Millennial, Gen-X Media Opps: Ikea appoints global brand marketing agency (Score 58)

Sales lead: This appointment may lead to spend shifts or additional agency changes. 

• Ikea named McCann its global brand marketing partner in September 2023.
• This does not replace any of Ikea's existing agency relationships. 
• McCann's first campaign will reportedly launch in spring 2024. 
• We told you about Ikea's back-to-school campaign in July. 

Target demographic: Millennials & Gen-Xers

The company will likely:

• Make additional agency changes
• Continue moving TV dollars to digital channels
• Introduce a new brand identity

Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: Ikea spent around $27.7m on national TV ads YTD, a 7% decrease from $29.9m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022. 
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend increased by 24% from $36.1m in 2021 to $44.7m in 2022. 
• Ad programming: It placed ads during programming such as Friends, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, The First 48, House Hunters, and NFL Football. 

Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: Ikea spent nearly $24m on digital display ads YTD, a 62% increase from $14.8m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022. 
• YTD data: 3.6b impressions via Facebook (54%), Instagram (35%), desktop display (5%), YouTube (4%), desktop video (1%), and mobile display (1%). 
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend fell 24% from $27.2m in 2021 to $20.6m in 2022. 
• Ad location: It placed 97% of these ads directly onto sites such as facebook.com, instagram.com, youtube.com, arstechnica.com, and realsimple.com. It placed 3% of these ads through multiple indirect channels onto sites such as health.com, fandom.com, allrecipes.com, realsimple.com, and zillow.com. 

Additional channel insights  

• Vivvix: Ikea also invests in OOH, print, radio, and local broadcast. 
• Top podcasts sponsored: The Joe Rogan Experience, The John Batchelor Show, Global News Podcast, and Real Ghost Stories Online. 

Agency analysis:

• Opportunity: Reach out now to see if Ikea plans on making any more agency changes.
• Current roster:
  • Ogilvy - New York: creative
  • Work & Co: digital AOR
  • Wavemaker: media AOR
  • APCO Worldwide: PR AOR
  • In-house: media
  • McCann: brand marketing