Ikea are pushing boundaries once more and helping raise awareness of war torn life for the people of Syria.

Ikea are pushing boundaries once more with a stunt to help raise awareness of war torn life for the people of Syria.
Times are troubling at the moment. Brexit, Isil, Donald Trump becoming president (eek) so it’s great to see furnishing superstore Ikea making fantastic use of their in-store space to promote good for those in need at this dark time.



We are all familiar with the Ikea formula in-store – you pick up your pencil and list sheet, journey around the showrooms while dragging your reluctant other half, gaze at picture perfect homes, before heading into a warehouse style affair to pick up your goods. In a bid to raise awareness and to fundraise, Ikea Norway used the showroom aspect of their store to bring the reality of the Syrian crisis to light to a Western world who are sometimes oblivious, or turn a blind eye, to the horror happening everyday in the terrorised country.
Among the comforts of an Ikea showroom in Slependen, the retailer’s flagship store in Norway, an unexpected replica of a real Syrian home has been brought to life. The 25 meter square room was sparse with furnishings, built from block walls and a hard concrete floor with a few soft toys and rugs scattered around the floor. Ikea price tags had been replaced with stories which tell the story of a typical Syrian family’s struggle including lack of water, food or medicine. The price tags also served as donation forms with the company teaming up with the Norwegian Red Cross to send money direct to Syrian families in need.
The installation stunt, created by agency POL, was live from Oct 17th-23rd. The flagship store is visited by over 40,000 weekly and raised over 22 million euros for the Red Cross’ efforts in Syria.










Ikea are renowned for successful advertising and powerful media stunts worldwide, but this one stands out from the crowd with real drive for a good cause beyond selling product. Well done Ikea, you have caught the world’s attention for a very beneficial reason. I hope to see more companies following their lead in the months and years to come.
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Words by – Natalie Jahangiry
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12.06.2016
http://toworkorplay.com/work/newsroom/ikea-norway-25sqm-of-syria/