IKEA Canada is in the midst of a review for a new creative agency of record, ending a seven-year partnership with Crispin Porter + Bogusky Toronto (CP+B).
IKEA kicked off the search late November when it approached 13 agencies, asking each of them to prepare a video case study outlining their retail experience with a specific focus on the female demographic, said Hilary Lloyd, deputy marketing manager of IKEA Canada.
The home furnishings retailer has since narrowed the list down to five unnamed agencies, all of which have offices in Toronto.
“We’re extremely excited at the prospect of having a new creative agency,” said Lloyd. “We feel that a new agency partnership will give IKEA the opportunity to re-focus and get sharper communicating to our core customer.
“At IKEA we’re already feeling re-energized by the process. There’s no question that the pitch is giving us the opportunity to reconsider our approach, which has the potential to take both our external communication and our brand to a new level.”
IKEA first partnered with CP+B (then called Zig) in 2004. When IKEA put the account in review, CP+B declined to participate.
CP+B Toronto CEO Shelley Brown told Marketing “We have, at this point, a really specific new business strategy. We’re going after really specific domestic business where we think we can do fantastic work,” such as the recently won Toronto Tourism account.
“We’ve had the IKEA business for seven years and had some fantastic success on that brand,” she said. “We wish them well, we’ll have a really smooth and respectful transition with the new agency, and we expect they’ll go on to do great work with whoever IKEA decides to work with.”
Zig’s work for IKEA garnered numerous awards including a Webby, Marketing Awards and a Gold in Cannes in 2008 for the “Low Voice” radio ad.
IKEA expects to announce its new AOR in early March, said Lloyd, marking the retailer’s second agency shift this year.
Last week, IKEA announced it had retained Rocket XL as its social media agency of record, without a review.
CP+B Canada introduced IKEA to the social media space last August with a Twitter account (@IKEA_Canada) and a Facebook page as part of a larger campaign that marked the arrival of IKEA’s 2011 catalogue.
“We have a really committed and enthusiastic base with customers who are engaged with the brand,” Lloyd said. “They’re already having conversations about us so what’s really important in working with Rocket and using that brand equity is that we join those conversations.”
IKEA also plans to enter the mobile space in the near future with an application that allows consumers to peruse the catalogue on iPhones and iPads.
