Chupa Chups Brings 'Meatball on a Stick' to Ikea
Consumers have been known to stay in Ikea stores a little longer for an order of the retailer’s popular Swedish meatballs. A new treat is just another reason for the home furnishings and household goods company to welcome curious shoppers through its doors over the next month.
Ingka Group, Ikea’s largest franchisee that owns and operates more than 400 Ikea stores and e-commerce sites, partnered with Perfetti Van Melle’s Chupa Chups brand to bring a limited-edition vegan Swedish meatball-flavored lollipop to consumers in a fun campaign that first gained traction on April Fools' Day.
The joint campaign teased the lollipop flavor for fans on social media sites, with plans to expand it into a global activation within Ikea stores that centers around a free in-store experience.
Initial messaging engaged tens of millions of consumers online, according to the companies, which was created to generate strong consumer curiosity and organic conversation around the savory meatball and sweet lingonberry flavor of the lollipop. It also served to test and build demand for the unique drop, and confirm brand loyalty.
Ikea and Chupa Chups also wanted to use the limited-edition launch to connect playful cultural storytelling with a tangible customer activation for followers of both brands. The candy collaboration is being marketed as a fun, sweet and savory surprise that will include more than 1 million lollipops given away in hundreds of Ikea stores worldwide.
“April Fools moments and brand partnerships are both well-worn tools,” Ikea's head of global marketing Vincenzo Riili, said in a media release. “What interested us was the space between them, where cultural surprise can do real commercial work.”
The global campaign was built around three strategic peaks, each designed to move audiences through the funnel, Riili added. The April Fools moment acted as a social-first ignition, fueled by influencers posting playful, offbeat mashups of the two brands, creating consumer speculation and intrigue.
All consumer-facing messaging reminds consumers that the only way to taste the lollipop is to visit a physical store in June. The 360-degree activation crosses paid, owned and earned channels, focusing on Ikea Family members and owned retail touchpoints.
Digital and social hero assets are supported by Ikea Family communications, influencer partnerships and PR, while in-store selfie spots encourage user-generated content and extend reach beyond the physical environment.
“Chupa Chups has always been about fun, creativity and surprising flavors,” said Martin Hofling, the brand’s global marketing manager. “Partnering with Ingka Group allowed us to take those values into a completely new cultural space. Transforming such an iconic savory flavor into a lollipop is unexpected by design and that’s exactly what makes it memorable.”
The campaign is supported by creator partnerships managed by Billion Dollar Boy. The lollipops will not be available in Sweden, Japan, India, Serbia, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia.
