For the launch of their new Small Business Network, IKEA North America designed a comprehensive launch campaign called Main Street Makeover, based around shop owners in the town of Maplewood, NJ. One aspect of the campaign would be an online video contest designed to find the next Maplewood.
Campaign Background
The commuter town of Maplewood, NJ, had recently enjoyed a renaissance driven by entrepreneurs, many of whom had left jobs in the city to set up shops in town. In the process they had revived Maplewood and its community. IKEA had discovered the town, and the story, and developed a relationship with the entrepreneurs, many of whom had used IKEA furnishings in inventive ways to open their businesses.
It was an inspirational story, and IKEA had structured the launch of its new Small Business Network around finding "the next Maplewood, NJ" and a similarly inspirational set of entrepreneurs, and working with that town to give them a Main Street Makeover in the image of Maplewood.
One aspect of the campaign would be an online video contest. With a campaign foundation in place, IKEA sought to build a video contest that would ask small business owners in towns across America to tell their own stories. Shycast would supply the contest technical framework and work with IKEA and Ketchum to refine contest structure, create official rules, and manage and fulfill the contest.
Solution: Small Businesses, Big Dreams: Furnished by IKEA
Small Business, Big Dreams: Furnished by IKEA asked business owners in any small American town to work together to produce a video that communicated the vision they had for their main street business district. Up to 10 business owners could work together, and the winning town would win a Main Street Makeover valued at $50,000.
The competition was structured to motivate business owners to collaborate with other businesses. The purpose was to involve whole communities and activate towns around the IKEA brand. In order to enter the competition businesses were required to join the IKEA Small Business Network.
To get the word out, IKEA engaged fan sites and Facebook groups devoted to IKEA, and structured a judging panel that included online community leaders and bloggers from relevant sites.
Results
Nearly 400 small businesses participated in Small Business, Big Dreams: Furnished by IKEA, representing 50 towns from Alaska to Florida. The competition succeeded in its objective of activating communities; in some towns it became such a spectacular event that it achieved nearly 100% penetration (based on local registrations).
Ketchum was instrumental in motivating local media; the contest was promoted with feature stories and news items in many towns. The videos were viewed more than 250,000 times and almost 30,000 people registered to vote and leave comments.
The Small Business, Big Dreams contest helped IKEA reach or surpass its goals for the Main Street Makeover campaign and the IKEA Small Business Network.
"Shycast was an outstanding partner.
They were always responsive, had creative ideas that helped the contest, and approached our campaign with enthusiasm and energy. Most
importantly they were absolutely reliable and we knew they cared about our program."
-Wendy Clark,
USA PR Manager, IKEA
When IKEA launched Small Business, Big Dreams to find the next Maplewood, NJ, people dressed up in gorilla suits and hung banners across main street in the winning town of East Lansing, MI. These weren't buzz marketing pros, but real people drumming up support for a great cause, and a great brand.
