of with new channels, as a result of when you try this, it turns into predictable and boring.”
