Many famous stores strive to create innovative ideas or launch advertising campaigns that may sometimes seem unusual or whimsical, all with the aim of grabbing attention and drawing customers in. The renowned furniture brand IKEA was no exception to this trend. However, they did not anticipate that one of their promotional campaigns would backfire so severely that it would lead them to urge the public not to repeat it.
The story begins in 2014 when a Belgian blogger named Elise de Rijck organized a hide-and-seek game at her local IKEA store to celebrate her 30th birthday. She announced the event on Facebook, initially inviting her friends. To her surprise, thousands of people joined the event, catching the attention of IKEA Belgium. The company decided to support and host the event at their store, instructing staff and security to allow visitors to play the game within the store’s sections. However, things did not go as planned. The event caused significant disruption in the store, with many social media photos showing people hiding under boxes, beds, and inside wardrobes throughout the store.
Despite the chaos, the store managed to handle the situation and considered it a one-time occurrence. A spokesperson for the store told ABC News that they wanted to fulfill the blogger’s dream, which appeared to be a dream for thousands of others as well. They attempted to make it happen but clarified that it was intended to be a one-time exclusive event. Nevertheless, the company was surprised when similar groups formed on Facebook, seeking to replicate the event. IKEA rejected these requests, citing concerns over safety due to the presence of heavy furniture that could pose risks during such activities.
The issue extended beyond IKEA’s Belgian store to other countries. By 2015, in the Netherlands, 32,000 people registered for a similar event at an IKEA store in Eindhoven. Additionally, 19,000 people signed up for an event in Amsterdam, and 12,000 registered for a game in Utrecht. Although the exact number of these events that actually took place is unclear, the phenomenon became widely recognized on social media, especially on YouTube, where numerous videos showed adults unofficially playing inside the store. The trend even reached Scotland in 2019, when authorities in Glasgow thwarted an event after 3,000 people signed up to play at an IKEA store. Store employees discovered the event on social media and immediately informed the police, who took measures to prevent any breaches and sent officers to protect the store.
While some might view IKEA’s promotional stunt as a logical marketing strategy, in reality, such events can pose safety risks and may result in more negative than positive outcomes for the stores. As it stands, IKEA has not organized similar events again, and it seems unlikely that the company will permit such activities in the future.
